Interaction with three dimensional objects on diverse input and output devices: A survey

Abstract

With the emerging technologies of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and the increasing performance of mobile and desktop devices the amount of 3D-based applications rapidly increases. This 3D content demands for an efficient and well suited 3D interaction. Currently there are many manipulation techniques for different input and output devices, like mouse, touchscreen, gestures, 2D-based monitors or 3D-based head mounted displays (HMDs), but there is no general overview covering all interaction techniques. This paper delivers an extensive overview of different approaches and classifies these according to input device, functionality (translation, rotation, scaling, with discrete mode or modeless interaction, uni- or bi-manual). If available, evaluation results or comparisons to other techniques are presented. Each technique is then rated under the aspects of speed, beginner-friendliness and mental and physical demand. For desktop environments a mouse interaction combined with a 3D widget works well. A six degree of freedom (DOF) device can be more precise but needs additional learning. Virtual environments benefit from a direct manipulation technique which yields a high immersion. On a touch screen, techniques with a fixed amount as well as methods with a variable amount of interacting fingers can be efficient. The contribution of this poster is an overall guide beyond the above mentioned methods which helps to choose a technique suitable for a specific system.