Hybrid interfaces in VEs: intent and interaction

Hybrid user interfaces (UIs) integrate well-known 2D user interface elements into the 3D virtual environment, and provide a familiar and portable interface across a variety of VR systems. However, their usability is often reduced by accuracy and speed, caused by inaccuracies in tracking and a lack of constraints and feedback. To ease these difficulties often large widgets and bulky interface elements must be used, which, at the same time, limit the size of the 3D workspace and restrict the space where other supplemental 2D information can be displayed. In this paper, we present two developments addressing this problem: supportive user interaction and a new implementation of a hybrid interface. First, we describe a small set of tightly integrated 2D windows we developed with the goal of providing increased flexibility in the UI and reducing UI clutter. Next we present extensions to our supportive selection technique, IntenSelect. To better cope with a variety of VR and UI tasks, we extended the selection assistance technique to include direct selection, spring-based manipulation, and specialized snapping behavior. Finally, we relate how the effective integration of these two developments eases some of the UI restrictions and produces a more comfortable VR experience.