Created and published by CreativeApplications.Net, SKTCH is a generative drawing application for the iPhone / iPod Touch and now iPad. Version 2.0 brings a whole new UI utilising Apple’s UIKit, for the iPhone – retina display support, two new presets, and finally after months of development we have released the iPad version.

iPad is where SKTCH really comes to life. The larger screen, new 3D mode and the new UI allows you to truly immerse yourself in your creations. During the development we have found that features such as file open/save do not really work particularly well with the iPhone, likewise the edit more allowing you to move points with tap and drag. There are some of many features we would like to implement in the iPad version, of course, if there is a demand. Thus, iPad version of SKTCH is published as a separate app rather than as a universal.

Please note that by purchasing SKTCH you directly help CAN, so we appreciate your support. Thank you.

For more information on SKTCH, see http://sktchapp.com or download the press pack.

In addition to SKTCH, RetroScreen has also received an update now supporting reina display on iPhone 4. RetroScreen source is now also available for download from github.

Introduction

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to sign and publish a Processing/Android sketch to the Android Market.
Note that the signing process should be automated and accessible from the PDE quite soon.
You can follow this specific issue here and get an alert when the bug is fixed.

> Pre-requisites (installation steps are covered here):
- Processing 1.5 installed
- Android SDK

> Pre-requisites for Windows users
- Java SE (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads)
- Ant (http://ant.apache.org/manual/install.html)

Step One- Create and export your sketch

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to first read Jer Thorp’s introduction to Mobile development using Processing for how to setup your environment and run your first sketch.

Another page worth visiting is the Processing for Android Wiki

That being said, you can use this sketch as a starting point and modify it to fit your needs.

[sourcecode language="java"]
float radius = 50.0;
float X, Y;
float nX, nY;
int delay = 16;

void setup() {
size(screenWidth, screenHeight);
orientation(PORTRAIT);
background(255);
X = screenWidth / 2;
Y = screenHeight /3;
nX = X;
nY = Y;
}

void draw() {
radius = radius + sin( frameCount / 4 );
X+=(nX-X)/delay;
Y+=(nY-Y)/delay;
stroke(0, 50);
noFill();
ellipse( X, Y, radius, radius );
}

public boolean surfaceTouchEvent(MotionEvent event) {
int numPointers = event.getPointerCount();
if (numPointers == 2) {
background(255);
}
else if (numPointers == 1) {
int pointerId = event.getPointerId(0);
nX = event.getX(0);
nY = event.getY(0);
}
return super.surfaceTouchEvent(event);
}

[/sourcecode]

Start Processing, switch to the Android mode, copy the sketch above and save it.

To export your sketck to an Android Project, from the PDE menu, choose File > Export Android Project
This will create a new Project folder named “android” at the root level of your sketch.

Step Two – Create a key to sign your app

You’ll need a private key to sign your app that you can interactively create using the following command where
“myAndroidKey” is the name you choose for your key and “myAndroidKeyAlias” the alias for this key.

[sourcecode language="bash"]
keytool -genkey -v -keystore myKey.keystore -alias myKeyAlias -keyalg RSA -validity 10000
[/sourcecode]

After answering a couple of questions, you should end up with a .keystore file.
Make sure you remember the key name and alias as well as the password you choose.
The password will be mandatory if you want to later be able to update your app once published.
This key might be used to sign other apps, so you can copy it somewhere and use it when needed without having to generate a new one each time.

Step Three – Configure your project for signing

Important: each time you export your sketch to an Android Project, if the project already exists, il will be renamed into “android-timestampsomething” and a new “android” project will replace it. This means that every modifications that you will do below will be lost, unless you copy the modified files to the new Android project or somehow automate this process.

First copy the .keystore file you generated at step two to the root level of your android folder.

To automate the signing and alignment of the app when building for release (you’ll just be asked for the keystore password), you have to modify the build.properties file and add the following lines (replace the values accordingly):

[sourcecode language="text"]
key.store=myKey.keystore
key.alias=myKeyAlias
[/sourcecode]

Save these changes.

