KeyShot Font, Menu, and Icon Sizes - Using an iPad as External Monitor

[br3ttman]

You know how you reduced the font size on the Library and Project tabs?  It'd be nice if Material names could enjoy a smaller font, too.  For example, unless I significantly increase or completely decrease the Mold-Tech Materials icon sizes, they all read "Mold-Tech . . ". 

As a variation on this, maybe it'd be nice to have a global parameters in KeyShot preferences to adjust nominal font, menu, and icon sizes.  It's nice to spread out KeyShot menus across multiple monitors on a workstation, but when I work mobile on a single screen laptop, once I get my 'Library' and 'Project' menus up, not much space is left over for the main viewport:

[Robb63]

++1 on a solution for this. I can never read the specifics of a material I'm looking for in my library.

[thomasteger]

You know that when you use the zoom slider and move it all the way to the left, you end up with a list view?

Nevertheless, we will overhaul this for version 5.

[Robb63]

What zoom slider? Not sure what/where that is.

[Chad Holton]

What zoom slider? Not sure what/where that is.

"Right-click" in the material ball area in the library and you can zoom in/out and sort by name.

[gabrielefx]

a more detailed material browser would be nice
For example with some fields:
favorite with stars
note
type (no matter what's the folder)
geometry preview: cube, cone, cylinder, drape for velvet materials
button to share it on the public database and show the preview on Facebook with a description (note)

...I know it's a crazy idea...

[br3ttman]

I'm still a newbie to my MacBook interface, however, a nice trick I learned this weekend to help with this was to "scale" the resolution in my MacBook display preferences from "Best (Retina)" to "More Space",  It really helped reduce the menu sizes and open up my main viewport.

Also, another trick that's been fun, but often a little slow and quirky, is to use my iPad as an 2nd monitor via the "Air Display" app.  I can skip out of the office, and render out images at 53 fps at a local coffee shop!  Nothing beats getting out of the office to actually get your work done!

[thomasteger]

I like the iPad idea. Now - how did you do this?

[br3ttman]

Thomas,

Here's a link to Avatron's Air Display to set up a number of devices as additional wireless displays:  http://www.avatron.com/apps/air-display/

It's helpful to have a fast Wi-Fi connection, or your cursor gets laggy on the wirelessly connected display.  However, even without a Wi-Fi access  I'm still able to "tether" this set-up through my iPhone (like this weekend when we were out at a cabin with our Boy Scout troop.  Hey sometimes your best KeyShot rendering opportunities are outside the office )

Personally, I love using my iPad for my "Library" and "Project" menus to free up my retina display and visually monitor initial rez-ups as big as possible.  Air Display lets me use up to 4 iPads as additional "monitors".  As such, I'm able to also "mirror" my screen to the iPads, allowing me to conduct hi-rez, full color presentations with clients (really nice option instead of your client's crappy conference room projectors!).  Sometimes I'll also use my wife's iPad so that I can put the Library and Project menus on my iPad, and then use her's for HDRI editing, again freeing up my main retina display to evaluate lighting changes full screen.  You can even use your iPhone as a display.  I've tried it for Library/materials, but it's just too small.

Pretty sick, hunh?!  Nice portable workflow, though! 

[thomasteger]

Ha - this is pretty slick I must say!

[NDenekamp]

Please tell me you can also use the touch screen of the iPad this way!

[br3ttman]

Yes, very much so!  You can use both your finger or your computer mouse to interact with the iPad.  I don't know how practical it is, but hey, that's just because I haven't been playing with it that much.  Pinch to zoom controls are no longer functional, however, I think Avatron provides the ability to do that as well.  (I'm still exploring . . . )

Check out this video, it's actually not too bad! . . .

Now if I could just get the Coke to slosh around as the bottles are twisted!