Glide & Show Module – presono's knowledgebase

Overview:

Module activation
Technical Setup
Calibrating at launch
Creating the Template Set
Aspect Ratio
Background Template
Background Image on Main Slide(s)
Different Overlays
Option 1: Overlays stays put on the main slide
Option 2: Overlay stays put on monitor
Create & link presentation

In this article, we provide a brief overview of our “Glide & Show” module.

It enables interactive navigation on a slide by moving a monitor/tablet. The module offers a wide range of applications, from “X-ray views” at trade fairs to additional information about a showroom or booth area. All of this, of course, includes all of presono's general interactive options and can be combined with other modules such as Remote Control.

In this example, we use a main slide showing our train (our model) with an “X-ray view” and various detailed information linked as overlays. Of course, this can be expanded and combined as desired with various other slides and functions in presono (screensaver, more than one detail level, additional modules, etc.).

Module activation

Please note: The Glide & Show module is an additional module that must be activated individually. Please contact your presono contact person or write to us at info@presono.com.

Technical Setup

Once the module has been activated, you can begin preparing the content. In the sections below, we’ll explain exactly what you need to keep in mind. In this section, we’ll briefly explain how the technical setup works.

Set Up:

Shoring/Structural Part

Power cable (moves with the unit)
(LAN cable (moves with the unit))
Guide rail(s)
Gear rail (does not bear any weight)
Stops

Moving part

(Touch) Screen
Mini PC
Arduino / Mini Controller
Rotary Encoder
Stop-Switches
Power Distribution Box (Power Supply for Screen, Mini PC)

Tip: Apply handles, so the touchscreen is not touched every time the unit is moved

The entire setup essentially consists of a (touch) monitor mounted on a rail and a computer (mini PC or similar) that displays content on the monitor. It also includes a gear rail, a mini-controller, and two stops (left/right). In the magnetic switch version, the gear rail and the stops are not required.

The gear rail can be purchased from presono. The necessary modules (stops, mini-controller, rotary encoder) are provided by presono in all cases. The mini PC is not included as standard, but can also be provided and set up by presono. The Screen is not included.

The PC runs a virtual server (set up by presono during installation and ideally configured to start automatically) and the presono Desktop App (Windows) with a Presenter user account. Use via the mobile apps (Android & iOS) is currently not possible.

If you need details about setup and installation, feel free to contact us, and we'll send you a detailed information sheet.

Variants

Glide & Show offers two options: either a solution with magnetic switches or continuous movement along a track.

Depending on the specific application, one of the two options should be selected in advance, as they differ significantly in terms of technical design and content maintenance.

With magnetic switches, there are essentially fixed points on a track where the magnetic switches close (the moving part contains part of the magnet, and the track contains its counterpart), triggering a jump to the next slide.

Each “closure” then triggers the signal for the slide corresponding to the current position. In this case, a presentation with multiple slides is started, and the slides in the presentation are then opened up at each magnetic switch station. Thus, at position 1, the first slide of the presentation is displayed; at the second position, the second slide; and so on.

In the continuous version, there is essentially a “background image,” and by moving the screen (sliding monitor), you move left and right within the image. So, for example, if a 3D model of a machine or product is physically set up with the sliding monitor in front of it, the presono-Slide displays an image of the machine or product with an “X-ray view,” and by moving the screen, I can move back and forth within that X-ray view. At various stations along the facility, I can then click on additional information.

With the desktop app, presono can also be used offline in showrooms or at trade shows and can even be configured as a plug-and-play solution. Learn more here: presono on trade shows & Present offline

Content Creation

Version 1: Magnetic switches

A presentation is started here, and the slides in the presentation are then displayed one per magnetic switch station. So, at position 1, the first slide of the presentation is displayed; at the second position, the second slide, and so on. Interactions on the slides can be used as usual when a touchscreen is in use.

In presono, the presentation can be edited as desired (add, replace, or edit slides).

Version 2: Continuous movement along a track

In this case, there are special templates (sometimes multiple sets) designed with specific aspect ratios. The “background slide,” for example, is simply a very, very wide slide. If the monitor to be moved is in portrait orientation, for instance, the template set is also in portrait orientation. The content, however, is managed in presono as usual. The templates are assigned the “Glide&Show” property once (in the background template), which means the slide is no longer resized but simply “moved.” The templates themselves, however, function normally.

In the following section, we’ll explain the details.

Creating the Template Set

Aspect Ratio

In presono, template sets with individual aspect ratios can be created—the required aspect ratio must be calculated individually.

In general, you calculate the ratio of the total width—the length of the rail, taking into account whether the monitor extends beyond the end points of the rail—to the height of the monitor.

These values can then be set in the Template Set settings along with the exact pixel height of the monitor:

Background Template

All background templates intended for use with Glide & Show require the following class at the layout section (note: not at the group, and only on the extra-wide background slides and overlays):

fill-and-scroll

This class causes slides that use this background template to be displayed in full height rather than scaled to fit during a presentation, allowing them to be moved.

Full height: (with the Glide-and-Show class)

scaled to fit: (without class)

Background Image on Main Slide(s)

There is one special aspect to note regarding the background of the main slide(s). Since presono optimizes the uploaded images for different applications, the background image must be uploaded for this specific aspect ratio in individual sections. The height should be exactly the (pixel) height of the monitor, and the width should be a maximum of 1280px. All images must be the same width and are then inserted into a grid gallery to achieve a seamless transition.

Alternatively, presono can temporarily increase the upload limit of 8000px, allowing you to upload an extra-wide image. In this case, it’s important to adjust the media size to be synchronized in the settings on the device where the presentation is being played. Learn more here: Kiosk & Presentation

Different Overlays

There are basically two different types of overlays that can be displayed on top of the main slide:

Option 1 would be an overlay that appears at a specific location and “stays put” on the main slide when I move the monitor—in other words, it basically moves out of view when I move the monitor accordingly.

Option 2 is an overlay that “stays put” on the monitor, not the slide. This means that it “moves” when you move the monitor—it remains visible on the screen even when the monitor is moved. (It can cover the entire screen, as shown here, or only part of it, e.g., just the bottom third).

For option 1, you don't need a new template set; these overlays can simply be created as a new layout in the template set for the main slide(s).

For option 2, however, a new template set is required because the width must be different from the one set for the main slide.

Tip: If you want to have an overlay that moves faster or slower than the background/main slide, you can of course also achieve this using your own template sets, which are either longer or shorter than the main slide width.

Option 1: Overlays stays put on the main slide

Here, we are working in the main template set.

Here, too, the fill-and-scroll class must be assigned to the layout layer in the overlay background:

Tip: Here, you can simply place an area outside the field of view where the overlay close link is located (to make the background an overlay background). You can then place the actual close button individually in the layouts and thus use one background for multiple overlay layouts.

Then create the layout as usual and place the areas exactly where you need them later in the background:

Tip: You can use zoom and scroll to adjust your canvas area so that you can work comfortably here too:

At the end, create your overlay as usual and link it to the main slide.

Option 2: Overlay stays put on monitor

For the option where the overlay “stays put” on the monitor, we work in a new template set:

This set requires the aspect ratio of the monitor that is being moved. The overlay can, of course, cover the entire screen, as shown here, or only part of it.

In this case, we do not need a class in the background template because we do not want to move anything: