Let's think of a setup

Hi all, pretty new to Tagtool and animation in general.
I’m an illustrator working mostly for print but heavily interested in the use of projection for storytelling and workshop purposes. I noticed people really love to see how a drawing comes into being.
I’m looking for a portable setup (with or without Tagtool) that allows me to draw and animate from scratch and have it all projected in real-time. Would be great if my drawing tools would feel like “real” pencils.

I’m thinking I could connect a tablet like Wacom to a laptop and project the input via VPT. Still, I need something that let’s me draw AND animate without projecting an UI.
That’s why I’m thinking tagtool.
So question: can I add a tablet, or draw with stylus on an Ipad in tagtool? I’d love to have a style as close to the orginal drawing as possible.

Any other setup you guys are thinking about to: 1. Draw 2. Animate 3. project in real-time without UI? 4. maybe combine it with mapping software?

_

For those interested, my first project into projecting my drawings is this animation (txt in dutch). Everything was drawn by hand but also animated and recorded in advance because I couldn’t find a satisfying setup to create this live. Still, I like the looks of it but missed the drawing in realtime.

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Hey there. The Tagtool interface is exactly what you’re looking for. Exact input from your stylus on an ipad, projected in real-time w/o UI and mapping capabilities (when you combine it with other apps). Plus, my favorite thing is that you can stream the artwork wirelessly to a projector, so you’re not wired down! And, in Tagtool, you can share the artboard with others, in fact I’ve made it work where 8 people from 8 different ipads are animating in the same space!

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Hey @hetgraafschap

Seems like you’re having the same itch that we had when we got started with Tagtool!

About the setup, we tried a few things but in terms of simplicity and versatility the combination multitouch tablet + projector came out as the winner.

Have you tried the latest Tagtool beta? Instructions here. Not completely there yet, but we’re starting to have a lot of fun with it :slight_smile:

And like @toddfadel said, give multiplayer a shot. Working together is the most satisfying thing!

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Didn’t know about the wireless option! So I guess an Ipad is essential, just a laptop with wacom tablet isn’t an option? I have to build this setup from scratch so I have to think about the total cost of it :confused:

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used ipad that will run tagtool is about 150 euros, mirror the screen through a mirascreen dongle for 15 euros, and plug it into a TV or projector with an HDMI input.

all told, 165 euros…

Proof:
https://www.amazon.de/Apple-iPad-Tablet-PC-Speicher-schwarz/dp/B009WNARM2/ref=sr_1_154?ie=UTF8&qid=1498595777&sr=8-154&keywords=ipad+3
https://www.amazon.de/MiraScreen-Unterstützung-kompatibel-kostenlose-Installation/dp/B01KTAUTHE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498595820&sr=8-2&keywords=mirascreen

and if you want to play with the lastest tagtool beta, it’ll run you about 80 euro more:

https://www.amazon.de/Apple-Retina-Display-Tablet-Spacegrau/dp/B00G4DSS1A/ref=sr_1_15?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1498596381&sr=1-15&keywords=ipad+mini+2

that’s already a good option by todd. however, the stronger the ipad, the more u can push it. the strength of ipads quite doubles with each new model, so actually i recommend to go for an ipad pro. in austria they sell second hand for 400€.

if u are interested in projection, there are many good and affordable options nowadays, starting at ca. 300€. all big brands are good. we have great experiences with epson.

To be honest for the new app I’d recommend iPad Air2 or above, preferrable a Pro. Anything below tends to run out of RAM very quickly when you build more complex stuff.

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I haven’t been able to test it on newer iPads. I got a steal of a deal with my iPad mini retina and it’s handling great with the newest update. No crashes whatsoever. Either that or I’m just not working it as hard as you guys are.

I more meant with my recommendation that the cheapest iPads that run iOS 10 are the ones I suggested.

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Thanks for the replies so far. I’m still figuring out a couple of things.
First, I need a new laptop and Ipad. I’m looking for something decent without blowing the whole budget.
Laptop I’d like to use for mapping and VJ software and HDMI connection. I need to be able to use tagtool as a source on this PC!

For laptop I’m looking into these specs:
Laptop(no money for a mac)
Intel Core i7
8 GB RAM - 128 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (later would be better but that’s not an option right now)

For Ipad Pro:
10,5"
4Gb RAM
64 GB flash storage
A10X
ios10
Retina, Wifi, Bluetooth (no HDMI or USB though?)

  • Is 64GB storage enough? They do come in 256GB as well
  • How do I connect the ipad to a windows laptop? through a ‘lightning to USB’ cable?
  • If I go mobile, I need some portable powerbank for the projector, right? Any advice?
  • i look into that mirascreen, but for that you need wifi? I’m planning on projecting on all kinds of events, with and without wifi…
  • a connection with a laptop seems vital if I want to combine it with other software and image sources, but how does a laptop makes connection to the tagtool output?

Hi @hetgraafschap,

Is 64GB storage enough? They do come in 256GB as well

I would say 64GB is definitely enough for Tagtooling and most casual creative use cases.

How do I connect the ipad to a windows laptop? through a ‘lightning to USB’ cable?

I’m a Mac user myself, but I believe this is correct

If I go mobile, I need some portable powerbank for the projector, right? Any advice?

For mobile use we usually use a car battery + power inverter, or a small generator. For small scale projections you can get a battery powered pico projector.

i look into that mirascreen, but for that you need wifi? I’m planning on projecting on all kinds of events, with and without wifi…

Yes for multiplayer and AirPlay you need Wifi. We use a compact Wifi router for our mobile sessions. Sometimes its enough to create a hotspot with a laptop or phone.

a connection with a laptop seems vital if I want to combine it with other software and image sources, but how does a laptop makes connection to the tagtool output?

Currently the easiest way is to stream from the iPad to the laptop using a software called AirServer. AirServer runs on you laptop and can share the Tagtool image with other VJ applications using Syphon. We plan on adding other ways of combining the output with other software in the future.

the mirascreen creates its own wifi, you don’t need additional router access.