Multi-Finger-Based Arbitrary Region-of-Interest Selection in Virtual Reality

We present a new 3D user interface for selecting an arbitrarily shaped region of interest (ROI) in virtual reality. The interface's primary objective is the selection of a surface geometry's boundaries having various shapes (e.g., arch- or concave-shaped boundaries) for 3D model editing or annotation. Compared with previous convex ROI shape selection, we explore a more challenging arbitrarily shaped selection. We address this issue by generating a flexible selection space based on a user's multiple finger position mapping into the shaped ROI on a 3D surface geometry and providing visual feedback to assist the user in progressively refining the selection shape. We employ a leap motion controller for free-hand finger position input and gesture-based navigation to construct a flexible and natural user interface. To demonstrate the efficiency of our method, we evaluate the system usability by conducting a user study and compare the results with those of the state-of-the-art manual-input ROI selection technique.

Automated summary

This article presents a new 3D user interface for selecting arbitrarily shaped regions of interest in virtual reality. The interface uses a user's finger positions on a 3D surface geometry to create a flexible selection space and provides visual feedback to assist the user in refining the selection shape. The interface employs Leap Motion controller for finger position input and gesture-based navigation, creating a flexible and natural user experience.