James Thomson is known diving into new Apple technologies and platforms in unusual ways with PCalc. There are also new and updated custom icons including one created by artist David Lanham of a panda eating a bamboo number 42. Drag an equation like 7 * 6 into the app, and it will calculate the answer. I also like that Thomson supports dragging into PCalc. Simply drag the results of your calculation into any app that can receive it like Notes. The app also supports drag and drop, which is handy when using PCalc alongside another app on an iPad. The 3D/AR About screen isn’t all that’s new in PCalc though. Image courtesy of Myke Hurley who has conquered PCalc’s stunt mode.
The other icons toggle icons, calculators, marbles, dice, bananas, coins, and lights that you can toss into the scene individually by tapping the screen or dump onscreen en masse with a button on the right-hand side of the view. When was the last time you saw an About screen with its own settings? PCalc’s does, and with it, you can switch to a 3D rendering of a working PCalc calculator instead of the app’s icon and adjust several other interactions.
#PCALC PROGRAMMER VIEW SERIES#
The smooth animations, textures, and lighting effects are impressive, but there’s a lot more fun to be had.Īlong the top of the About screen is a series of buttons. When tapped, your screen is taken over by a 3D rendering of PCalc’s ’42’ icon that you can spin around with your finger. At the top of the Help screen, is an ‘About PCalc’ button. To access the About screen tap the info button in PCalc’s main view to enter its settings, then tap the Help button. Thomson has used PCalc’s About screen to create a 3D and ARKit playground that shows off what is possible when you combine Apple’s Metal APIs and ARKit. Still, you wouldn’t expect it to incorporate 3D animation or augmented reality, but that is exactly what the latest version of PCalc has tucked away in its settings. It’s available on iOS devices, the Apple Watch, and even the Apple TV. PCalc is an excellent calculator app that was one of Federico’s ‘Must Have’ apps of 2016. Even more fitting though, is that the app reviewed is PCalc by James Thomson. As apps updated for iOS 11 begin to trickle out onto the App Store, it’s fitting that the first of what will be many reviews on MacStories in the coming days features ARKit, which from all indications is a big hit with developers.
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