Please make the Innovators overlay useful

Custom Overlay Designs and DIY Projects
1

For now it was a mistake to choose the innovators overlay, simply because it is not an addition to no overlay. I cannot invent two layouts and then simply switch by placing or removing the overlay.
I tried to place my design into the folder of the No Overlay folder, I can even select it in the sensel app, but it does not work, actually it seems to have killed the SenselApp. At the moment, the app opens with a dark grey window and no UI. deleting preferences did not help, neither reinstalling the app…
Also opening a .senselmap file directly does not work…
I am on OS X Sierra btw…
I am a bit lost…

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2

Hey TJ,

Thanks for reaching out. The steps/information below should help get you back on track, here.

  1. Delete the .senselmap from the NoOverlay folder. It belongs in the Innovator’s folder. Also better to use Import Map rather than copying into the folder.

  2. Full uninstall script for Mac. It will also delete the senselmaps. http://senselapp.com/support/UninstallSenselApp.sh

  3. To use the Innovator’s map when in No Overlay, flash the Innovator’s map you want, then change the No Overlay mode to load the Innovator’s. http://guide.sensel.com/designer/#no-overlay

  4. You can have a different map on the No Overlay. It can be a trackpad, a digitizer, a XYZ midi pad, etc. Anything that is one large area.

  5. The Innovator’s Overlay is primarily used as a way to rapidly prototype new designs by using the designer and mapper to create your design and then export a 2d image that can be placed under the silicon Overlay. Additionally, if you want to create your own 3D Overlay with magnets, you would recreate the Innovator’s Overlay. Otherwise your Overlay would not be attached.

3

That is not very attractive and almost useless. The no overlay which uses a innovators design is the one I would want, but then I don’t need the innovators overlay! I could even not recommend it to anybody. (unless you are fine with a “one large area”.) But If I could use a different design for the innovators overlay and the no overlay I would be happy…

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4

I have the same request! I was also a bit disappointed that I couldn’t use two completely different overlays on no overlay and innovators overlay.

5

Understood! We really appreciate the feedback and are adding to the suggestion queue.

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6

Any way to add mouse clicks? Having a trackpad input needs a way to left/right click if possible? Thanks!

7

No, there is no right click control. Added to the suggestion queue.

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8

I was just thinking, if there’s an overlay we don’t particularly care about, we could just slice off everything below the magnets and it becomes an extra ID for “inventor’s overlay” / “no overlay” style designs.

Like, I bought the QWERTY keyboard, but my computer has a keyboard. I could just lose that part and keep the magnets, and then there’s a whole new ID for assigning my own stuff to.

Can anyone see a downside?

9

I don’t think that would work since you can only change the layout of the designer overlay. The QWERTY and other Sensel overlay control positions and appearance aren’t editable. Good thought though!

10

This probably isn’t a great idea, but…

  • Export your Inventor’s Overlay as a .senselmap file.

  • Export a QWERTY overlay as a .senselmap file.

  • Open both in a text editor

  • Scroll through the QWERTY file, looking for something that isn’t a number. (One line will say “QWERTY Keyboard”)

  • Copy that line to your clipboard.

  • Scroll through the inventor’s overlay file, looking for its equivalent. (This line will say “Inventor’s”)

  • Select that line, and paste from your clipboard. It should now say that you’re looking at a QWERTY Keyboard overlay.

  • Save a copy of this file.

  • Import that new file back into the Sensel editor.

  • It will appear among your QWERTY layouts.

  • It’s not going to look right, in the editor. You’re going to see a QWERTY interface as well as your layout. But if you export the file again, the result should be indistinguishable from what you imported.

So, if you send that to the morph, it should work. It’s an ugly process and you’ll repeat it each time you need to modify the layout further, but theoretically, it should be possible.

(I can’t actually test copying to a morph right now. No hardware in front of me. The editor stuff worked, though.)