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Turning Switch's Joy-Con Into A Shortcut Keypad For Digital Art

Did you know that you can control your PC with the Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con via Bluetooth?

3D Artist known as jun has recently shared a neat video of them using Switch's Joy-Con as a left-hand shortcut device for sculpting in ZBrush.

While this isn't a new trick and apps for connecting and mapping your Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con controllers to a PC have been around for quite some time, since it's just a keyboard and mouse input emulation at its core, this solution is still as impressive as ever and can be actually useful for digital artists looking to try out using a handheld shortcut keypad in their work, as these devices are becoming increasingly popular.

This video guide shared by jun is in Japanese, but you can still use it for visual clues, although the process is very simple. All you gotta do is pair the Joy-Con via Bluetooth to your computer and use JoyToKey to customize shortcuts. If your computer doesn't have a Bluetooth adapter, you can buy an external one, preferably supporting Bluetooth 4.0 at least.

JoyToKey is an app that converts the controller inputs into keyboard strokes and mouse movements, allowing you to play games that don't have native controller support with your favorite joysticks, or use it for other applications, such as drawing or 3D modeling software to improve efficiency by registering frequently used key shortcuts.

As this method probably won't replace a professional handheld shortcut remote, it's a great workaround for digital artists who can't afford expensive devices or want to try out using the keypad to see if they like it.

Get JoyToKey here for free and turn your Joy-Con into a shortcut keypad to experiment with your workflow. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on InstagramTwitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

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Comments 1

  • Anonymous user

    I made a tutorial on my Kupu Creative Media YouTube channel showing demos that Lua can turn any numpad, extra keyboard, joystick into a macro device that can be usable for any creative software. People who are making comments "but why?" I think they should experience modeling in VR headset. If they do, they will understand how amazing it feels to use both hand controllers to make modeling and sculpting and its fast as well. I use lua to turn my extra numpad for video editing and other creative macros. Lua turned my $15 numpad into a $300 streamdeck.

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·6 months ago·

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