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Mastering Leap Motion
Design robust and responsive Leap Motion applications for real-world use If you want to begin writing full-fledged applications for the Leap Motion Controller or if you are trying to figure out how the Leap Motion device integrates with preexisting technologies, this is the book for you. Since we’ll be making heavy use of object-oriented programming, a working knowledge of any object-oriented programming language is essential. Basic familiarity with developing Leap Motion apps is assumed.
Leap Motion technology offers a truly innovative way of interacting with software. Traditionally, computing has always involved the use of a keyboard, a mouse or a controller. Leap Motion gives developers a new solution to creating a radically new user experience, in a way that is both comprehensive and disruptive in the most exciting sense of the term. From typing to robotic hands and virtual harps, Leap Motion makes human and computer interaction so much more immersive. Starting with the fundamentals, this book will arm you with the knowledge you need to write functional and intuitive 2D and 3D Leap Motion applications. Beginning with a quick step-by-step guide to get you set up and an overview of how the Leap Motion API works to consolidate your knowledge, the book then looks closely at writing a 2D painting application and explores how to create a 3D application. The book will then look forward to the future of Leap Motion and the future that could be made by it. Featuring diagrams, screenshots, and code examples to guide you as you master Leap Motion, this book will keep you in touch with the future of technology.
Leap Motion technology offers a truly innovative way of interacting with software. Traditionally, computing has always involved the use of a keyboard, a mouse or a controller. Leap Motion gives developers a new solution to creating a radically new user experience, in a way that is both comprehensive and disruptive in the most exciting sense of the term. From typing to robotic hands and virtual harps, Leap Motion makes human and computer interaction so much more immersive. Starting with the fundamentals, this book will arm you with the knowledge you need to write functional and intuitive 2D and 3D Leap Motion applications. Beginning with a quick step-by-step guide to get you set up and an overview of how the Leap Motion API works to consolidate your knowledge, the book then looks closely at writing a 2D painting application and explores how to create a 3D application. The book will then look forward to the future of Leap Motion and the future that could be made by it. Featuring diagrams, screenshots, and code examples to guide you as you master Leap Motion, this book will keep you in touch with the future of technology.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 6, 2015
This book Packt’s Masterng series guide you to become an expert in making apps for Leap Motion using object-oriented programming through practical use cases. The author in 224 pages with a quick step-by-step guide to get you set up and an overview of the Leap Motion API. Then the book teach you effective techniques and innovative design processes that are ideal for creating and testing 2D and 3D applications.
In particular you will create a 2D painting application using only Java and the Leap Motion API and a 3D application using the Unity3D toolkit.
Featuring diagrams, screenshots, and code examples to guide you as you master Leap Motion, this book will keep you in touch with the future of technology.
In nutshell if you want to begin writing applications for the Leap Motion Controller or are trying to figure out how a Leap Motion device integrates with pre-existing technologies, this is the book for you!
WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS BOOK
The author assumes that you have some programming background.
You should have a “working knowledge” of any object-oriented programming. In particular Java and C# (for chapters: 5, 6, 7) languages.
There are also few things you’ll need:
- A Leap Motion Controller
- A Computer
- A Internet Connection
CHAPTERS OVERVIEW
1: INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF LEAP MOTION
Shows you how to set up and test the Leap Motion device and a programming environment to use with it. Once everything is set up, the author review the API briefly.
2: WHAT THE LEAP SEES – DEALING WITH FINGERS, HANDS, TOOLS, AND GESTURES
The software and hardware side of any Leap Motion application. This includes basic tracking data such as hands and fingers as well as more advanced features such as tools and gestures.
The author will finish off with an overview of some of the limitations that you might run into when working with the API and the device.
3: WHAT THE USER SEES – USER EXPERIENCE, ERGONOMICS, AND FATIGUE
Covers the user side of any Leap Motion application.
This includes when and when not to make use of the Leap in an application, the importance of ergonomics, and the prevention of user fatigue.
4: CREATING A 2D PAINTING APPLICATION
Walks you through the creation of a two-dimensional (or 2D) painting application for the Leap.
You'll start out simple with the basic framework and graphical frontend and then move straight into rendering user input onto the screen.
5: CREATING A 3D APPLICATION – A CRASH COURSE IN UNITY 3D
In order to prepare you for the next few chapters the author introduce you to Unity 3D.
This chapter cover the basic installation and setup of the environment, which is followed by the creation of a blank template project for use in the next few chapters.
6: CREATING A 3D APPLICATION – INTEGRATING THE LEAP MOTION DEVICE WITH A 3D TOOLKIT
Walks you through the basic steps of integrating the Leap Motion device with an external 3D toolkit.
You'll learn how to render hands, fingers, and buttons.
The chapter will finish off by covering the detection of user input via the Leap.
