A hybrid 2D/3D user interface for immersive object modeling

Virtual environments and other applications of computer-generated scenes are emerging. This increases the demand for tools for efficient creation of the virtual worlds and interaction with the components in the virtual world. Introduction of immersiveness in the modeling process seems promising, but a number of issues related to immersive modeling still have to be investigated. The authors present a framework for an immersive modeling system with a hybrid 2D/3D user interface. The designer is immersed in the design space, which improves his awareness of the design objects under consideration. 2D and 3D human-computer interaction techniques are combined in the user interface to improve the efficiency of the modeler. While 3D interaction is natural for a number of design tasks, 2D interaction is particularly helpful for interaction with menus and dialog boxes, for precise manipulations and for editing operations that are subject to constraints.