Title: Enhanced 3D object snap for CAD modelling on large stereo displays

Authors: M. Dellisanti, M. Fiorentino, G. Monno, A.E. Uva

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Management Engineering, Polytechnic of Bari, Viale Japigia 182, 70126 Bari, Italy. ' Department of Mechanical and Management Engineering, Polytechnic of Bari, Viale Japigia 182, 70126 Bari, Italy. ' Department of Mechanical and Management Engineering, Polytechnic of Bari, Viale Japigia 182, 70126 Bari, Italy. ' Department of Mechanical and Management Engineering, Polytechnic of Bari, Viale Japigia 182, 70126 Bari, Italy

Abstract: Large stereo displays and 3D input devices have proved significant productivity benefits in CAD, but they have also shown interaction weaknesses. We present a novel approach for pointing CAD entities with a 3D cursor on a wall-like stereoscopic display. We proved that the user error is affected by anisotropy, hence we present an enhanced snap tool called eSnap. This tool uses an elliptic metric for 3D cursor proximity. The provided results demonstrate a significant improvement in user performances and can be used as a guide for the development of user interfaces in emerging 3D displays.

Keywords: LSDs; large stereo displays; 3D input; CAD interaction; HCI; human-computer interaction; CAD modelling; anisotropy; snap tools; user interfaces; 3D displays.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2008.021885

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2008 Vol.33 No.1, pp.54 - 62

Published online: 08 Dec 2008 *

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