Dizmo getting started
DizmoViewer is the software platform implementing the concept of a new, open, intuitive and expandable user interface. It provides the environment in which dizmo(s) can be instantiated and used, and where dizmo setups are created and shared. As for dizmo(s), the word stands for «digital gizmo» and is the basic element within dizmoViewer, a digital physical item which can be freely manipulated and used as an interface between the physical and the digital world.
Let’s jump right into dizmo’s world!
Getting dizmo and your personal dizmoID
Before installing the software, click here to create a dizmoID – your gateway to all dizmo services like dizmoViewer and dizmoSynchro.
If you don’t have a license yet, dizmoID enables you to store up to five dizmoSetups via dizmoSynchro as well as have access to the dizmoStore.
Note: To get access to the software you should have received a link from either us, your client or supplier. If you did not receive one but were entitled to it, please contact us!
Installing dizmoViewer
Follow the onscreen instructions to install dizmoViewer on your PC or Mac
Starting and using dizmo
Double-click the dizmo icon to start it.
Once you get to the following dialog window, enter your dizmoID and password you registered above, when you signed up.
The first dizmo displayed on your screen is “Getting Started”, an interactive walkthrough for the most relevant features of dizmo.
Towards the end of “Getting Started” (at Step 21), open the Pad dizmo. Select «Public Setups» there, and login with your dizmoID. Then select the setups you would like to open.
Basic concepts and controls
Dizmo provides you with three main operating buttons and a side menu button. The three operating buttons are shown below and allow you to perform all main functional tasks related to creating and managing a dizmo setup. A dizmo setup is the main entity of dizmoViewer and consists of a collection of one or more dizmos and their associated data.
- Use the «+» icon to open the «dizmo Creator» (press the «+» icon again to close an open Creator).
- Use the dizmo icon (the home button) any time to get a full view of your setup in dizmoViewer.
- Use the «Aa» Icon to bring up the onscreen-keyboard (press the «Aa» icon again to close it).
The side menu button includes a streamlined list of option settings for dizmoViewer and gives you access to the Pad dizmo, allowing you to share your own setups between multiple devices.
Dizmo’s vision aims to provide a white-space allowing you to manipulate dizmos and thus manage your digital world.
Here below in «functional» sequence the main operations which can be performed when creating a dizmo setup.
Add a dizmo
The «Creator» dizmo is used to add a new instance of any of the available dizmos to your setup in dizmoViewer.
Several copies of the same dizmo can coexist in dizmoViewer. Each of them will act independently.
Click the «+» button again to close the Creator dizmo quickly.
Delete a dizmo
A dizmo can be removed from your setup in dizmoViewer via the popup menu by clicking on the right side of the dizmo title bar (see below for the title bar).
«Dizmo frame»
The «window» that surrounds every dizmo and provides the area on which the dizmo draws itself is called «dizmo frame». This can be thought of as a little browser window.
Dizmo title bar
This is the upper part of a frame that allows the user to drag a dizmo around, to iconize it when pressing the «iconize button» or to change some aspects of the frames look like transparency or color when pressing the «menu button».
Dizmo «iconize» button
The «iconize button» is shown on the left hand side of the title bar of a frame. If pressed by the user, the frame – including its own dizmo as well as any frames that have been put on its surface by the user – will be collapsed to an icon representing the frame and the dizmo it contains.
Dizmo «menu» button
The «menu button» is shown on the right hand side of the title bar of the dizmo frame. If pressed it will reveal the dizmo menu that allows the user to change some settings which determine the frame’s look & feel as well as, if possible, change some settings of the dizmo contained by the frame or to even remove the dizmo entirely.
Move a dizmo
We tend to organize our things in 2D and in fact we can freely arrange dizmos in dizmoViewer. To move a dizmo around, grab its title bar and move it around as needed.
Resize and rotate a dizmo
The circle icon on the lower-left side of the frame of a dizmo can be used to proportionally resize (zoom) and/or rotate a dizmo. The rectangle icon on the lower-right can be used to freely resize a dizmo. The two functions combined give a never before seen level of freedom as to how windows can be manipulated when both are implemented for a given dizmo. On multi-touch displays, the pinch gesture can also be used to resize and/or rotate a dizmo.
Hierarchies
Dizmos that are placed onto each other can then be moved as a group, in the same exact way you expect things to happen in the physical world when dropping an object onto a second one.
DizmoViewer zoom-in and –out
Double-tap on a dizmo’s title bar: zoom-in. This operation zooms in on the target dizmo and places it in a central, upright position on the surface.
Double-tap on empty space: zoom-out. This operation brings you back to a full view of your dizmo setup.
Double tap-and-hold or pinch: zoom-slider is activated. The latter allows you to select the desired zoom level.
DizmoLive
DizmoLive is a feature of dizmoViewer which allows users to share the content of a specific dizmo, called Pad, across multiple devices. The Pad can contain any type or number of dizmo(s) which the user wants to share with other users on other devices. Actions performed by any said users on dizmos contained in their shared Pads are reflected on the dizmos shared across all «linked» devices. To see the dizmoLive in action watch this video.
Docking
«Docking» is a mechanism by which dizmos connect with each other to perform additional functionalities. To see the «docking» feature in action watch this video.
Search
There is no search box in dizmoViewer and in fact this is a good example of how traditional/legacy UI features are supported in dizmo through…dizmos. The Teleporter can be instantiated through the Creator dizmo and allows users to search and zoom-in to the requested dizmoViewer location (hence reaching the dizmo in that location). The Teleporter, through its popup menu, can be made sticky which makes it possible to maintain it in a fixed position in dizmoViewer while performing any other zoom-in/-out operation.
Check out the video “How to use dizmoViewer” below – you can find more tutorials on our YouTube channel.