General FAQ | Consumer FAQ | Developer FAQ
Working with Immersion Developer tools and resources? Confused? Check out this section to see if someone else has had the same difficulties before you send email to developer. Click on a question to jump to its answer, or just scroll through the entire list.
| |
 |
|
|
How do I develop for Immersion TouchSense? |
| |
|
|
|
How do I get an Immersion TouchSense Developer Toolkit? |
| |
|
|
|
Are the Immersion TouchSense developer tools, resources, and runtime components free? |
| |
|
|
|
What are some examples of what Immersion TouchSense can do? |
| |
|
|
|
What applications work with Immersion TouchSense? Which developers use Immersion TouchSense? |
| |
|
|
|
Where can I get developer technical support? |
| |
|
|
|
Where can I get Immersion TouchSense products? |
| |
|
|
|
What is Immersion Studio? |
| |
|
|
|
How do I modify Immersion Studio IFR files to change the effects in an application or web page? |
| |
|
|
|
Can multiple different effects be strung together and played in sequence? |
| |
|
|
|
Does Immersion TouchSense work with Visual Basic, Visual C++, Java, JavaScript, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, Macromedia Director, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and other popular programming and multimedia languages and tools? |
| |
|
|
|
What are the Immersion Foundation Classes (IFC)? |
| |
|
|
|
Can I still use Microsoft's DirectX? Are Immersion TouchSense and DirectX competing standards? |
| |
|
|
|
Why can't my Visual C++ compiler find the file DINPUT.H when I compile the source code for an Immersion sample application? |
| |
|
|
|
What are the Immersion Web ActiveX control and Netscape plug-in? |
| |
|
|
|
How can I install the Immersion Web Plugin without Internet access? |
| |
|
|
|
What is Immersion Web Designer? |
| |
|
|
|
How do I add Immersion TouchSense to my website? |
| |
|
Q: |
|
How do I develop for Immersion TouchSense? |
|
A: |
|
If you are a software developer, you can very quickly and easily add support for Immersion TouchSense to your applications and web pages using the Immersion Developer tools and resources collection. This collection has everything you need (including documentation, sample effects, tutorials, tools, sample programs with source code) to get started. Find out which tools and resources are appropriate for your needs and interests in the Getting Started section, or look at the entire list in the Technology section.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
How do I get an Immersion TouchSense Developer Toolkit? |
|
A: |
|
For more information about the Immersion TouchSense Developer Toolkit, including pricing, contact us by email at developer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Are the Immersion TouchSense developer tools, resources, and runtime components free? |
|
A: |
|
The Immersion TouchSense developer tools and toolkits currently have royalty-free licenses that allow redistribution of all necessary run-time components, such as the Immersion Web Plugin.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
What are some examples of what Immersion TouchSense can do? |
|
A: |
|
Jump to answer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
What applications work with Immersion TouchSense? Which developers use Immersion TouchSense? |
|
A: |
|
Immersion TouchSense gaming products like joysticks and steering wheels have been on the market for more than four years, and there are currently over 250 games that work with these products. For a recent list of games, click here. Some of the developers using Immersion TouchSense are LucasArts, Electronics Arts, Microsoft, Activision, Havas Interactive, Hasbro Interactive, EIDOS, Infogrames, Gathering of Developers, Monolith Productions, and Interplay. For a listing of other applications and TouchSense-activated web content, visit our Cool Stuff page.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Where can I get developer technical support? |
|
A: |
|
If you can't find the answers you're looking for in this developer FAQ, Immersion provides free technical support to software and web developers using Immersion TouchSense technology. We can help you with anything from troubleshooting TouchSense hardware problems to offering creative suggestions on how best to use TouchSense programs or HTML code. We'll even help you write and debug your TouchSense programs. Simply e-mail us at developer@immersion.com.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Where can I get Immersion TouchSense products for my computer? |
|
A: |
|
Jump to answer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
What is Immersion Studio? |
|
A: |
|
Jump to answer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
How do I modify Immersion Studio IFR files to change the effects in an application or web page? |
|
A: |
|
Jump to answer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Can multiple different effects be strung together and played in sequence? |
|
A: |
|
Starting with Immersion Studio 3.x and IFC 2.x, compound effects made up of component sequences are supported. Refer to the Immersion Studio and IFC documentation for more details.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Does Immersion TouchSense work with Visual Basic, Visual C++, Java, JavaScript, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, Macromedia Director, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and other popular programming and multimedia languages and tools? |
|
A: |
|
Currently, we offer developer tools and resources for using Immersion TouchSense with Visual C++, Visual Basic, Javascript and DHTML, Java, and Macromedia Flash, Shockwave, and Dreamweaver. We intend to support Macromedia Director projectors and streaming video soon.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
What are the Immersion Foundation Classes (IFC)? |
|
A: |
|
The Immersion Foundation Classes (IFC) are a powerful new set of tools and libraries that allow developers to easily create "write-once, feel-anywhere" software in the C++ programming language. Software applications that use IFC to create their touch sensations work on all TouchSense force feedback gaming products through Microsoft's DirectX API as well as on all TouchSense pointing products (e.g., mice, trackballs) through the TouchSense API. IFC also fully supports Immersion Studio, the premier feel-editing tool widely used by many developers to design sensations. IFC can be used to add Immersion TouchSense to gaming and entertainment applications, as well as business and productivity applications, and is also the backbone for touch-enabled web pages and applications. Furthermore, IFC will support future platforms and future force feedback products.
