Comparison of relative (mouse-like) and absolute (tablet-like) interaction with a large stereoscopic work-space

We compare two different modes of interaction with a large stereoscopic display, where the physical pointing device is in a volume distinct from the display volume. In absolute mode, the physical pointer’s position exactly maps to the virtual pointer’s position in the display volume, analogous to a 2D graphics table and 2D screen. In relative mode, the connection between the physical pointer’s motion and the motion of the virtual pointer in the display volume is analogous to that obtained with a 2D mouse and 2D screen. Both statistical analysis and participants’ feedback indicated a strong preference for absolute mode over relative mode. This is in contrast to 2D displays where relative mode (mouse) is far more prevalent than absolute mode (tablet). We also compared head-tracking against no head-tracking. There was no statistically-significant advantage to using head-tracking, however almost all participants strongly favoured head-tracking.