3D User Interfaces
One of the primary research themes in the IS&UE lab is developing and evaluating 3D user interfaces for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. In particular, we are focused on exploring how to bring 3D user interface techniques and concepts into mainstream video games by leveraging the existing body of work in 3DUI and VR and devising new strategies and methodologies for bringing spatial 3D interaction to gamers. Additionally, we are interested in the continued learning and understanding of how humans interact with and are affected by 3D interfaces.
Projects
Spatial 3D Interaction in Video Games
With the release of a variety of new motion controllers for both PC and console gaming, 3D user interfaces are becoming commonplace in modern games. The focus of this work is to explore how to best utilize 3D spatial interaction in the video game domain by examining existing interaction techniques and creating novel ones as well as understanding how these interfaces affect users.
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One Man Band
In recent years the popularity of music and rhythm-based games has experienced tremendous growth. However, almost all of these games require custom hardware to be used as input devices, and these devices control only one or two similar instruments. One Man Band a prototype video game for musical expression uses novel 3D spatial interaction techniques using accelerometer-based motion controllers. One Man Band provides users with 3D gestural interfaces to control both the timing and sound of the music played, with both single and collaborative player modes. One Man Band further investigates the ability to detect different musical gestures without explicit selection of mode, giving the user the ability to seamlessly transition between instrument types with a single input device.
Publications
- Bott, J., Crowley, J., and LaViola J. "Exploring 3D Gestural Interfaces for Music Creation in Video Games", Proceedings of The Fourth International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games 2009, 18-25, April 2009.
- Bott, J., Crowley, J., and LaViola J. "One Man Band: A 3D Gestural Interface for Collaborative Music Creation", Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality 2009, 273-274, March 2009.
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3D Menu Navigation
With the rise in popularity of 3D spatial interaction in console gaming, such as the Nintendo Wii, it is important to determine whether existing menuing technique findings still hold true when using a 3D pointing device such as the Wii Controller. This project compares linear menus with two other menu techniques: radial menus and rotary menus. We measure effectiveness through task completion time and the number of task errors. User study results indicate that radial menus are an effective menu technique when used with a 3D pointing device.
Publications
- Chertoff, D., Byers, R., and LaViola J. "An Exploration of Menu Techniques using a 3D Game Input Device", Proceedings of The Fourth International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games 2009, 256-263, April 2009.
- Chertoff, D., Byers, R., and LaViola J. "Evaluation of Menu Techniques Using a 3D Game Input Device", Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces 2009, 139-140, March 2009.
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RealDance
RealDance is a prototype video game for exploring spatial 3D interaction for dance-based gaming and instruction. Our interface uses four Nintendo Wii remotes and is independent of buttons, floor position, cameras, or sensor bars so the user is untethered, allowing for natural, full-body motion. Our range of detectable movements includes stationary poses, punches, kicks, claps and stomps, which are scored in the context of the dance routine.
Publications
- Charbonneau, E., Miller, A., Wingrave, C., And LaViola J. "Understanding Visual Interfaces for the Next Generation of Dance-Based Rhythm Video Games", Proceedings of Sandbox 2009: The Fourth ACM SIGGRAPH Conference on Video Games, 119-126. August 2009.
- Charbonneau, E., Miller, A., Wingrave, C., and LaViola J. "RealDance: An Exploration of 3D Spatial Interfaces for Dancing Games", Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces 2009, 141-142, March 2009.
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Bespoke Framework
The Bespoke 3DUI XNA Framework is an open-source software platform for research in 3D user interaction. The Bespoke 3DUI XNA Framework distinguishes itself from other platforms, in that it provides 3D user interface machinery in a game development framework. This combination leverages lowcost, widely available game technologies, enabling researchers to investigate 3DUI techniques, and providing game developers a foundation for prototyping 3DUIs in commercial video games.
Publications
- Varcholik, P., LaViola J., and Hughes, C. "The Bespoke 3DUI XNA Framework: A Low-Cost Platform for Prototyping 3D Spatial Interfaces in Video Games", Proceedings of Sandbox 2009: The Fourth ACM SIGGRAPH Conference on Video Games, 55-62. August 2009.
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Studying Non-Isomorphic 3D Rotation in Immersive VEs
Non-isomorphic rotational mappings have been shown to be an effective technique for rotation of virtual objects in 3D desktop environments. However, it is unclear how non-isomorphic 3D rotation techniques transition into immersive virtual environments. This project aims to determine how various components, such as head tracking and stereo, affect user performance when rotating virtual 3D objects.
This work was performed in collaboration with Brown University.
Publications
- LaViola, J., Forsberg, A., Huffman, J., and Bragdon, A. "The Influence of Head Tracking and Stereo on User Performance with Non-Isomorphic 3D Rotation", In the Proceedings of the 14th Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments, 111-118, May 2008.
- LaViola, J., Forsberg, A., Huffman, J., and Bragdon, A. "Effects of Stereo and Head Tracking on Non-Isomorphic 3D Rotation", In the Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces 2008, 155-156, March 2008.
- LaViola, J. and Katzourin, M. "An Exploration of Non-Isomorphic 3D Rotation in Surround Screen Virtual Environments", In the Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces 2007, 49-54, March 2007.
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Sultans of Scratch Peripheral
The Turn Table peripheral was designed for the FIEA PC video game Sultans of Scratch.
In the game the player must emulate scratching a left and right disc, in addition to slamming a slider knob, in order to match on screen queues to earn points in a tag team style match between other players. The peripheral is composed of an Arduino microprocessor board that relays information about disc rotation and slider location to the video game. Disc rotation is capture with two optical mice that provide counter and counter-clockwise change in rotation values. This paired with a potentiometer's voltage output for the slider's location, enables the game to make the player feel like an actual DJ.
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3D File Browsing Techniques
To explore the 3D file browsing technique design space, we analyzed the existing literature and developed three representative 3D file browsing techniques that cover many of their characteristics. Block3D uses a priority weighting scheme to elevate and display files in a grid-based structure. Cluster3D uses sets of animated racks to display files. LTreeCube3D visualizes files and directories using groups of semi-transparent cubes within a larger cube-like structure. An experiment was conducted exploring the effect these 3D file browsing technique have on users in a manual file searching task. The results indicate that users completed the manual file search task significantly faster using Block3D than both LTreeCube3D and Cluster3D. Although subjective ranking showed users preferred the Block3D technique, user feedback also showed merits of the other techniques.
Publications
- Leal, A., Wingrave, C., and LaViola, J. "Initial Explorations into the User Experience of 3D File Browsing", Proceedings of HCI 2009, 339-344, September 2009.