Processing for Android

Learn how to use the Processing programming language and environment to create Android applications with ease. This book covers the basics of the Processing language, allowing users to effectively program interactive graphics in 2D, 3D, and Extended Reality (XR). It also details the application of these techniques to different types of Android devices (smartphones, tablets, wearables, and smartwatches). 

This updated edition walks you through the entire process of creating an app, from the initial idea to release of the final app via the Google Play App Store. Over the course of the book, you’ll learn to write engaging apps driven by user interaction and sensor data. A comprehensive series of hands-on projects, ranging from simple sketches to more complex projects involving shaders, VR, and AR will give you the firsthand experience you need to begin developing your own projects.

And once you have your Processing projects completed, you’ll be able to upload them to the Google Play store to be shared with the world!

What You Will Learn

• Write apps and live wallpapers for smartphones and tablets
• Design and implement interactive watch faces
• Create Extended Reality (VR/AR) experiences
• Incorporate GLSL shaders into your Processing apps
• Integrate Processing sketches into larger apps and Android Studio
• Learn how to write your own libraries to share with the community
• Export projects as completed apps ready to distribute through Google Play Store

Who This Book Is For

Artists, designers, students, researchers, and hobbyists who are not necessarily Android experts, but are looking to write mobile apps that make creative use of interactive graphics, sensor data, and extended reality. 

Table of Contents

Part I: First Steps with Processing for Android

Chapter 1: Getting Started with the Android Mode

Chapter 2: The Processing Language

Chapter 3: From Sketch to Play Store

Part II: Drawing and Interaction

Chapter 4: Drawing Graphics and Text

Chapter 5: Touchscreen Interaction

Chapter 6: Live Wallpapers

Part Ill: Sensors

Chapter 7: Reading Sensor Data

Chapter 8: Driving Graphics and Sound with Sensor Data

Chapter 9: Geolocation

Part IV: Wearables and Watch Faces

Chapter 10: Wearable Devices

Chapter 11: Visualizing Time

Chapter 12: Visualizing Physical Activity

Part V: 3D and Shaders

Chapter 13: 3D in Processing

Chapter 14: Lighting and Texturing

Chapter 15: GLSL Shaders

Part VI: Extended Reality: VR and AR

Chapter 16: Basics of VR

Chapter 17: Basics of AR

Chapter 18: Creating XR Experiences

Part VII: Appendixes

Chapter 19: Appendix A: Gradle and Android Studio Integration

Chapter 20: Appendix B: Processin~ Libraries for Android

About the Author

Andrés Colubri is a core member of the Processing project, and the main developer of the OpenGL renderer, the video library, and Processing for Android. He originally studied Physics and Mathematics in Argentina and later did an MFA at the UCLA Design Media Arts program. He uses Processing as the main tool to bridge his interests in computer graphics, data visualization, and biomedical research. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts.