ISAAC: Immersive Simulation Animation And Construction
Mark R. Mine
(mine@cs.unc.edu)
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ISAAC Interaction Techniques
During Action-at-a-distance (AAAD) interaction, objects are selected via
ray casting (depicted by a laser beam emanating from the user's hand).
Once selected they can be remotely manipulated by moving the user's hand
(with the user's hand motion mapped to object motion) or by using the laser
beam to interact with some form of control widget.
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Currently, three types of constrained motion widgets are used for the
controlled manipulation of objects in ISAAC: one-dimensional translation,
two-dimensional translation, and one-dimensional rotation. To use a
constrained motion widget you first select a widget by pointing at it with
the laser beam, grab it (indicated by pressing on a button on the input
device), and then use the widget to move the object along a line, in a
plane or rotate it about one of its axes. The constrained motion widgets
can either be aligned with the model's coordinate system or the world
coordinate system.
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More complex functions are included in ISAAC's two-dimensional menus.
Two-dimensional menus are the virtual equivalent of conventional
workstation pull-down menus and dialog boxes except instead of being locked
into screen space the menu floats in three-dimensional space. Functions
included on the two-dimensional menus include: edit functions (cut, copy,
paste, duplicate and delete), grouping functions, grid controls, and other
object controls. ISAAC menus use a point-and-shoot paradigm, you select a
button by pointing a laser beam at it (you do not have to be able to reach
a button to invoke it).
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The rotary tool chooser is used for the selection of ISAAC's high level
tools (fly, manipulate and scale) and to invoke the more complicated
two-dimensional menu (see below). To select a tool the user simply presses
a button on the input device (to invoke the tool chooser), turns his hand
about a chosen axis (to move the selection box to the desired tool), then
releases the button to finish selection. The rotary tool chooser is based
upon J.D. Liang's ring menu. See: JDCAD (University of
Alberta)
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Worlds-In-Miniature (WIM) interaction involves the manipulation of objects
in a miniature representation of the world floating in front of the user,
easily within arm's reach. Movement of an object in the WIM results in the
corresponding movement of the object in the immersive environment
surrounding the user. See related work at the University of
Virginia
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Last Revised: August 16th, 1996 by:
Mark R. Mine
mine@cs.unc.edu
