A two-handed, stereoscopic computer system for geometric modelling

Precisely controlling the shape of a flexible object during animation is a time-consuming job for the computer animator and there does not yet exist a method which is universally applicable. The paper describes a system which models the objects interactively using a "point and click" paradigm, which is analogous to manipulating a clay object by hand, rather than the conventional "pick and drag" approach. Thus, the modelling process can be regarded as "virtual sculpting" The two-handed operation of the system takes place in a stereoscopic environment. To support the process, an extension to NURBS, called CISSes, was developed and the mathematical background to this is described Tests of a prototype system were undertaken with a range of users, as a result of which further mathematical extensions were necessary. The resulting system is described.