Multimodal Interaction Metaphors for Manipulation of Distant Objects in Immersive Virtual Environments

Abstract

In this paper we discuss direct interaction metaphors for selection and manipulation of distant objects in immersive virtual environments and we propose extensions of the improved virtual pointer (IVP) metaphor. In particular, we describe how the process of object selection with the IVP metaphor can be enhanced by modifying the distance calculation used to determine the closest object to be selected. Furthermore we introduce direct 6 DOF manipulations of virtual objects using the IVP metaphor. We demonstrate how the task of object selection can be improved by combining existing interaction metaphors with multimodal feedback.