#20: Design and Implementation of Direct Manipulation in 3D

Organizer
Paul S. Strauss (Pixar Animation Studios)

Lecturers
Paul Isaacs (Eyematic Interfaces, Inc.)
John Schrag (Alias|Wavefront)
Paul S. Strauss (Pixar Animation Studios)

Overview
This course on how to incorporate direct manipulation interfaces into their 3D applications covers the basics of manipulator design and implementation, and advanced topics such as robust input processing, modular construction, and constraint handling.

Prerequisites
Module 1: Basic knowledge of user interface design ideas. Familiarity with terms such as "affordances" and "modes." Some high-school mathematics. Module 2: Familiarity with basic scenegraph concepts, coordinate systems and transformations, and fundamentals of programming interactive applications (such as picking, selection, and dragging).

Topics
The primary focus is on manipulators for affine transformations. Other topics include: design issues such as using modes, creating a consistent graphic language, dealing with visibility and collision, and choosing useful interaction behavior. The implementation module covers issues such as the relationship between the manipulator and the model, projecting input events onto geometric shapes, locate highlighting, maintaining geometric integrity, and constraining motion.

Course #20 Notes (PDF, 5.7MB)