multi-touch for programs that don't support it

Question

I have a touchscreen that I'd like to use with a 3d modeling program. I think that I could be more productive in a 3d environment if I could use touch to navigate in this program but unfortuanatly multi-touch isn't supported.

Can I fake it using a program similar to autohotkey? I don't expect to get multiple cursors or anything crazy but it would be great if I could pinch to zoom (centered at the point between the two fingers) or interpret a swipe or gesture as a keyboard shortcut. Basically intercept the touchscreen input and translate it to commands the program understands.

Has anyone found a way to achieve this?

Answer 1

I think this may well be possible, but probably not with AutoHotKey, as I recall that a few years ago someone showed me a Windows 7 touch-screen tablet, and he had non-touch-screen aware OpenGL software running on it, with full touch capability. (I know the software wasn't touch-aware, as I wrote it!)

In this case, the manufacturer of the tablet had provided software that converted on-screen clicks and drags into the right kinds of mouse movements for non-aware software.

So, I just googled for 'touch screen monitor software', and there are quite a few hits to trawl through. Some appear to be specific to manufacturers of particular systems, such as Elo TouchSystems.

I'd suggest, therefore, that you look at the support website for your brand of display, to see if they provide any tools/drivers.