Head-Tracked Stereo Viewing with Two-Handed 3D Interactionfor Animated Character Construction

In this paper, we demonstrate how a new interactive 3D desktop metaphor based on two-handed 3D direct manipulation registered with head-tracked stereo viewing can be applied to the task of constructing animated characters. In our configuration, a six degree-of-freedom head-tracker and CrystalEyes shutter glasses are used to produce stereo images that dynamically follow the user head motion. 3D virtual objects can be made to appear at a fixed location in physical space which the user may view from different angles by moving his head. To construct 3D animated characters, the user interacts with the simulated environment using both hands simultaneously: the left hand, controlling a Spaceball, is used for 3D navigation and object movement, while the right hand, holding a 3D mouse, is used to manipulate through a virtual tool metaphor the objects appearing in front of the screen. In this way, both incremental and absolute interactive input techniques are provided by the system. Hand-eye coordination is made possible by registering virtual space exactly to physical space, allowing a variety of complex 3D tasks necessary for constructing 3D animated characters to be performed more easily and more rapidly than is possible using traditional interactive techniques. The system has been tested using both Polhemus Fastrak and Logitech ultrasonic input devices for tracking the head and 3D mouse.