We have prepared a convenient document for storing your decisions and measurements for your custom keyguard. The data form is available as a DOCX or PDF.
The form collects the key data that is needed by keyguard.scad to produce your custom keyguard. If you’ll be designing a keyguard for someone else, email them this form and ask them to fill it out as much as they can. As you work on the design, you’ll collect other information about the keyguard.
It’s important to note that almost every design will involve a give-and-take discussion between the person creating the design and the person for whom the keyguard is being created. The second person often doesn’t know what kind of customization is possible.
All of the collected information is then entered into the Customizer pane and saved as a new Preset. You should also save the Customizer Settings in a separate file (see below) in case you lose your Presets.
The form has two sections. The first section requests information that should be provided by the person who is closest to the final user of the keyguard. That person will know detailed information about the kind of tablet, kind of case, AAC app, and possibly the best way to attach the keyguard to the tablet or tablet case.
The second section requests information that should be provided by the person who is 3D-printing the keyguard. That information can be very helpful in deciding what characteristics of the 3D print are important in making the keyguard sturdy and long lasting as well as which characteristics have little impact.
Some items are highlighted in yellow. You can get measurements for your design by making those measurements directly on the tablet with the app running. Alternatively, you can take a screenshot of the app running on the target tablet and use a graphics program like Microsoft Paint to determine these measurements.
It can be difficult to get key measurements like the height and width of the case opening using a simple ruler. You may want to print an Easy Measurement Tool and use the tool to more accurately take these measurements.
We would also recommend including a picture of the app running on the tablet within the case. That will help you determine an appropriate mounting method, whether the screen is centered in the case opening, and whether the case opening is centered in the case.
Once you’ve entered your data, save the form with a name that will help you remember its content, like “Tommy’s TouchChat 25, iPad 2, Otterbox”. There’s also a box on the first page of the form called “ID” for you to put information like this.
On the last page, there’s an input box called “Special Instructions”. That’s a good place to put things like the user’s favorite colors or whether you’d like to engrave text on the top or bottom surfaces of the keyguard along with where you’d like them to be engraved.
When you’ve reached a design that you like, save your Customizer settings as a named Preset. You should also go to the Keyguard Basics section and “generate” your “Customizer settings”. Copy those settings and save them along with all the other information you’ve collected for your keyguard design.