Novel Uses of Pinch Gloves™ for Virtual Environment Interaction Techniques

The usability of three-dimensional (3D) interaction techniques depends upon both the interface software and the physical devices used. However, little research has addressed the issue of mapping 3D input devices to interaction techniques and applications. This is especially crucial in the field of Virtual Environments (VEs), where there exists a wide range of potential 3D input devices. In this paper, we discuss the use of Pinch Gloves™ – gloves that report contact between two or more fingers – as input devices for VE systems. We begin with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the gloves as a 3D input device. Next, we present a broad overview of three novel interaction techniques we have developed using the gloves, including a menu system, a text input technique, and a two-handed navigation technique. All three of these techniques have been evaluated for both usability and task performance. Finally, we speculate on further uses for the gloves.     

基于VRML的三维造型交互功能的实现方法

利用TouchSensor接触传感器节点、PositionInterpolator补插器节点和TimeSensor时间传感器节点,再加上ROUTE语句,可以实现基于虚拟现实建模语言(Virtual Reality Modeling Language,简称VRML)的三维造型的动态效果.在动态三维造型的基础上利用传感器Sensor节点,可以实现复杂的交互功能.     

Direct 3D Manipulation Techniques for Interactive Constraint-based Solid Modelling

This paper presents a novel constraint-based 3D manipulation approach to interactive constraint-based solid modelling. This approach employs a constraint recognition process to automatically recognise assembly relationships and geometric constraints between entities from 3D manipulation. A technique referred to as allowable motion is used to achieve accurate 3D positioning of a solid model by automatically constraining its 3D manipulation without menu interaction. A set of virtual design tools, which can be used to construct constraint-based solid models within a virtual environment, are also supported. These tools have been implemented as functional 3D objects associated with several pre-defined modelling functions to simulate physical tools such as a drilling tool and T-square. They can be directly manipulated by the user, and precisely positioned relative to other solid models through the constraint-based 3D manipulation approach. Their modelling functions can be automatically triggered, depending upon their associated constraints and the user's manipulation manner. A prototype system has been implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of these techniques for model construction and assembly operations.     

VRML虚拟场景跳转及三维造型交互

VRML构造复杂三维场景时,通常需要多个场景的组合。如何实现三维空间场景跳转和三维造型的动态效果十分关键？结合实例讨论并给出利用Anchor组节点实现多场景跳转的方法,在动态三维造型的基础上利用传感器Sensor节点,实现复杂的交互功能：     

基于Web3D的体育馆展示并售票系统的研究

传统的虚拟场所的展示系统有着赢利能力较弱的不足,传统的2D网络销售系统也存在真实感、交互性较弱的不足,该文针对以上两个不足研究设计了具有真实感的体育馆虚拟展示并售票系统。系统以Web3D及其相关技术为基础设计了针对体育馆实际需求的体育馆场景结构、体育馆实时显示技术及交互式售票模块,并根据实际对已有的显示技术做了相应改进。用户通过Internet直接对体育馆进行全方位的浏览,赛前对体育馆的各种设施方位有一个了解,用户还可以与系统进行交互购票。系统较全面虚拟了实时浏览、挑选、购票的过程。具有良好的人机交互功能,克服传统方法的不足,为用户和厂商之间搭建了更高效更完美的沟通渠道。     

Generating 3D interaction techniques by identifying and breaking assumptions

Researchers have created 3D interaction techniques for immersive virtual worlds, but existing techniques represent just part of the design space. While exploring other parts of the design space might yield more effective techniques, conducting that exploration is difficult and time-consuming. Analyzing the particular task, user, and hardware characteristics for any given problem is straightforward, but only suggests the shape of a potential technique; generating the technique itself still requires a creative breakthrough. We propose extending existing approaches to generating 3D interaction techniques by focusing more explicitly on identifying and breaking assumptions about the real world to inspire potential technique ideas. We describe our approach, suggest an initial list of assumptions to consider, and present a case study of applying the process to create a technique for navigation with visible landmarks and place representations.     

