Hello,
We’re back from an amazing weekend at SXSW. We had thousands stop by the Leap Motion Experience – trying out a few of the apps from some of our developers. Check out our Facebook page for photos of people’s reactions as they try out the apps. Over the course of the weekend, we saw over 100 articles published about our SXSW public preview. Our thanks to the community for all of your continued enthusiasm. We were absolutely blown away to be nominated as a finalist for the SXSW Interactive awards. The winner will be announced tonight between 7 – 8:30 p.m. CET at the SXSW website.
In this week’s newsletter, we look back on our developer meetup. We also look forward, to some of the latest apps to come from the community – from Windows 8 browsing and flight simulation, to virtual conducting and drum looping.
Featured News
SXSW is all about creating spaces where innovative minds can meet and exchange ideas. On Monday, there were plenty of ideas flying around at our developer meetup. Our friends at Battelle, who co-sponsored the event, showcased one of their latest innovations – an unlocking app for the Leap Motion Controller that uses biometric identification.
We want to sincerely thank all of you who were able to make it to the meetup. It was very humbling to have over 100 developers from across the globe turn up to the event. Stay tuned for more photos and videos. If you were in Austin this weekend, we’d like to hear about your favorite SXSW moment. Let us know by posting in the forums!
Forum Highlights
While we love specialized applications, there’s no denying that OS and gaming apps have universal appeal. Last week, Sarang posted a set of videos showcasing his recent work with the Leap Motion Controller – with Fruit Ninja, No Gravity, SkyDrift, and Windows 8 browsing.
We’ve seen a few virtual musical instruments, but a whole orchestra? Music enthusiasts have been flocking to this thread to collaborate on a Leap Motion conducting app.
Learning to fly isn’t easy – especially when your flight simulation uses 2D tools. Fortunately for us earthbound misfits, MillieModels has been working on introducing 3D tech to the world of flight sims. Check out their innovative use of the Leap Motion Controller alongside autostereoscopic monitors.
Expensive hardware or restrictive software? How about neither? Seatoskyware hopes to move beyond the traditional drum machine with their forthcoming drum loops application – Loop Motion.
Developer Events
There are no developer events scheduled for this week. If you’re giving a Leap Motion Controller demo, or hoping to meet and collaborate with other developers, feel free to post a notice in our Events & Meetups forum.
Tips and Tricks
My Leap Motion Controller is drawing a lot of CPU usage. What should I do?
You can set it to “Low Resource” mode by accessing the Tracking tab in Leap Motion settings. This should reduce CPU usage. If the problem persists, let us know by posting on our question thread.
Why does my Leap Motion Controller have better range on one side than the other?
The Leap Motion Controller should have an even range on both sides. However, problems can arise if there are smudges on the controller, or when the device is miscalibrated.
Can I use the LEAP logo in my app?
At this time, the answer is no. However, you can label your app as being “Leap Motion Enabled” or say “Leap Motion Active” in your status window.
When I move my fingers in the visualizer, the feedback is inverted. Why?
The Leap Motion Controller automatically detects the orientation of the device based on where you enter your hand in the field of view. To correct the tracking, you can do any of the following:
- splay your hand, so that all five fingers are showing, and hold it there for five seconds (this will allow the software to automatically flip the rotation); or
- access the settings panel and press the “Flip Tracking” button; or
- pick up your Leap Motion Controller and rotate it 180°.