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3D User Interfaces for General-Purpose 3D Animation

Jean-Francis Balaguer and Enrico Gobbetti

August 1996

Abstract

Modern 3D animation systems let a growing number of people generate increasingly sophisticated animated movies, frequently for tutorials or multimedia documents. However, although these tasks are inherently three dimensional, these systems' user interfaces are still predominantly two dimensional. This makes it difficult to interactively input complex animated 3D movements. We have developed Virtual Studio, an inexpensive and easy-to-use 3D animation environment in which animators can perform all interaction directly in three dimensions. Animators can use 3D devices to specify complex 3D motions. Virtual tools are visible mediators that provide interaction metaphors to control application objects. An underlying constraint solver lets animators tightly couple application and interface objects. Users define animation by recording the effect of their manipulations on models. Virtual Studio applies data-reduction techniques to generate editable representations of each animated element that is manipulated.

Reference and download information

Jean-Francis Balaguer and Enrico Gobbetti. 3D User Interfaces for General-Purpose 3D Animation. Computer, 29(8): 71-78, August 1996.

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Bibtex citation record

@Article{Balaguer:1996:UIG,
    author = {Jean-Francis Balaguer and Enrico Gobbetti},
    affiliation = {CERN, Geneva, Switzerland},
    title = {{3D} User Interfaces for General-Purpose {3D} Animation},
    journal = {Computer},
    volume = {29},
    number = {8},
    pages = {71--78},
    publisher = {IEEE Computer Society Press},
    month = {August},
    year = {1996},
    keywords = {Animation; Computer graphics equipment; Computer simulation; Computer workstations; Data reduction; Direct manipulation; General purpose animation systems; Graphical user interfaces; Graphics architecture; Human computer interaction; Interactive computer graphics; Interactive devices; Interprocess communication; Motion pictures; Special effects; Synthetic worlds; Three dimensional animation; Three dimensional computer graphics; Three dimensional interaction techniques; Two dimensional; User interfaces; Virtual reality; Virtual Studio; Virtual tools},
    issn = {0018-9162},
    abstract = {Modern {3D} animation systems let a growing number of people generate increasingly sophisticated animated movies, frequently for tutorials or multimedia documents. However, although these tasks are inherently three dimensional, these systems' user interfaces are still predominantly two dimensional. This makes it difficult to interactively input complex animated {3D} movements. We have developed Virtual Studio, an inexpensive and easy-to-use {3D} animation environment in which animators can perform all interaction directly in three dimensions. Animators can use {3D} devices to specify complex {3D} motions. Virtual tools are visible mediators that provide interaction metaphors to control application objects. An underlying constraint solver lets animators tightly couple application and interface objects. Users define animation by recording the effect of their manipulations on models. Virtual Studio applies data-reduction techniques to generate editable representations of each animated element that is manipulated.},
    url = {http://vic.crs4.it/vic/cgi-bin/bib-page.cgi?id='Balaguer:1996:UIG'},
}