Interaction with a desktop virtual environment: a 2D view into a 3D world

With the development of computer software and hardware in the past few years, it has been possible to produce effective training virtual environments on everyday personal computers with little expert training required for users or designers. However, the development of the equipment that enables this has brought little coinciding research on what features to include when designing these environments. Despite these increased advances in PC capabilities for desktop virtual environments (VEs), there are still limitations on the number of objects that can be programmed to be interactive, usually due to restrictions on programming time and cost. As a result, it is often left to the programmer to decide which of the objects included to increase the realism of the environment will be interactive and which aesthetic. The work presented in this paper is an experiment that aims to establish a guide for environment designers to aid effective environment interaction development by identifying key elements in a VE design.

以用户为中心的三维桌面导航系统设计

提出一种基于模拟真实工作环境创建下一代图形用户界面的方法,建立了可扩展的三维交互空间,通过引入具有质量、体积、颜色和摩擦系数等物理属性的三维物件,采用碰撞检测和刚体动力学技术,开发了一套以用户为中心的三维桌面导航系统--UCDN.用户评估表明,该方法可用性高、趣味性强,为新一代图形用户界面提供了积极的探索.     

Advances in Interaction with 3D Environments

Various interaction techniques have been developed for interactive 3D environments. This paper presents an up‐to‐date and comprehensive review of the state of the art of non‐immersive interaction techniques for Navigation, Selection & Manipulation, and System Control, including a basic introduction to the topic, the challenges and an examination of a number of popular approaches. We also introduce 3D Interaction Testbed (3DIT) to firstly allow a ‘hands‐on' understanding of 3D interaction principles, and secondly to create an open platform for defining evaluation methods, stimuli as well as representative tasks akin to those found in other disciplines of science. We hope that this survey can aid both researchers and developers of interactive 3D applications in having a clearer overview of the topic and in particular can be useful for practitioners and researchers that are new to the field of interactive 3D graphics.     

Head-Tracked Stereo Viewing with Two-Handed 3 D Interaction for Animated Character Construction

In this paper, we demonstrate how a new interactive 3 D desktop metaphor based on two-handed 3 D direct manipulation registered with head-tracked stereo viewing can be applied to the task of constructing animated characters. In our configuration, a six degree-of-freedom head-tracker and CrystalEyes shutter glasses are used to produce stereo images that dynamically follow the user head motion. 3 D virtual objects can be made to appear at a fixed location in physical space which the user may view from different angles by moving his head. To construct 3 D animated characters, the user interacts with the simulated environment using both hands simultaneously: the left hand, controlling a Spaceball, is used for 3 D navigation and object movement, while the right hand, holding a 3 D mouse, is used to manipulate through a virtual tool metaphor the objects appearing in front of the screen. In this way, both incremental and absolute interactive input techniques are provided by the system. Hand-eye coordination is made possible by registering virtual space exactly to physical space, allowing a variety of complex 3 D tasks necessary for constructing 3 D animated characters to be performed more easily and more rapidly than is possible using traditional interactive techniques. The system has been tested using both Polhemus Fastrak and Logitech ultrasonic input devices for tracking the head and 3 D mouse.     

基于HLA的三维虚拟环境

在分析了HLA体系结构及运行支撑框架(RTI)的基础上,提出了一个基于HLA的三维虚拟环境的设计和实现方案。阐明了此类系统的设计方法,着重分析了系统实现中涉及的仿真对象模型、信息交互机制、程序控制逻辑、坐标转换、实时性等关键技术问题和解决方案。最后在使用WindowsNT4.0的PIII高档微机平台上实现了该系统。实验表明,在综合分布交互系统SSS中,该分系统可实现与其它分系统的正确交互,场景刷新速率最高可达20帧/秒,基本满足实时性要求。     