Step Four – Modify the AndroidManifest.xml

Open the AndroidManifest.xml file and set the value of the android:debuggable attribute to false:

[sourcecode language="xml"]
<application android:label="AndroidSketch"
android:icon="@drawable/icon"
android:debuggable="false">
[/sourcecode]

If required, you can change your app’s version by modifying the manifest element attributes.
The values are set by default to the following:
android:versionName=”1.1″ android:versionCode=”1″
If you ever update your app, you’ll have to increment the versionName (1.2 or 2.0) and increment the versionCode (2).
Save these changes.

Step Five- Customize your app icon

Processing provides a default icon in 3 different sizes for your app
You can of course replace them with some others of your choice.
They are located in the following folders:

[sourcecode language="text"]
android/res/drawable/icon.png (48×48 pixels)
android/res/drawable-hdpi/icon.png (72×72 pixels)
android/res/drawable/icon.png (36×36 pixels)
[/sourcecode]

Step Six- Build and sign your app for release

Now, go to the “android” project root and run the following command:

[sourcecode language="bash"]
ant release
[/sourcecode]

Then, enter the password when asked for it.
Make sure you get this message in the end.

[sourcecode language="bash"]BUILD SUCCESSFUL[/sourcecode]

You now have a signed and aligned app in the android/bin folder (ie: myApp-release.apk), ready to be published to the Android Market

Step Seven – Upload your app to the Android Market

The most painful step (for your wallet) of this tutorial: if not already, you’ll have to sign up for an Android Developer account for $25.

Once completed, you can directly publish your app. You’ll need to provide screenshots, a high resolution application icon and some other information to be published along with your application.

You’re done.

I hope to hear from you very soon with some great Android apps that we can review here.

photo by David Cuartielles

Jean Helfenstein, the name behind Rot.Sketch iPhone app has just launched an HTML5 experiment that allows you to produce spirograph like drawings. In addition you can draw new elements while others are rendering as well as move the centre around which lines rotate.

webapp : http://www.jeanhelfenstein.com/rotsketch/app
+ flickr gallery for more images.

Previously: Rot.Sketch [iPhone, openFrameworks]

From the makers of Computer Arts magazine, Visualator lets you create simple abstract imagery with your fingertips. Play with colour, shape and form to produce vibrant collages on the move.

The app has launched with two tools - Gradulate and Triangulate and the app is built entirely using Flash CS5.

Triangulate
Triangulate is a simple graphic image-creator that enables you to make geometric designs. You can control background colour, the colour of triangles created as well as patterns that fill either.

Gradulate
Gradulate is a live pen-based drawing system that uses simple physics to drive the pen’s motion, and adds a random element to the creation process. You can control colour, opacity, size of the brush as well as spring which generates springiness of your pen, and how much it bounces and spirals around the screen.

Visualator was created by Matt Booth and Stewart Hamilton-Arrandale. To find out more about it and how to make it for yourself, see the 32-page guide inComputer Arts Projects issue 144.

Platform: iPhone/iPad (Universal)
Version: 1.0
Cost: Free
Developer: Future plc

David Lu has just posted images of the iPad work-in-progress version of his Vellum drawing application for the iPhone. Where the iPhone version of the app included only 3 modes (graphite, ink and scratch), the new iPad application appears to feature more elaborative brushes including pencil smudge which looks absolutely fantastic – see images below.

To follow the development, check out David’s flickr stream. No word on the release just yet.

About Vellum:
A simple drawing app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It aims to make drawing on a small touchscreen feel natural, by reducing complexity and interrupting the user as little as possible. The tactics employed include: reducing number of menus to a bare minimum, using the speed of one’s gesture as a substitute for pressure, applying time-based effects to the marks made on screen, allowing overlapping marks to take on new qualities, and offering a tightly edited set of tools.

Created by Jean Helfenstein, Rot.Sketch is an experimental creative sketching tool that allows you to create drawings by spinning your iPhone/iPod Touch. You begin by drawing lines/objects on the iPhone and by sinning the device, objects are duplicated on the screen.

The app has been submitted to Apple for approval and should be available in the AppStore shortly. Now available!

jeanhelfenstein.com/rotsketch

Platform: iPhone
Version: 1.0
Cost: Free
Developer: Jean Helfenstein

see also ‘Spinning vinyl ipod app’ + Dr. Mandala [iPhone]

Inspired by Mr. Doob‘s ‘Harmony’ web app, harmonious is an iPhone version of the same created by The Angry Robot Zombie Factory allowing you to create drawings using smart generative brushes some devised and others evolved by Mr. Doob.

