3D Interface Obstruction Handling Through Dynamic Entity Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Three-dimensional interfaces face challenges with visibility due to entities at varying depths, leading to potential obstructions as nearby entities can obscure more distant ones, especially with increased depth and entity density.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determine the manipulation distance and entity distance between a user and an entity, evaluating an obstruction relation to execute responses that reduce the visual obstructivity of entities, such as changing opacity, position, or size, if the manipulation distance exceeds the entity distance, considering factors like exception distances and user inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If entities are placed at different depths in a three-dimensional interface to increase information capacity, then the quantity of information displayed is improved, but visibility of distant entities deteriorates due to obstruction by nearby entities
Solution Approach 1:
The interface dynamically adjusts the visual properties of entities based on their depth position and the user's manipulation actions. When a user manipulates an entity, the system dynamically modifies opacity, size, or position of other entities to reduce obstruction, creating a dynamic visual adaptation that resolves the visibility contradiction while maintaining deep information layering
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes visual parameters (opacity, size, position) of entities in response to user interaction. When manipulation distance exceeds entity distance, the system alters parameters of obstructing entities to reduce their visual impact, allowing distant entities to remain visible while maintaining the three-dimensional depth structure for information capacity
2Quantity of substance
If the depth of the interface is increased to accommodate more entities, then the information capacity is improved, but the potential for obstruction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary evaluation mechanism that assesses obstruction relationships between entities. When manipulation distance exceeds entity distance, this intermediary process activates responses (opacity adjustment, position change) that mediate the obstruction harm, allowing deep interface structures to maintain information capacity while reducing visual blocking through computational intervention
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If entities are made more prominent to improve visibility, then visibility is improved, but obstruction of other entities increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different visual properties to different entities based on their local context and depth position. When an entity is manipulated, the system selectively adjusts the visual properties of specific obstructing entities rather than all entities, creating localized quality changes that improve visibility of the manipulated entity while minimizing obstruction of others through selective parameter modification
Data Source
AI summary
A user, a manipulator such as a hand, and at least one entity such as a virtual or augmented reality object are in an interface such as a 3D environmental interface. The manipulation distance is the distance between a reference feature of the user and a manipulation feature of the manipulator. The entity distance is the distance between the reference feature and an entity feature of the entity. When the manipulation distance becomes greater than the entity distance, the entity is caused to fade, disappear, move out of the way, shrink, etc. so as to be less of an obstruction to the user's field of view, for example to avoid obstructing more distant entities. Other factors than the manipulation distance and entity distance may be considered in determining whether to reduce the obstructivity of the entity, and exceptions to the obstruction relation may be considered.