Plane, Ray, and Point: Enabling Precise Spatial Manipulations with Shape Constraints

Modern virtual reality controllers offer direct, quick, and easy manipulation of virtual objects. However, precisely placing objects using direct manipulation is still challenging in 3D environments. This paper presents Plane, Ray, & Point, a set of novel interaction techniques that enable quick object alignment and manipulation in virtual reality. The interaction techniques use hand gestures to create constraints that separate manipulation degrees of freedom. The user can create a Ray by outstretching the index finger or the thumb and use it to limit the rotation or translation of an object to a single axis. By opening both the index finger and the thumb, the user can create a Plane, and use it to limit the object’s movement along the 2D plane. Such gesture-invoked constraints help users quickly align and place virtual objects. We evaluate the applicability and use-cases of our technique in an expert user study; as well as evaluate its learnability in an informal user study with novice users.