A framework for interactors in immersive virtual environments

Abstract

The promise of immersive virtual environment (VE) applications has been that they can make interaction with computer information and processes easier by providing a medium that more closely matches the user's real environment. Meeting this promise, however; has proven to be difficult, as the interface between the user and the computer is not complete, the metaphors for interacting with information are not always obvious, and the tools for including current interaction techniques are not sufficient to the task. We present SVIFT, the Simple Virtual Interactor Framework and Toolkit, which supports efforts to meet the interaction needs of immersive VE applications. SVIFT allows for the design and implementation of various interaction techniques that can be easily incorporated into many VE applications and combined with other interaction techniques to produce more complex interactions. We also discuss the differences between desktop and immersive environment interaction, and the implications of those differences on the design of an interactor framework.