General FAQ | Consumer FAQ | Developer FAQ
As a result of recent breakthroughs in size, cost, and functionality, the benefits of haptics--the science of touch--are now widely available through a variety of inexpensive tactile feedback pointing devices like mice and trackballs. It won't be long before your audiences assume that touch sensations, which can dramatically improve targeting, navigation, and general enjoyment, are just as essential to web sites and software programs as first-rate graphic design and sound effects.
To keep you in the game and one step ahead of the competition, below are a few pointers on how to activate your current projects with the new TouchSense tactile feedback device capabilities.
All Immersion TouchSense tactile feedback devices support the following effects and features:
A Periodic effect can also be described as a wave. A Periodic consists of a repeating tactile subunit whose duration is its "period." The shorter the period, the more frequently the subunit repeats. Periodics with higher frequencies (shorter periods) feel like vibrations or buzzes. Those with lower frequencies (longer periods) feel like rumbles or repeated taps.
A Pulse or Pop is a short, one-time effect most commonly used to signal an event or give the sensation of a single quick tap or hit.
A Texture is an ambient effect that makes the mouse feel as if it were traveling over a series of bumps, as with corduroy cloth or sandpaper, when the user moves the mouse cursor across the screen.
An Envelope is a property of a given effect, such as a periodic. An Envelope governs changes in the magnitude of an effect over time, allowing the effect to intensify and fade at its beginning and end, as desired.
A Compound effect allows you to group any of the above effects together into a single combined effect with its own effect name.
More information about Periodics, Pulses, Textures, Envelopes, Compounds, and other effects and effect properties can be found in the Immersion Studio Help file, the Immersion TouchSense Fundamentals document, the Immersion Foundation Classes Reference, and the Immersion Web Plugin Reference, all part of the comprehensive Immersion tools and resources collection for software and web developers. To get the most out of Immersion's new TouchSense tactile feedback device technology, you'll want to be sure to make extensive use of Envelopes and Compound effects. That's because an unchanging Periodic effect, played alone, might be compared to a single, constant note in music, while a well-designed combination of time-varying effects could be compared to a complex chord that increases and decreases in volume. Each has its place, and a skilled composer should be able to create and work with both.
Here's a quick look at how easy it is to create compelling Immersion TouchSense sensations for your web sites and software programs.
Create a short periodic - for example, one with a duration of less than one second. Have the effect start at a given strength, then fade to a plateau magnitude, then fade again to zero. The resulting sensation feels like a "boing." To get the right sensation, make sure the waveform's frequency is high enough that it oscillates many times as it fades in strength.
You can assign sensations to any area of the screen in your application or web page where a user's mouse cursor may travel. Touch-activated areas might correspond to buttons, images, or any other object you want to enhance with a tactile feedback effect. When the cursor enters the area, a tactile sensation is triggered in the TouchSense tactile feedback device.
Many interesting sensations can be created by mixing one or more effects. The example above demonstrates what happens when two waveforms are combined to create a Compound effect. As with many things, the whole effect is much more interesting than each of its parts.
If you have questions, we've got answers. E-mail us at developer. Immersion's Developer Support Group is dedicated to helping you create leading-edge web sites and software programs that showcase the highest quality touch sensations possible.
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