Nonlinear interactive motion control techniques for virtual space navigation

Nonlinear motion control techniques that allow fast and intuitive control of the viewpoint as well as the hand position within a virtual workspace are presented. They allow users to quickly move in and out of the simulation box, and, at the same time, interact with the simulation using the hand device, no matter where the viewpoint is located. The principle is to divide the working range of a physical input device into several parts and use different mapping functions to map the parameters of the device into virtual space. Providing a consistent cognitive model and maintaining smooth transitions between subspaces are the basic requirements for this type of technique. The authors´ proposed techniques are natural to users working with 3D input and output devices. They do not add additional time lags to many virtual reality applications that are already tied by system response time. The application of these nonlinear motion control techniques in the Cosmic Explorer, a virtual reality visualization system in cosmology, shows that users adapt to these techniques instantly and their responses are rather positive