A set of easy-to-use C++ classes, IFC provides much of the code necessary for creating and managing the force feedback device and effect COM interfaces required by the DirectX API. While COM interfaces are powerful and extensible, they also require tedious and lengthy bookkeeping tasks. By wrapping these complicated interfaces into intuitive, easy-to-use classes and helper tools, IFC allows developers to concentrate on the actual feel sensation design, rather than laboring with COM. IFC was designed and created by force feedback programming experts at Immersion to make feel sensation programming easier and more intuitive, shorten development times, make code cleaner and more portable, and provide all the functionality of the underlying COM-based APIs without reducing programming freedom and flexibility.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Can I still use Microsoft's DirectX? Are Immersion TouchSense and DirectX competing standards? |
|
A: |
|
Microsoft's DirectX DirectInput Force Feedback features were designed expressly to work with Immersion TouchSense. Starting in early 1997, we have worked closely with Microsoft to get Immersion TouchSense fully integrated into DirectX. Therefore, any Immersion TouchSense product will work with any DirectX application.
DirectX has all the necessary functionality to access and control force feedback joysticks, gamepads, and wheels, but not mice. While you can get mouse input from an Immersion TouchSense mouse through DirectInput, DirectInput currently does not have the ability to create sensations on an Immersion TouchSense Mouse. Furthermore, as mentioned above, DirectX is powerful and extensible but also requires tedious and lengthy bookkeeping tasks. To get around these shortcomings, developers should use the Immersion Foundation Classes (IFC), which among other things is a powerful wrapper for DirectInput (in much the same way Microsoft's MFC is a wrapper for Microsoft's Win32 API). Whether you are developing an application for a gaming product (e.g., joystick, wheel, gamepad) or for a pointing product (e.g., mouse, trackball), you should use the IFC helper tools and libraries. Doing so guarantees your compatibility with both DirectX, as well as all Immersion TouchSense products from Microsoft, Logitech, InterAct, Guillemot, ThrustMaster, CH Products, Primax, LMP, ACT Labs, Mouse Systems, SC&T, Anko, Mad Catz, and others.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Why can't my Visual C++ compiler find the file DINPUT.H when I compile the source code for an Immersion sample application? |
|
A: |
|
If you include an IFC 2.1 header file in your code, the file will also be included. DINPUT.H is the Microsoft DirectX header file for DirectInput routines. DINPUT.H is normally available in VC++ developers' systems, as it exists in the standard Microsoft Visual Studio 6 installation (VC98\Include), the Microsoft Platform SDK (mssdk\include), and also in the Microsoft DirectX SDK (dxsdk\include). However, you may not have this file if you are using VC++ 5. If you do not have DINPUT.H in your system, you will get a compile error.
If you run into this error, you should first check to see if you have DINPUT.H on your system, but the compiler isn't finding it. VC++ 6 users will want to check their Tools:Options:Directories settings to make sure the VC98\Include path is there.
If you don't have DINPUT.H on your system, you can download it here from Microsoft:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/downloads.asp
Click the link for "Developer Downloads" and look for the latest partial DirectX SDK download or DirectX SDK Headers and Libraries link. Note that this download may still be rather large. Once the download is completed and installed, make sure you then put these new DirectX headers in an include path searched by Visual Studio.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
What are the Immersion Web ActiveX control and Netscape plug-in? |
|
A: |
|
Jump to answer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
How can I install the Immersion Web Plugin without Internet access? |
|
A: |
|
The Immersion TouchSense Web Plugin can be installed from our developer toolkit CD, which can be requested by email at developer@immersion.com or by phone in our San Jose, California offices at 1-408-467-1900 (if you're really serious about not having internet access...).
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
What is Immersion Web Designer? |
|
A: |
|
Jump to answer.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
How do I add Immersion TouchSense to my website? |
|
A: |
|
Chances are, your website already has basic TouchSense functionality and you can feel hyperlinks, menus, radio buttons and text boxes and more through default settings of Immersion TouchWare Desktop. However, to add special, authored TouchSense effects into such things as Dynamic HTML, Flash, and Shockwave animations, and to your HTML pages using a tool like Dreamweaver, visit the Getting Started section, and choose "Web Developer" to find out which tools and resources are right for you.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
How do I develop for Immersion TouchSense? |
|
A: |
|
If you are a hardware developer, contact our Licensing department at licensing@immersion.com. If you are a software developer, view available tools and resources from our Technology section and contact us at developer@immersion.com
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Are there any Immersion TouchSense logo requirements for software or web applications? |
|
A: |
|
Over the years, Immersion has developed a strong brand identity for our TouchSense technologies. You'll see our brightly-colored hand logo prominently displayed on a wide variety of successful hardware products. We encourage software and web developers to give their products the same competitive edge by adding the Immersion logo to software, packaging, and web sites.
|
| | | back to top
|
| |
|
Q: |
|
Where can I find your logo for my website, game, application or packaging? |
|
A: |
|
Email us for a full collection of Immersion branded logos for game, application splash screen, packaging, or on-line (website) use.
|
| | | back to top
|
|
