BrickPad 2.0

[Ken Drew]

A new version of BrickPad is available in the App Store. Here is a short list of what has changed:

- Parts of the step are listed in a bubble (iPad only, for now).
- Added the ability to view a parts list for the model (network connection required).
- Added a Model Inspector to view various info about the model.
- Support for the LDraw WRITE/PRINT command.
- Swipe left or right to go to previous or next building step.
- Other improvements and enhancements.
- iOS 6 bug fixes.

And a screenshot with the new in step parts list bubble:



Enjoy,

Ken

[Travis Cobbs]

- Swipe left or right to go to previous or next building step.

Does swipe only work on the iPad? Because on my iPod Touch, when I swipe, it just rotates the model (which is probably a good thing).

[Ken Drew]

Because of the obvious conflict with swipe and one finger drag to rotate the model, the swipe must start either off screen or at the extreme edges of the screen (basically in the region where the tap to go to the next/previous step must occur).

[Travis Cobbs]

I suspected that might be the case, but still had problems. It appears that the source of my problems was the fact that swiping left goes forward, and swiping right goes backward, the opposite of what I would expect. So, since I was viewing the whole model, my swipe left was ignored in favor of rotating the model.

[Ken Drew]

Swipe left = turn to next "page" in instruction booklet, swipe right = turn to previous "page" in instruction booklet. Would you agree?

I do admit that during the development I had a brain fart and implemented it the other way. Perhaps this is a hint... But doing it the opposite way (swipe right to go to next step, swipe left to go to previous step) is opposite of the "book" UX model which is so prevalent in iOS.

Note that the old tap right to go to next step, and tap left to go to previous step gestures are still there.

Maybe I need a little user testing and feedback on this feature...

Ken

[Travis Cobbs]

If you had an animation (either slide or page turn) during step changes, then I would definitely agree with you. However, without the animation, it feels wrong to me. That could just be me, though.

[Ken Drew]

At one point I did have page style animation for step changes. However, it was VERY distracting in the sense that with a book, you have a complete change in content (a new page with all new print). I believe this also holds for printed directions. A page animation with a 3D LEGO assembly viewer, you have an incremental change with only additive (or removal) content changes of new parts. Myself and others found that you would lose focus on what what new parts were added. That was before the highlighting of new parts and the in step part bubble, so perhaps the distraction doesn't hold anymore.

Let me think about this a bit more. Perhaps others could chime in.

Ken

[Tim Gould]

Caveat: I'll never be a user of this (unless you port to Android at some point).

But... what about alpha-mixing the next frame in with the swipe? That way it gives a visual clue that actually makes sense.

Tim

[Hazen Babcock]

Is this app still in Apple's app store? Are there any LDraw viewers available now for iOS?

-Hazen

[Ken Drew]

BrickPad is currently not in the App Store and unfortunately, as far as I know, I don't know of any other LDraw viewers/editors for iOS...