Subject: idea

From: earth <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 94 13:15:08 EST

CONCEPT:  instead of using the point/fist/pinch commands for object
rotations in vr386 environments, designate active polygons on the palm and
ventral surfaces of the hand which select the object; keep the "grasp"
effect of the fist.  This way, to select an object, you place your hand
against it and close your fist.  Comments/Suggestions/Executions
appreciated!

-a. carra
PS> are you still out there, Frauke?

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From: Bob Mason <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 14:42:25 -0500

>>>>> "earth" == earth  <[email-masked]> writes:
earth> CONCEPT: instead of using the point/fist/pinch commands for
earth> object rotations in vr386 environments, designate active
earth> polygons on the palm and ventral surfaces of the hand which
earth> select the object; keep the "grasp" effect of the fist.  This
earth> way, to select an object, you place your hand against it and
earth> close your fist.  Comments/Suggestions/Executions appreciated!

The problem I see with such a process, is the unstateable fact that
being in a virtual environment one shouldn't have to touch an object
to perform an function on it.  Living in a virtual space one can break
free of hindering physical barriers.  I as a user want to be able to
point at objects (wherever they are) and have them be selected (a "ray
select" operation).  Then I can operate on them from a distance.

-bob
 [email-masked]

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From: Chris Hand <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 10:42:39 BST

> select" operation).  Then I can operate on them from a distance.

Several VR systems (eg. DIVE) allow this sort of interaction.  It's
often called "action-at-a-distance".  Why not try coding it into REND386?

An obvious problem is going to be glove-jitter -- if you're aiming a
"laser-pointer" at a distant object then a small positional/rotational
error in the glove will translate to a large error when trying to hit
the distant target.  But you could get round this using some sort of
"snap-to-grid" type effect.

Chris

-- 
Chris Hand, Lecturer                      | Dept of Computing Science,
Internet e-mail: [email-masked]            | De Montfort University, The Gateway 
 "In Cyberspace nobody knows you're bald" | LEICESTER, UK   LE1 9BH            
WWW: <A HREF="http://www.cms.dmu.ac.uk:9999/People/cph/cphroot.html">cph</A>