Assembling and Rearranging Digital Objects in Physical Space with Tongs, a Gluegun, and a Lightsaber

Abstract

We present an interface for the arrangement of objects in three-dimensional space. Physical motions of the user are mapped to interface commands through tangible props. Tongs move objects freely, a gluegun binds objects together, and a lightsaber breaks these bonds. The experimental interface is implemented on the Responsive Workbench, a semi-immersive 3D computer. We conducted a small user study comparing our approach with the 2D interface of Maya. The results suggest that our system is much faster than Maya for object assembly. Users qualitatively found the system to be far more intuitive than the monitor-based alternative.

Files

Additional details