Unlike any other available 3D animation system, with SANDDE, the animator works in the stereoscopic environment itself, and can therefore make changes intuitively and rapidly to the spatial composition of their work in 3D, and in real time. Currently, SANDDE supports a variety of input devices, but lacks support for mechanical kinematic hand controllers. Such controllers provide a pen-like grip and may intrinsically provide a more comfortable and grounded interface for users as compared to ungrounded pointers currently used by SANDDE. Moreover, the controllers used for the drawing process do not implement any kind of feedback, other than visual, while these devices allow the possibility of providing haptic feedback through the use of motorized force control and can be augmented to include vibrotactile feedback capabilities: for instance, the pen-like interface can be embedded with vibrating actuators. Vibrotactile motors can also be embedded in existing SANDDE controllers, generating a low-cost solution for partially enabling haptic feedback in these devices.

The goal of this project is to explore the possibilities given by haptic feedback in the interaction with the SANDDE environment,and in particular to integrate and test commercial haptic devices together with vibrotactile feedback solutions, for drawing and content creation in SANDDE. We believe that the use of these devices will improve the immersive experience for a SANDDE artist, allowing them to experience effects such as friction and texture while interacting with the 3d canvas. This should allow artists to develop particular gestures and stroke styles that would be difficult or impossible to perform otherwise.

Janro Imaging Laboratory (JIL)