基于虚拟现实技术的3D智慧校园设计与实现

以上海海洋大学为例,基于虚拟现实技术设计出与现实校园相近逼真的虚拟环境,用户通过计算机的操控与该虚拟环境进行交互,实现对智慧校园的控制。利用Auto Maya、Photoshop、Illustrator等建模、美化软件,进行校园建筑数据获取、3D模型的建立以及贴图纹理的映射等;利用Unity 3D引擎进行用户交互设计,建立起大学实际仿真景观的3D智慧校园。在此基础上,还实现了小地图的展示、界面多参数的调控、界面定位等个性化功能。     

Sketching 3D Animations

We are interested in providing animators with a general-purpose tool allowing them to create animations using straight-ahead actions as well as pose-to-pose techniques. Our approach seeks to bring the expressiveness of real-time motion capture systems into a general-purpose multi-track system running on a graphics workstation. We emphasize the use of high-bandwidth interaction with 3D objects together with specific data reduction techniques for the automatic construction of editable representations of interactively sketched continuous parameter evolution. In this paper, we concentrate on providing a solution to the problem of applying data reduction techniques in an animation context. The requirements that must be fulfilled by the data reduction algorithm are analyzed. From the Lyche and Mørken knot removal strategy, we derive an incremental algorithm that computes a B-spline approximation to the original curve by considering only a small piece of the total curve at any time. This algorithm allows the processing of the user's captured motion in parallel with its specification, and guarantees constant latency time and memory needs for input motions composed of any number of samples. After showing the results obtained by applying our incremental algorithm to 3D animation paths, we describe an integrated environment to visually construct 3D animations, where all interaction is done directly in three dimensions. By recording the effects of user's manipulations and taking into account the temporal aspect of the interaction, straight-ahead animations can be defined. Our algorithm is automatically applied to continuous parameter evolution in order to obtain editable representations. The paper concludes with a presentation offuture work.     

一种用于虚拟校园漫游的三维引擎的研究

在对三维引擎技术OSG进行分析和研究的基础上,提出并实现了一种用于虚拟校园漫游的三维引擎系统,该系统使用OSG所提供的类和接口,实现了虚拟校园场景的渲染以及漫游的交互控制功能,同时在引擎中添加了语音介绍功能,丰富了浏览者的视听感受。实践证明,该引擎具有良好的移植性与通用性,为虚拟校园漫游技术向虚拟校园系统和虚拟学习平台方面的迁移提供了支持。     

与二维电子地图互响应的虚拟三维场景生成

该文详细介绍了与二维电子地图互响应的虚拟三维场景中地形、地物的生成及场景组织等关键技术的解决方案。地形的生成是采用少量的可描述地形总体形状的DEM数据构建地形的总体框架,并应用分形技术来生成地形细部的方法。对与视点相近的树木用L系统分形生成,并将生成的描述树木的数据保存起来,以便在实时刷新时调用;与视点较远的树木用贴图的方法来表现。介绍了采用模块化与纹理贴图技术来简化桥梁生成的具体实现技术,从而减少桥梁描述的数据量。对实现互响应功能时需解决的视点位置确定问题给出了具体的解决方法。这些生成方法有效地减少了三维场景实时生成的延迟性,并保证了实时互响应的实现。     

Ergonomic evaluation of interaction techniques and 3D menus for the practical design of 3D stereoscopic displays

There has been a recent commercialization of 3D stereoscopic displays in order to implement them in a virtual reality environment. However, there is a lack of extensive research into user interfaces for 3D applications on stereoscopic display. This study focused on three representative interaction techniques (ray-casting, keypad and hand-motion techniques) utilizing a head-mounted display and 3D CAVE. In addition, the compatibility with 3D menus was also investigated based on performance and subjective assessment. Nine 3D menus were designed for the experiment in regards to three 2D metaphors (pop-up, pull-down and stack menus) and three structural layouts (list, cubic and circular menus). The most suitable technique for the 3D user interface on a stereoscopic display was the ray-casting technique and the stack menu which provided the user with good performance and subjective response. In addition, it was found that the cubic menu was not as effective as other menus when used with the three interaction techniques.Relevance to industryThis research describes a distinctive evaluation method and recommendations that guarantee the suitability for interactive 3D environments. Therefore, the results will encourage practitioners and researchers that are new to the area of 3D interface design.     

