Sketching 3D immersed experiences rapidly by hand through 2D cross sections

Abstract

Sketching 3D immersed experiences often require the designer to use some 3D modelling tool. The tools slow down the designers and can be a hindrance to the creative process. Moreover, the results often have the appearance of finished products. Hand sketching however, allows the designer more rapidly to express ideas that suddenly emerge and quickly disappear. Moreover, sketches drawn by hand have the advantage of looking unfinished. This paper proposes a simple method for making 3D sketches by hand and even on paper. Tool support is provided for transforming the sketches into 3D models that can be viewed using standard viewers that give viewers the immersed experience. The sketches can also be overlaid on existing panoramic images used for backgrounds. Sketches of 3D scenes and models are created by sketching various cross-sections of the scene from various angles. Several cases are used to illustrate how the framework is used. The sketches are viewed using a standard off-the-shelf panorama or point cloud viewers.