Harmonious uses clever procedural drawing techniques so that, with only a few lines, you can create something worth showing off. You can then save the image to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch or upload it to the Harmonious Gallery at harmoniousapp.com where others can see it and tell you if they like it.

Although the webapp was created by Mr. Doob to encourage others to develop brushes for the application, it appears that a number of people have tried to monetise the idea. harmonious is nevertheless best iPhone port we have seen yet and although it does not offer any additional brushes we haven’t already seen in the webapp, it’s a great little sketching tool for the iPhone.

I should also point out that although somewhat slow, Mr. Doob’s ‘Harmony’ also works on the iPhone.

Platform: iPhone
Version: 1.0
Cost: $0.99
Developer: The Angry Robot Zombie Factory

In the summer of 2009 Michael Meredith of MOS Architecture approached George Michael Brower to develop an application that would allow MOS to explore permutations of a certain type of structure they were prototyping on paper (see image at the bottom).

Michael refers to the structures as “pads,” “lillies,” or “cells.” Each cell may have two or more “legs.” A leg is creating by folding. If the “length” of the leg passes the “floor height,” the leg is folded again, creating a surface that rests on the floor.The applet begins with a single unfolded cell. Dragging the edge of a cell towards its center begins a fold. Right clicking and dragging an edge attaches a new cell. The applet is aware of an invisible “floor,” that causes legs to fold twice past a certain length.

You’ll see legs turning blue once they’re folded twice. Right clicking an “edge” causes that leg to become fixed, so that it is always  tangent to the ground, even if the floor height changes in the future.

This application was built with Processing

Project Page + MOS

See also The Afterparty [Processing]

F is for Falling, V is for Vortex and Z is for Zombie are three games for the iPhone by Jonathan Mulcahy (How I Hate the Night Studios). Adopting a drawing sketch style, each game is a cartoon like somewhat quirky and bizarre. Although the gameplay may not be particularly sophisticated I can’t help it but to enjoy how wonderfully these have been drawn, Zombies being my favourite (see video at the bottom of this post).

Each game costs $0.99, with great hand drawn art style with two of three games including Story Mode, Survival Mode and Free Play. Only F is for Falling is a single playmode to get the highest score. Both V is for Vortex and Z is for Zombie include lite versions which you can download here.

V is for Vortex
Inspired by the game Portal, V is for Vortex is a simple but addicting puzzle / action game. After waking up in a strange testing facility you find yourself thrust into a series of bizarre tests with only your wits and a strange gun by your side.

Z is for Zombie
Z is for Zombie is an exciting new Side Scroller featuring hand drawn art. Battle through three different levels as you fight from your doorstep through the city, into the sewers and finally to the mall. Will you survive?

F is for Falling
In F is for Falling, the goal is to fall as long as you can without dying. Your player, a stunt man, jumps out of a plane wearing a special oxygen tank, right above an airshow. Dodging Airplanes, Hot Air Balloons, Helicopters, Rockermen and Hang Gliders, not to mention all the birds, can you make it all the way back to earth without causing your oxygen tank to explode?

What you see below is a quick composition Marek made on his macbook with the internal camera and microphone to demo his new little program. He originally created this sampler as a way to sample sounds very quickly (it’s here: wikid.co.uk/capture/). It was a simple version where you press the key you want to sample onto and then it starts recording until you let go of the key. What you see below is the new version built in openFrameworks to create a video version, from where the video below came.

The fun bit is how you deal with video polyphony. Do you blend the videos, put them 4 up 3 up 9 up etc. So I made a bunch of options which you can switch between with MIDI. You can program and sequence it with MIDI, export video as a bmp image sequence, the audio files it saves can be loaded as a sampler instrument in Logic (gigasampler files). If anyone’s interested in using it let me know I’ll send you a copy. More (better) stuff soon!

When Marek demoed it at one of our openFrameworks meet-ups it seemed to work pretty well. We look forward to see how it develops. For the time being if anyone’s interested in using it let Marek know and he’ll send you a copy see link below.

UPDATE: Marek just sent me this link to the site where the app is hosted including the download link and instructions: mrkbrz.com/captureav/