An introduction to 3-D user interface design

Three-dimensional user interface design is a critical component of any virt ual environment (VE) application. In this paper, we present a broad overvie w of 3-D interaction and user interfaces. We discuss the effect of common V E hardware devices on user interaction, as well as interaction techniques f or generic 3-D tasks and the use of traditional 2-D interaction styles in 3 -D environments. We divide most user-interaction tasks into three categorie s: navigation, selection/manipulation, and system control. Throughout the p aper, our focus is on presenting not only the available techniques but also practical guidelines for 3-D interaction design and widely held myths. Fin ally, we briefly discuss two approaches to 3-D interaction design and some example applications with complex 3-D interaction requirements. We also pre sent an annotated online bibliography as a reference companion to this arti cle.