FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is iGlass? iGlass is a handheld application to simulate various aspects of glassblowing to create virtual glass sculptures.
  2. How do you blow glass? For devices equipped with a microphone, iGlass picks up sounds and interprets them as blowing — and increases the size of the glass gather. Pinching and pulling works in a similar manner.
  3. Why doesn’t iGlass respond to gravity? In the real world of glassblowing, managing the effects of gravity on the gather of glass is a skill that requires some level of mastery. For this application, a gravity-free environment is preferable for creating sculptures.
  4. Why was iGlass built? iGlass was inspired by GlassRoots, an organization bringing the joy of glass blowing to thousands of youth. A portion of the proceeds from iGlass are donated to GlassRoots.
  5. Why is the glass orange? Molten glass glows an orange-red. To view the glass as the transparent material you would otherwise expect, click on the tool in the bottom right of the screen to get to the toolbox. From there click on the annealing oven to let your creation sparkle.
  6. How do I move the sculpture in the transparent glass view? When you click the annealing oven in the toolbox, you are presented with the transparent glass view of your sculpture. Arrows are briefly displayed which indicate how the different parts of the screen react to your touch. Touch the center of the screen to move the sculpture up, down, left, or right. Rotate the sculpture in different directions along the sides of the screen. Tap the four arrow button at the bottom of the screen to reset, and tap the spin button at the bottom of the screen to stop or start animated rotation of the sculpture.
  7. The arrows at in the transparent glass view disappear. How can I get them back? To see the arrows again, click on the back button at the bottom of the screen. This will return you to the toolbox. Click on the oven to return to the transparent glass view, and the arrows will briefly appear.
  8. Can color be added to the glass? This is under consideration for a future version. Thanks to our beta testers for this excellent suggestion.
  9. Does this website have an RSS feed? Yes, here it is.