Summary:
Lapides et al. designed and built a Tablet PC stand that can move vertically, allowing for a 3D drawing platform that switches the screen's view as the table is moved. The authors state that using the 3D Tractus will allow for a "direct mapping between physical and virtual spaces."
The frame of the 3D Tractus consists of aluminum bars and a table top, along with a counterweight that will balance the weight of the tablet and allow for the table top to slide up and down easier. The counterweight has to be tuned for each tablet's weight. A height sensor is built into the frame.
The drawing software for the system takes into account the height of the table when displaying a viewing angle to the user. The system uses line width as a depth cue, with farther lines thin and closer lines thick. An orthographic (cube) projection is used to demonstrate 3D depth, as well. Also, nothing of the sketch is displayed above the current tablet surface.
Discussion:
Although the idea of having a tactile way to sketch in 3D sounds appealing, the system could be implemented much better without a tactile, movable desk. Instead, having a z-axis button/wheel/control in the software will alleviate the issues with custom counterweights, a height constraint, awkward hand/arm positioning, and lack of mobility.
Also, the system is rather constrained with any large sketches since the user can move in the tablet's plane in infinite direction, but the vertical plane is limited to something like 40 centimeters.
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1 comment:
The 3D sketching idea is indeed appealing, and the authors had a worthy attempt. I think their implementation is too limiting though to achieve the task entirely. It's a nice concept, but in the end, I feel that some working ideas in their system should be incorporated in a new direction.
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