In this chapter you need to utilize C# language instead of Java.
7: CREATING A 3D APPLICATION – CONTROLLING A FLYING ENTITY
Guides you through the completion of our 3D application.
You will create a 3D entity, retrieve user input from the Leap, and then use that data to control the entity.
8: TROUBLESHOOTING, DEBUGGING, AND OPTIMIZATION
Is devoted to the inevitable things that will arise during application development: bugs and problems and optimization.
This chapter will go over a few different things you can use to fix common problems with your device or application, in addition to a few general best practices.
9: GOING BEYOND THE LEAP MOTION CONTROLLER
Covers a variety of subjects that go beyond the Leap Motion device itself.
The author will talk about what you've learned so far, where the Leap Motion stands next to other emerging technologies, some concerns regarding the reliability and safety of the device in the industry, and even some ideas to control robots!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandon Sanders is an 18-year-old roboticist who spends much of his time designing, building, and programming new and innovative systems, including simulators, autonomous coffee makers, and robots for competition. At present, he attends Gilbert Finn Polytechnic (which is a homeschool) as he prepares for college. He is the founder and owner of Mechakana Systems, a website and company devoted to robotic systems and solutions. As a home-educated student, he's had the unique opportunity to focus his efforts on the fields that interest him. This has made him successful as the team captain for the FIRST Robotics teams: #4982 Café Bot and #1444 the Lightning Lancers. He has also served as a scientific research assistant to the Chairman of the Washington University Physics Department, where he wrote software to aid in the calculation of equations of state for dense matter in neutron stars. He has received numerous awards and accolades as a result of his involvement in various programs. Two of his most notable achievements are FIRST Robotics Competition Dean's List Award and FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award.
ABOUT THE REVIEWERS:
Rudi Chen is a software developer from the University of Waterloo and has worked for companies such as Side Effects Software and Dropbox.
Lamtharn Hantrakul is an international student from Thailand who is double majoring in Applied Physics and Music at Yale University. His research interests include instrument acoustics, signal processing, and musical HCI.
Justin Kuzma is a freelance engineer and software developer based in Burlington, VT. He has experience in creating mechanical designs and digital art installations.
Maria Montenegro is a computer scientist and an electronic media artist. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's degree in Entertainment Technology from the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University.
In particular you will create a 2D painting application using only Java and the Leap Motion API and a 3D application using the Unity3D toolkit.
Featuring diagrams, screenshots, and code examples to guide you as you master Leap Motion, this book will keep you in touch with the future of technology.
In nutshell if you want to begin writing applications for the Leap Motion Controller or are trying to figure out how a Leap Motion device integrates with pre-existing technologies, this is the book for you!
WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS BOOK
The author assumes that you have some programming background.
You should have a “working knowledge” of any object-oriented programming. In particular Java and C# (for chapters: 5, 6, 7) languages.
There are also few things you’ll need:
- A Leap Motion Controller
- A Computer
- A Internet Connection
CHAPTERS OVERVIEW
1: INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF LEAP MOTION
Shows you how to set up and test the Leap Motion device and a programming environment to use with it. Once everything is set up, the author review the API briefly.
2: WHAT THE LEAP SEES – DEALING WITH FINGERS, HANDS, TOOLS, AND GESTURES
The software and hardware side of any Leap Motion application. This includes basic tracking data such as hands and fingers as well as more advanced features such as tools and gestures.
The author will finish off with an overview of some of the limitations that you might run into when working with the API and the device.
3: WHAT THE USER SEES – USER EXPERIENCE, ERGONOMICS, AND FATIGUE
Covers the user side of any Leap Motion application.
This includes when and when not to make use of the Leap in an application, the importance of ergonomics, and the prevention of user fatigue.
4: CREATING A 2D PAINTING APPLICATION
Walks you through the creation of a two-dimensional (or 2D) painting application for the Leap.
You'll start out simple with the basic framework and graphical frontend and then move straight into rendering user input onto the screen.
5: CREATING A 3D APPLICATION – A CRASH COURSE IN UNITY 3D
In order to prepare you for the next few chapters the author introduce you to Unity 3D.
This chapter cover the basic installation and setup of the environment, which is followed by the creation of a blank template project for use in the next few chapters.
6: CREATING A 3D APPLICATION – INTEGRATING THE LEAP MOTION DEVICE WITH A 3D TOOLKIT
Walks you through the basic steps of integrating the Leap Motion device with an external 3D toolkit.
You'll learn how to render hands, fingers, and buttons.
The chapter will finish off by covering the detection of user input via the Leap.
In this chapter you need to utilize C# language instead of Java.
7: CREATING A 3D APPLICATION – CONTROLLING A FLYING ENTITY
Guides you through the completion of our 3D application.
You will create a 3D entity, retrieve user input from the Leap, and then use that data to control the entity.
