4D-interface for project management software

In this project we have developed an interface concept which allows for simple and easy interaction with multidimensional data spaces. It is used to visualize complex systems and can be utilized for many different areas of application, i.e. construction and process planning, power plant engineering or digital factories.

The use case of the project was a construction process management application. 4D Models were built, incorporating time as the 4th dimension, and implemented as interactive virtual reality (VR) environments. That way it is possible to record, save and replay temporal animations in a virtual environment. By using stereoscopic real-time visualizations and a position tracking system that records the user’s movements we were able to optimize interaction techniques and develop specifically designed devices in order to offer intuitive interaction with the data space. This 4D interface can significantly alleviate the understanding of large data structures.

 

Fig.: Navigation through the stages of a building process in the i4Ds VR lab.

Project team

  • Prof. Mario Doulis (Project lead)
  • Prof. Dr. Manfred Breit
  • Prof. Dr. Manfred Vogel
  • Marco Rietmann
  • Jan Pflüger
  • Ruedi Müller

Project funding by Gebert Rüf Stiftung, Project duration 2005–2007.

See Doulis, M., Vogel, M., Pflüger, J., Rietmann, M., Raps, M. (2007), 4DIVE – a 4D Interface fort he Visualization of Construction Processes in a Virtual Environment, CONVR 2007, State College PA, USA. >>