Virtual Object Placement Using Bounding Boxes in 3D Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual environment systems struggle to appropriately place movable objects relative to non-movable objects, disrupting user immersion and efficiency in tasks involving portable and fixed items.
Innovation Solution
A virtual environment provision apparatus that includes a storage unit, control unit, sensor unit, and display unit, which utilize bounding boxes to manage the placement of interactive objects relative to target objects, ensuring they do not overlap and are placed correctly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If automatic placement processing is applied to align objects based on pixel distance in screen space, then object placement alignment is improved, but the system cannot distinguish between portable and fixed objects, leading to inappropriate placement in immersive training scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system assigns different properties to different objects: portable objects (tools) are marked with portable_flag=true and fixed objects (table) are marked with portable_flag=false. This local differentiation enables the placement algorithm to treat objects differently based on their specific properties, resolving the contradiction between precise alignment and adaptive handling of different object types
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of treating all objects uniformly and then trying to differentiate, the system inverts the approach by pre-defining object types and their placement rules before the placement operation. The control unit determines the appropriate placement destination based on the portable flag status, placing portable objects on fixed objects at predetermined locations rather than using generic pixel-distance alignment
2Device complexity
If generic object placement algorithms are used, then processing simplicity is maintained, but user immersion is disrupted due to unnatural object placement in training scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-defining the portable flag status for each object and pre-establishing predetermined placement locations for portable objects on fixed objects. This preparation allows the placement processing to be simple during execution, as the control unit only needs to follow pre-established rules rather than calculating complex alignment in real-time, thus maintaining both simplicity and immersion
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service placement where the control unit automatically determines the appropriate placement destination and executes placement based on the portable flag status without requiring complex user input or manual positioning. The system serves itself by automatically managing the placement logic, maintaining simplicity while ensuring realistic training scenarios
3Speed
If objects are placed without considering exclusive bounding boxes, then placement speed is improved, but overlapping objects cause discomfort and break immersion in the virtual environment
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces exclusive bounding boxes as an intermediary mechanism between the placement decision and the actual object placement. Before placing a portable object, the control unit checks whether the placement location is within the exclusive bounding box of an existing object. This intermediary check prevents overlapping without requiring complex real-time calculations, maintaining both speed and spatial accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by pre-checking the placement location against exclusive bounding boxes before completing the placement operation. The control unit determines in advance whether the portable object can be placed at the intended location without overlapping existing objects, and only proceeds with placement if the check passes, preventing overlapping before it occurs rather than correcting it afterward
Data Source
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AI summary
An object of the invention is to enable appropriate placement of an object operated by a user in a situation where there are an object moved by the user and an object that does not move in a virtual environment. In a virtual environment provision apparatus that controls placement of a virtual object in a three-dimensional virtual environment, upon detecting that the user performs an operation of releasing an interactive object in a proximity determination bounding box of a target object, the control unit places the interactive object at a storage location of the target object such that an exclusive bounding box of the interactive object and an exclusive bounding box of another object do not overlap each other in the virtual environment.