8: TROUBLESHOOTING, DEBUGGING, AND OPTIMIZATION
Is devoted to the inevitable things that will arise during application development: bugs and problems and optimization.
This chapter will go over a few different things you can use to fix common problems with your device or application, in addition to a few general best practices.
9: GOING BEYOND THE LEAP MOTION CONTROLLER
Covers a variety of subjects that go beyond the Leap Motion device itself.
The author will talk about what you've learned so far, where the Leap Motion stands next to other emerging technologies, some concerns regarding the reliability and safety of the device in the industry, and even some ideas to control robots!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandon Sanders is an 18-year-old roboticist who spends much of his time designing, building, and programming new and innovative systems, including simulators, autonomous coffee makers, and robots for competition. At present, he attends Gilbert Finn Polytechnic (which is a homeschool) as he prepares for college. He is the founder and owner of Mechakana Systems, a website and company devoted to robotic systems and solutions. As a home-educated student, he's had the unique opportunity to focus his efforts on the fields that interest him. This has made him successful as the team captain for the FIRST Robotics teams: #4982 Café Bot and #1444 the Lightning Lancers. He has also served as a scientific research assistant to the Chairman of the Washington University Physics Department, where he wrote software to aid in the calculation of equations of state for dense matter in neutron stars. He has received numerous awards and accolades as a result of his involvement in various programs. Two of his most notable achievements are FIRST Robotics Competition Dean's List Award and FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award.
ABOUT THE REVIEWERS:
Rudi Chen is a software developer from the University of Waterloo and has worked for companies such as Side Effects Software and Dropbox.
Lamtharn Hantrakul is an international student from Thailand who is double majoring in Applied Physics and Music at Yale University. His research interests include instrument acoustics, signal processing, and musical HCI.
Justin Kuzma is a freelance engineer and software developer based in Burlington, VT. He has experience in creating mechanical designs and digital art installations.
Maria Montenegro is a computer scientist and an electronic media artist. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's degree in Entertainment Technology from the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University.
February 13, 2015
The title of the book ‘Mastering Leap Motion’ suggests that this book is aimed for those who are willing to become professional Leap Motion developers. In fact, this book has a very practical approach to achieve this goal. The author assumes within this book that those who read it have a sufficient prior knowledge of programming languages, therefore this book is not teaching you how to program, but how to combine both your programming skills and the Leap Motion. For those who are interested in mastering the Leap Motion, I highly recommend to at least have experience with Java and in particular with Object Oriented Programming.
Sanders begins by helping you to set up both the Leap Motion device and the Integrated Development Environment. This is followed by going through the most important classes of the SDK, i.e. the Hand, the Finger, the Vector, the Frame, the Controller and the Listener class.
The next few chapters guide you towards understanding the Leap Motion itself and the best practices for overcoming design problems. However the book could have gone more in depth of the actual classes, it does a great job creating a mind-set to reach the requested level of user experience. It makes you aware of ergonomics and user fatigue, but most importantly the experience guidelines that every Leap Motion developer should follow.
When enough conceptual knowledge has been gained after reading these few chapters, the author provides you with several step-by-step examples of building applications. The first application is a 2D drawing application, written in Java Swing. This is directly followed by creating another application with another dimension, but this time in Unity using C#. From start to end, the book teaches you how to combine Unity 3D with the Leap Motion by building a controllable flying entity.
The final chapters of the book are focussed on both the author’s experience in robotics and going beyond the Leap Motion, by providing several topics of real-world usage of the device. In my opinion, the author could have gone further into this, by also including other topics, such as application for healthcare and education. Real-world usage in my opinion does not only include the ‘fun’ side of the device, but also the serious and professional side where the Leap Motion could make a difference in a person’s daily life.
Another great property of the book is that everything is very readable, accompanied by lots of illustrating and relevant images and several fun facts and not-so-fun facts.
Conclusion: The book is great for programmers and hobbyists who want to directly jump into the world of Leap Motion and start developing applications for real-world use. It has a lot of practical examples and goes in depth of both the user experience and developing guidelines.
On the other hand however, it might have missed an opportunity to go a bit deeper into the properties of classes and thus creating a nice overview for programmers to use during development. The actual development and code are encapsulated in great step-by-step examples using a variety of programming languages and engines. The term ‘Mastering’ might be a little too far-fetched, since it gets you from the beginning to a point where you should be able to start developing your own applications with the help of the documentation and other resources. This book is a great starting point to add the Leap Motion to your arsenal of devices and it helps you getting the most out of it.
4/5 Stars.
Sanders begins by helping you to set up both the Leap Motion device and the Integrated Development Environment. This is followed by going through the most important classes of the SDK, i.e. the Hand, the Finger, the Vector, the Frame, the Controller and the Listener class.
