Two-handed interaction inspired by tangible interfaces in 3D modelling

In a 3D modelling environment without stereoscopic view, the user is faced with an insufficient spatial awareness of the 3D world. In this paper we present a novel approach, which uses an additional digital representation of the 3D objects in the real world in order to obtain an enhanced spatial awareness. In combination with object manipulation in the real world, this setup enables us to introduce a novel and rather intuitive approach to 3D modelling. In. a comparative case we present different interaction techniques in a simple 3D modelling application. Gradually we move from the familiar one-handed 3D input to two-handed 2D input, using concepts of tangible user interfaces (TUI). As a conclusion to this work, we evaluate the proposed interaction environment in a formal usability experiment.