Precise 3D manipulation in virtual reality (VR) is essential for effectively aligning virtual objects. However, state-of-the-art VR manipulation techniques have limitations when high levels of precision are required, including the unnaturalness caused by scaled rotations and the increase in time due to degree-of-freedom (DoF) separation in complex tasks. We designed two novel techniques to address these issues: AMP-IT, which offers direct manipulation with an adaptive scaled mapping for implicit DoF separation, and WISDOM, which offers a combination of Simple Virtual Hand and scaled indirect manipulation with explicit DoF separation. We compared these two techniques against baseline and state-of-the-art manipulation techniques in a controlled experiment. Results indicate that WISDOM and AMP-IT have significant advantages over best-practice techniques regarding task performance, usability, and user preference.
Proceedings Articles
AMP-IT and WISDOM: Improving 3D Manipulation for High-Precision Tasks in Virtual Reality Proceedings Article
In: 2023 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), pp. 303-311, 2023.
We expanded on this research and conducted a study comparing AMP-IT and WISDOM during alignment of objects with complex geometry to evaluate the potential influence of geometric complexity on the performance, usability, workload and preference. Our findings indicate that participants had faster completion times and higher trial completion rates with AMP-IT on high-precision alignment tasks, contrary to earlier findings that used simple objects. Yet WISDOM is still preferred and considered more usable, despite increased workload and poorer performance, exposing participants’ willingness to trade objective performance for comfort during use.
Participant’s view during the alignment task. The manipulation object is the opaque, white lattice structure. The target is the translucent, black object. The manipulation object turns green on valid alignment within the target object. (A&B): The AMP-IT interaction technique. (C&D): The WISDOM interaction technique.