A multimodal virtual reality interface for 3D interaction with VTK

The object-oriented visualization Toolkit (VTK) is widely used for scientific visualization. VTK is a visualization library that provides a large number of functions for presenting three-dimensional data. Interaction with the visualized data is controlled with two-dimensional input devices, such as mouse and keyboard. Support for real three-dimensional and multimodal input is non-existent. This paper describes VR-VTK: a multimodal interface to VTK on a virtual environment. Six degree of freedom input devices are used for spatial 3D interaction. They control the 3D widgets that are used to interact with the visualized data. Head tracking is used for camera control. Pedals are used for clutching. Speech input is used for application commands and system control. To address several problems specific for spatial 3D interaction, a number of additional features, such as more complex interaction methods and enhanced depth perception, are discussed. Furthermore, the need for multimodal input to support interaction with the visualization is shown. Two existing VTK applications are ported using VR-VTK to run in a desktop virtual reality system. Informal user experiences are presented. Arjan J. F. Kok is an assistant professor at the Department of Computer Science at the Open University of the Netherlands. He studied Computer Science at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. He received his Ph.D. from the same university. He worked as a Scientist for TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) and as assistant professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology before he joined the Open University. His research interests are visualization, virtual reality, and computer graphics. Robert van Liere studied Computer Science at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He received his Ph.D. with the thesis “Studies in Interactive Scientific Visualization” at the University of Amsterdam. Since 1985, he has worked at CWI, the Center for Mathematics and Computer Science in Amsterdam in which he is the head of CWI’s visualization research group. Since 2004, he holds a part-time position as full professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology. His research interests are in interactive data visualization and virtual reality. He is a member of IEEE.     

Web3D智能虚拟人设计

针对智能交互系统的需求,设计一种基于3DMax、MS3D和Java的Web智能虚拟人系统．虚拟人能够根据用户的要求,智能化地做出各种反应,按照一定的策略提供信息给用户．并辅以形象的动作。该系统运算量小适用网络环境,并具有良好的交互性。     

A Survey on 3D Virtual Object Manipulation: From the Desktop to Immersive Virtual Environments

Interactions within virtual environments often require manipulating 3D virtual objects. To this end, researchers have endeavoured to find efficient solutions using either traditional input devices or focusing on different input modalities, such as touch and mid‐air gestures. Different virtual environments and diverse input modalities present specific issues to control object position, orientation and scaling: traditional mouse input, for example, presents non‐trivial challenges because of the need to map between 2D input and 3D actions. While interactive surfaces enable more natural approaches, they still require smart mappings. Mid‐air gestures can be exploited to offer natural manipulations mimicking interactions with physical objects. However, these approaches often lack precision and control. All these issues and many others have been addressed in a large body of work. In this article, we survey the state‐of‐the‐art in 3D object manipulation, ranging from traditional desktop approaches to touch and mid‐air interfaces, to interact in diverse virtual environments. We propose a new taxonomy to better classify manipulation properties. Using our taxonomy, we discuss the techniques presented in the surveyed literature, highlighting trends, guidelines and open challenges, that can be useful both to future research and to developers of 3D user interfaces.     

桌面虚拟现实技术在电子商务商品展示中的应用

虚拟现实技术是一种计算机仿真技术，可以提供更为直观的用户界面与交互接口。本文鉴于虚拟现实技术在WEB表现中的独特优势，提出将其应用到电子商务中商品展示中，以使用户获得更佳的购物体验。