Hey guys, I'm curious into a new project I just thought of.
I'm currently studying in Industrial Design and I do a lot of drawing. I've sometimes realized how much easier it was to just trace a design I'm going for when I put the paper directly on my computer screen.. I can easily change the scale, etc.. it's got many advantages anyways.

I've been thinking for a while about making a computer/work/drawing desk with integrated back lights and a computer screen on top.

The problem I see if the paper needs to be directly on the screen for me to be able to see anything at all and I can't press hard on it or obviously I'll break it.

I thought of glass at first, having that over the screen, but it'd be too thick to see through with paper on top.. and nothing would be too weak for the screen.

Any ideas?

I would need something like one of those new windows coffee table touch screens, except in the not $10,000 format.

There are clear touchscreen overlays that you can place over a screen.

CJ

The Wacom Centiq models are pretty much exactly what you are describing. A little spendy, but for what you are looking for, you probably won’t be able to mock something up that works as well.

http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/

They also have similar products in their DT line:

http://www.wacom.com/pendisplays/

I have a graphics tablet for photo editing (not an LCD based one, but one that you use in place of a mouse with a regular monitor) and the basic advantages that separate the ones like the wacom and that of a standard “touchscreen” LCD are: response time (the system can keep up with you as you move about the screen), pen-point accuracy, and the ability to sense pressure (press harder to make a darker/thicker line, etc.)

-Suntan

Hmm... I just re-read your post and realized I might have mis-interpreted it. If you are looking for a way to see a screen through real paper, so you can draw on the paper, obviously another option is to employ front projection.

You can fire a PJ down onto the paper so that the image is reflected back off the paper, instead of projecting up through the paper.

The downside would be that your pencil, hands and arms will cast annoying shadows on the paper. If you angle the PJ so that the image is coming from “above” the piece of paper (and use lens shift to keep the view from keystoning) this issue would be minimized.

-Suntan

Get a piece of Plexiglas and cut so that it just sits on the LCD screen. You should be able to get one at a craft store usually used for picture framing.

Then you could tape your paper to the plexi and trace away without worrying about the LCD surface.

Since I dabble in art myself I have on occasion used the projector. I find it most useful to get the proportions of an object correct by tracing the outlines of the major parts, then I go back to freehand mode to fill in all the details.

Hmm... I just re-read your post and realized I might have mis-interpreted it. If you are looking for a way to see a screen through real paper, so you can draw on the paper, obviously another option is to employ front projection.

You can fire a PJ down onto the paper so that the image is reflected back off the paper, instead of projecting up through the paper.

The downside would be that your pencil, hands and arms will cast annoying shadows on the paper. If you angle the PJ so that the image is coming from “above” the piece of paper (and use lens shift to keep the view from keystoning) this issue would be minimized.

-Suntan
Yeah that's why I like the screen on the backside method better.
I thought of plexiglass but it would get scratched easily in the long run unlike glass. I'm not sure there's anything that exists that would make this work..

CJO, do you know where they would sell these overlays?

I thought of plexiglass but it would get scratched easily in the long run unlike glass. I'm not sure there's anything that exists that would make this work..



You could get a piece of tempered glass. It’s going to hold up about as good as anything as long as your not outright abusive to it.

Call your local glass shop. I bet you could get some cut to size, with the edges tumbled and all.

-Suntan

Hmm I'll definetely try that out first if I ever get this project off the ground. Thanks man.

I thought of plexiglass but it would get scratched easily in the long run unlike glass.

At less than $10 use it until it is too scratched then get another. I would think it would be lighter and less prone to damaging the LCD. You could round over the edges very quickly with a file to avoid the sharp edge problem. Anyway I would grab a piece and try it as proof of concept, it you want to go glass route later you won't have a lot invested in trying the plastic.

Thanks for the replies guys. I decided to scrap the lcd idea and just go for fluorescent lighting instead.
This is sort of the idea I had in mind, I found this picture on google images.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/la/111008desk-05.jpg/111008desk-05.jpg
My desk will be a bit bigger though and hopefully will serve me in my future career.

Oh, and another question now. I'm still going with a glass top, but what material could I stick underneath the glass so the light is more spread out.. so it's more consistent, more of a glow to it. I don't want to see through the glass, that isn't really important to me.