The next few chapters guide you towards understanding the Leap Motion itself and the best practices for overcoming design problems. However the book could have gone more in depth of the actual classes, it does a great job creating a mind-set to reach the requested level of user experience. It makes you aware of ergonomics and user fatigue, but most importantly the experience guidelines that every Leap Motion developer should follow.
When enough conceptual knowledge has been gained after reading these few chapters, the author provides you with several step-by-step examples of building applications. The first application is a 2D drawing application, written in Java Swing. This is directly followed by creating another application with another dimension, but this time in Unity using C#. From start to end, the book teaches you how to combine Unity 3D with the Leap Motion by building a controllable flying entity.
The final chapters of the book are focussed on both the author’s experience in robotics and going beyond the Leap Motion, by providing several topics of real-world usage of the device. In my opinion, the author could have gone further into this, by also including other topics, such as application for healthcare and education. Real-world usage in my opinion does not only include the ‘fun’ side of the device, but also the serious and professional side where the Leap Motion could make a difference in a person’s daily life.
Another great property of the book is that everything is very readable, accompanied by lots of illustrating and relevant images and several fun facts and not-so-fun facts.
Conclusion: The book is great for programmers and hobbyists who want to directly jump into the world of Leap Motion and start developing applications for real-world use. It has a lot of practical examples and goes in depth of both the user experience and developing guidelines.
On the other hand however, it might have missed an opportunity to go a bit deeper into the properties of classes and thus creating a nice overview for programmers to use during development. The actual development and code are encapsulated in great step-by-step examples using a variety of programming languages and engines. The term ‘Mastering’ might be a little too far-fetched, since it gets you from the beginning to a point where you should be able to start developing your own applications with the help of the documentation and other resources. This book is a great starting point to add the Leap Motion to your arsenal of devices and it helps you getting the most out of it.
4/5 Stars.
February 22, 2015
A really complete book aimed at Leap Motion developers.
You'll need good experience with programming languages in general, and with C# and Java in particular. The book is really well organised, and the author guides you in its 229 pages on the path to Leap Motion development mastery.
Here's what you'll learn in this book:
- You'll learn about the Leap Motion API, both the core and the Skeletal Tracking API
- Gesture detection in depth
- Ergonomics and User Experience
- How to use the API to make a complete 'painting' application (Java)
- Integrating Leap Motion into Unity (C#)
- Debugging and Optimizing your application
- Emerging technologies around body/gesture tracking
PROS:
- I really liked the detailed API explanations (and how to debug and fine-tune your application) and examples
- What I was really after was how to integrate Leap Motion with Unity+Oculus Rift, and the book surprised me in a good way
CONS:
- Not about the book, but sometimes Leap Motion lack of accuracy is annoying. I just hope it will improve in the coming months
- 'Mastering' will only arrive if you use this book as a starting 'frame' and then concentrate on a project more complex than the ones presented on the book, and really dig into the API documentation
You'll need good experience with programming languages in general, and with C# and Java in particular. The book is really well organised, and the author guides you in its 229 pages on the path to Leap Motion development mastery.
Here's what you'll learn in this book:
- You'll learn about the Leap Motion API, both the core and the Skeletal Tracking API
- Gesture detection in depth
- Ergonomics and User Experience
- How to use the API to make a complete 'painting' application (Java)
- Integrating Leap Motion into Unity (C#)
- Debugging and Optimizing your application
- Emerging technologies around body/gesture tracking
PROS:
- I really liked the detailed API explanations (and how to debug and fine-tune your application) and examples
- What I was really after was how to integrate Leap Motion with Unity+Oculus Rift, and the book surprised me in a good way
CONS:
- Not about the book, but sometimes Leap Motion lack of accuracy is annoying. I just hope it will improve in the coming months
- 'Mastering' will only arrive if you use this book as a starting 'frame' and then concentrate on a project more complex than the ones presented on the book, and really dig into the API documentation
February 10, 2015
Generally, it is a recomendable book in order to learn leap motion to create some applications.
The author explains how to use leap motion with Java and Unity, you will learn how to create an application in 2D and 3D. In addition, there is some chapters that show you to set up the device and even there is a chapter which it is explained to use the unity game engine, if you have never used it.
I bought the book because I wanted to do 3D applications with leap motion and to be honest I thought that the book had more examples about 3D applications with Unity. There are two examples and they are not very difficult for a advance book about programming with this device
The author explains how to use leap motion with Java and Unity, you will learn how to create an application in 2D and 3D. In addition, there is some chapters that show you to set up the device and even there is a chapter which it is explained to use the unity game engine, if you have never used it.
I bought the book because I wanted to do 3D applications with leap motion and to be honest I thought that the book had more examples about 3D applications with Unity. There are two examples and they are not very difficult for a advance book about programming with this device
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews