3D user interface technique

							3D user interface technique


                 presented by
                    Tan Liang
                 Introduction
User interface(UIs) are becoming more diverse include
  spatial devices.
With new technology new problems have also been
  revealed.
Understanding and action of the physical world can’t be
  represented accurately in a computer simulation.
Simply adapting traditional interface styles to 3D does
  not solve this problem.
Novel 3D UIs,based on real-world interaction must be
  developed.
     Functional components
 Control
 Feedback
 Visualization
 Navigation
 Manipulation
 Access
                      Control
Control interprets user inputs as meaningful actions in
  an application.
Control addresses one direction of the interaction
  dialogue that occurs between the user and the
  application.

   Input devices
   Input interpretation
   Control basics
   Coordinate mapping
   Mixed usage
             Input devices
Input devices are the physical tools used to
  implement various interaction techniques.
Input devices can be roughly categorized based
  on the types of event they generate.
Discrete input device:pinch gloves
Continuous input devices:positioning/orientation
  tracks and datagloves
Hybrid input device
Speech input
        Input interpretation
Input interpretation involves asking the right
  questions for a giving control situation,and
  answering those questions such that raw
  inputs are translated into directed and
  quantifiable control results.
Often,for a giving situation there can be many
  equally valid answers.The answers determine
  the personality of the control.
Input device can also be used for non-spatial
  control.
             Control basics
Control primitives:The most primitive level of
 control interpretation involves the translation
 of a raw mouse input into something more
 useful for the application. As with most control
 techniques, interpretations can be used alone
 or in combination.
 Mouse gestures:A gesture involves
 interpreting the mouse position and mouse
 button state together over time,with the button
 state or a modifier key indicating the start and
 end of the gesture.
                Control primitives
   Absolute origin:The control origin is predefined in the mouse
    space at same location obvious to the user. The advantage is
    that the reference point is always in the same place for the
    user.Disadvantages are that the display screen defines the
    bounds on the output value.
   Relative origin:The relative origin is established on the fly.The
    advantages are that the user can choose any starting point.
    Disadvantages are that a given output value can be attained
    only by starting from the origin and moving the mouse until the
    desired value is reached.
   Direct Action:
   Rate Action
               Mouse gestures
   Clicks:Occurs a single position
   Planar:Interprets a drag as a 2D position or two 1D
    positions.Called “stroke” if time is a factory, called
    “drag-and-drop” if object drag and over-detection are
    involved.
   Linear:Detects the length and direction of a straight-
    line drag.Called a “flick” if time is a factor.
   Circular:Detects the angular position and radial
    distance of a control drag.
         Coordinate mapping
Coordinate mapping is a form of control interpretation
  that answers two questions at the heart of 3D object
  control:Which dimension of the input value is
  connected or mapped to which dimension of the
  target value? And, where does the information for
  controlling the target object’s extra dimension come
  from?
The simplest form of coordinate mapping is direct
  mapping. It connects a given input-value dimension
  to one or more output-value dimensions without any
  fancy mathematics.
            Mixed usage

It is common for different control
   interpretations,coordinate mappings,and
   personae to be used in combination.
   Combinations are usually specific to a
   given application or task and may only
   be intuitive in that limited context.
                Feedback
Feedback tells the user what the system is
  doing and provides the user with information
  about the data objects in the application.
Feedback is one of two interactive dialogues
  between the application and the user.

 Feedback roles
 Basic elements
 Visual attributes
            Feedback roles
Feedback can be divided into two broad
  categories:information and control.
Information feedback is passive in nature. It
  provides the user with information such as
  how to use the application,a control.
Control feedback plays a more active role. It
  provides the user with the means to
  manipulate the data in an application,or to
  modify the configuration of the application
  itself.
        Information feedback
Information feedback:Passive in nature;Indirectly
   assists in using the application and data
User instruction:instructions on how to use the
   application and controls;Example:User manuals,help
   systems,tutorials,wizards
Data description:Information about data objects;
   Example:Product information,part number,size,cost
Object relations:Relationship of objects and
   surroundings;Example:Rulers,dimensioning,bounding
   boxes,connection points,alignment marks
            Control feedback
Control feedback:Active in nature;Directly aids in
   controlling the application and data
Control widgets:Visible manifestations of controls;
   Example: Color schemes,menus,buttons,knobs,and
   drag handles
Action hints:Hints about how to use a control and what
   they do; Example:Tooltips,arrows,symbology, and
   animation
Interaction state:Status and usability of an object or
   control; Example:Mouse-over,selection highlighting,
   disabled lowlighting, and sound effects
                 Basic elements
  Identifiers:
Identify and decorate controls;proxies for data objects
Labels and icons;static appearance;integral part of the control or
   proxy
 Callouts:
Like a label or icon but detached from its host;can decorate data
   objects
Dynamic placement;can live in display space
 Tooltips :
Like a callout
Dynamic visibility;controlled manually or by interaction state
 Indicators:
Like a callout;shaped graphics for action hints and drag handles
Dynamic appearance;controlled by interaction state
                Basic elements
   Handles:
Idiom for control and selection;widget for direct manipulation
Dynamic appearance;controlled by interaction state
 Cursor:
Small indicator;tracks the mouse position on the display screen
Dynamic shape,automatic placement,useful in many feedback
    roles,overused
 Audio:
Does not compete with visual feedback;amenable to long
    messages
Not reliable-sound can be turned off or too low
 Sound Effects:
Audio that is brief and idiomatic
Action confirmation,differentiation,and quantification
              Visualization
Visualization is the process by which an
  application presents its data to the user.

 Data   visualization

 Display   space techniques
          Data visualization
Data visualization can be described in terms of
  concrete versus abstract data modeling and
  presentation,with concrete data presentation
  being a faithful rendering of a real object,and
  abstract presentation making the invisible
  visible.
Data visualization is a subject area that is alive
  and well and has been thriving for centuries.
Visual data occupy a wide rang,from
  photorealism to iconic and texture.
    Display space techniques
 Display layout:
The display layout space can be treated as being
  absolute or relative.In an absolute space,its scale is
  independent of the display window size.In a relative
  layout space,the scale of the space,the display scale
  factor(DSF),is proportional to the display window size.
What is often needed is a combination of the two,with
  objects being sized absolutely but positioned
  relatively,or something even more elaborate,or even
  defining algorithms to lay out groups of objects.
   Overlay,underlay,and overlap
It is sometimes advantageous for objects to always
    appear in front of other objects.The way to make it
    happen is to place it in the display space where it will
    appear in front of everything else in the world space.
    This is referred to as placing the objects into overlay.
When there are other feedback elements in overlay,a
    general approach is to allow the objects in display
    space to overlap one other.
Underlay is similar in concept to overlay,only in reverse.
    The object always appears behind its worldly
    neighbors.
                  Navigation
Navigation enables the user to move about the
   application’s 3D world.
Navigation tasks can be classified into three categories:
Exploration is navigation with no explicit target-the
   simple investigation of the environment.
Search tasks involve moving to a particular target
   location.
Maneuvering tasks are characterized by short-
   range,high-precision movement .
Navigation is subdivided into
the motor component:travel
the cognitive component:wayfinding.
                          Travel
Travel is a conceptually simple task-the movement of the viewpoint
   from one location to another.
Five common metaphors for travel interaction techniques:
 Physical movement:using the motion of user’s body to travel
   through the environment
 Manual viewpoint manipulation:the user’s hand motions are
   used to effect travel.efficient and easy to learn,cause fatigue
 Steering:continuous specification of the direction of
   motion.general and efficient
 Target-based travel:the user specifies the destination,and the
   system handles the actual movement.simple from the user’s
   point of view
 Route planning: the user specifies the path that should be taken
   through the environment,and system handle the actual
   movement
             Wayfinding

Wayfinding,the counterpart of travel,can
 be described as the cognitive process of
 defining a path through an environment.
Wayfinding support can be subdivided
 into user-centered and environment-
 centered support.
              Manipulation
Manipulation is how users interact with the data
  in the application scene.It permits the user to
  change the data content of that world.
Manipulation requires the close cooperation of
  control,feedback,and visualization.
 Control personae
 Feedback elements
 Configuration
          Control personae
The relation of the entity to the user,which
  names the persona of the manipulation
  control,can be described in terms of
  participants in everyday speech:first
  person,second person,and third person.
The elements in the control chain that are
  pertinent to defining control personae are the
  user,the control,and the target of the control
  chain.
                   First person
First person is one where the user directly manipulates
   his view of the world.The view is a proxy for the user-
   his virtual presence in the 3D world.This form is
   popular in action games and VRML players.

   Pros:Manipulation occurs in the same frame of
    reference that the user sees in the view.Intuitive form
    of navigation that is similar to walking through the
    world.

   Cons:Can be unintuitive in situations where the view
    is not represented as a vehicle.The target-the view-
    cannot be seen in the context of its surroundings.
            Second person
With the second person the user is allowed to
  drag and manipulation objects directly in the
  scene.
 Pros:Direct WYSIWYG manipulation of
  objects.Intuitive form of manipulation that is
  similar to reaching out and moving an object
  in the world.Can see the target in context of
  its surroundings.
 Cons:Difficult to directly manipulation objects
  in 3D using a 2D mouse and display.
              Third person
In third person the users manipulate a virtual
  control such as in a control panel.In response
  the target object in the scene moves,
  stretches,moves color,blows up,and so forth.
  This form is popular in strategic games.
 Pros:Controls are obvious-sliders,knobs, and
  buttons-and are always available. Familiar
  form of control-HUD or dashboard control
  panel.
 Cons:Difficult to convey to the user what
  target object a control manipulates and how.
             Configuration

Configuration constrains the user to an allowed
  set of operations that can be performed on a
  set of data objects or within a given data
  objects,as a form of specification,according to
  the current situation.
The situation can be defined completely within
  the application,or by external circumstances.
                Access
Access allows the user to get the data
 into and out of the world.

Data access can be described as allowing
 out-of-scene versus in-scene access to
 the application’s data.
        In-scene grouping


Data grouping used for in-scene data
 selection is a diffuse relationship among
 objects that can have physical as well
 as logical implications.
         Physical vs. logical
Physical grouping involves the spatial or
  geometric relationship among the target
  objects.
Logical grouping defines an abstract
  relationship for a set of target objects, with
  nothing implied about the set’s geometry.
Physical and logical grouping can also be
  combined.
       Grouping operations
A grouping operation involves selecting the
  objects and designating them as a
  group,which for a logical group might also
  involve the user specifying a label for it.
The most common form of grouping operation is
  target multi-selection.
The objects in a group are often neighbors.In
  this case a lasso can be used to perform
  multi-selection.
Nesting:Making a group out of other groups, or
  a mix of objects and groups.
      Ungrouping operations
Ungrouping, the reverse of grouping, involves
   selecting one or more groups and
   commanding the selection to ungrouping.
If nesting of groups is allowed, there is the
   question of what happens when they are
   ungrouped.
One possibility is to undo the top most level of
   grouping;another possibility is to undo all
   levels of grouping.
       Out-of-scene access
Out-of-scene access comes in 3D,2D,and non-
 spatial varieties such as trees and lists,with
 data palettes allowing iconic drag-and-drop
 access to application data.
Out-of-scene access to data can be important
 for helping the user to manage in-scene data.
Out-of-scene data tree and graph presentations
 are excellent ways to create and maintain
 logical groups,such as for layout templates
 and complex object assemblies.
          Data presentation
Data visualization applies to both in-scene and
  out-of-scene data.
In-scene presentation takes advantage of 3D’s
  ability to show data in a more natural and
  realistic setting for concrete data,and a higher
  dimensional setting for abstract data.
Out-of-scene presentations are more geared to
  data selection and configuration.
 Mission
Accomplished