Processing for Android

ISBN-13: 9781484295847 / Miękka / 2023 / 390 str.

Andres Colubri

Spis treści

​Introduction

Part I: First steps with Processing for Android

This section will guide you through the initial setup of Processing for Android, a quick introduction to the basics of the Processing language, and all the steps required uploading a simple app created with Processing to the Google Play Store.

Chapter 1: Installing the Android Mode

1) The Processing Development Environment

2) Installing the Android Mode with the Contributions Manager

3) Interface of the Android Mode

4) Devices and emulators

Chapter 2: The Processing Language

1) A digital sketchbook for artists and designers

2) The setup/draw structure of a Processing sketch

3) Drawing with code

4) Responding to user input from the touchscreen

5) Creating an interactive sketch for mobile devices

Chapter 3: From Sketch to App Store

1) Sketching and debugging

2) Adjusting for device resolution

3) Creating icons

4) Exporting the sketch as a signed package 

Part II: Drawing & Interaction

The chapters in this section delve into the different functions available to draw shapes, images, and text; and how to handle user input through the touchscreen. It includes a complete project to create an Android live wallpaper with graphics responding to user input. 

Chapter 4: Drawing Shapes, Images, and Text

1) Creating and loading shapes

2) Transformation and movement

1) Loading and rendering images

2) Loading fonts and rendering text 

3) Off-screen rendering

Chapter 5: Touchscreen Interaction

1) Touch events in Android

2) Capturing single- and multi-touch from Processing

3) Designing interaction around touch-based input

Chapter 6: Live Wallpapers

1) Ideas for live wallpapers

2) Interaction and visual design

3) Using libraries in Processing for Android

4) Accessing the Android SDK from Processing

5) Uploading the completed wallpaper to the Play Store

Part III: Sensors

Android devices are equipped with multiple sensors that allow measuring movement, geographical location, and environmental conditions in real time. Accessing this information from Processing opens up endless possibilities for creative applications.

Chapter 7: Reading Sensor Data

1) Types of sensors

2) Creating a sensor manager

3) Setting permissions to access sensor data

Chapter 8: Driving Graphics and Sound with Sensor Data

1) Counting steps with the accelerometer

2) Controlling animation with the gyroscope

3) Implementing a compass with the magnetic sensor

Chapter 9:  Geolocation

1) Accessing location services from Processing

2) Displaying the current location on a map

3) Sending location data between devices

4) Storing and representing paths

Part IV: Wearables and watch faces

Wearables are a whole new category of Android devices that became very popular in the past few years, particularly in the form of fitness bands and smartwatches. Processing for Android lets you run your sketches on these devices and take advantage of their multiple affordances.

Chapter 10: Wearable Devices

1) Android wear and wearable devices

2) Smartwatches and their unique capabilities

3) Adapting Processing sketches to run on smartwatches

4) Special considerations when creating watch faces

Chapter 11: Visualizing Time

1) Time API in Processing

2) Representing time visually

3) Sketching watch faces for time display

4) Refining a visual concept and preparing for distribution

Chapter 12: Visualizing Physical Activity

1) Pedometer and heart rate sensors

2) Visualizing activity in real-time

3) Storing activity data for later use

Part V: 3D and Shaders

Interactive 3D scenes are an important part of creating visualizations and immersive experiences on mobile devices, especially with the recent rise in popularity of Virtual Reality. The programming of 3D scenes adds further complexity to the code sketching, but Processing provides a simplified 3D API to help with this task, while also giving access to advanced programming techniques such as GLSL shaders. 

Chapter 13: 3D in Processing

1) Coordinates in 3D space

2) Positioning and moving the camera 

3) Creating 3D primitives

4) Applying geometric transformations

5) Creating arbitrary shapes in 3D

6) Loading OBJ shapes

Chapter 14: Lighting and Texturing

1) Texture images and coordinates

2) Using an off-screen buffer as a texture

3) Lighting in a 3D scene 

4) Combining lights with textures

Chapter 15: GLSL Shaders

1) How Processing renders a scene behind the scenes

2) The shader stages in the graphics pipeline

3) Geometry shaders and vertex manipulation

4) Fragment shaders and texturing

Part VI: Extended Reality: VR and AR

Chapter 16: Basics of VR

1) Google VR SDK

2) VR in Processing

3) VR interaction and selection

4) Movement in VR

Chapter 17: Basics of AR

1) The ARCore SDK in Android

2) Drawing trackables

3) Using anchors

4) Hitting trackables

Chapter 19: Interactive Experiences in XR

1) Creating successful XR experience

2) Implementing UIs in VR and AR

3) Handling movement and interaction

4) Packaging an XR application

Part VII Appendixes

Appendix A: Integration with Android Studio

This appendix shows how to use the Android core library in Processing in larger apps developed with Android Studio.

Appendix B: Processing libraries for Android

Processing can be extended with libraries written by members of the community and adding new functionality. This chapter goes over some of the libraries available for Processing for Android.

Appendix C: How to create your own library

This appendix goes through the steps required to create a new Processing library for the Android mode, using Android SDK

O autorze

Andrés Colubri is a core member of the Processing project, and the main developer of the OpenGL renderer, the video library, and Processing for Android. He originally studied Physics and Mathematics in Argentina and later did an MFA at the UCLA Design Media Arts program. He uses Processing as the main tool to bridge his interests in computer graphics, data visualization, and biomedical research. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts.

Blurb

Learn how to use the Processing programming language and environment to create Android applications with ease. This book covers the basics of the Processing language, allowing users to effectively program interactive graphics in 2D, 3D, and Extended Reality (XR). It also details the application of these techniques to different types of Android devices (smartphones, tablets, wearables, and smartwatches). 

 

This updated edition walks you through the entire process of creating an app, from the initial idea to release of the final app via the Google Play App Store. Over the course of the book, you’ll learn to write engaging apps driven by user interaction and sensor data. A comprehensive series of hands-on projects, ranging from simple sketches to more complex projects involving shaders, VR, and AR will give you the firsthand experience you need to begin developing your own projects.

 

And once you have your Processing projects completed, you’ll be able to upload them to the Google Play store to be shared with the world!

 

You will:

• Write apps and live wallpapers for smartphones and tablets
• Design and implement interactive watch faces
• Create Extended Reality (VR/AR) experiences
• Incorporate GLSL shaders into your Processing apps
• Integrate Processing sketches into larger apps and Android Studio
• Learn how to write your own libraries to share with the community
• Export projects as completed apps ready to distribute through Google Play Store