🏆 2011 Summer/Fall URP (Excellence Award)

Touchable3D

Joon Hyub Lee

Glassless 3D display + context-synchronized pen-based interaction system for intuitive 3D sketching and modeling

Product design trend of today prefers organic forms over simple geometric forms. However, it is very difficult to fully grasp the shape of free curves and free surfaces while using a conventional flat monitor, a mouse and a keyboard, and is even more difficult to manipulate these curves and surfaces using these devices. In addition, conventional graphic modeling systems render these tasks very labor heavy. Such labor heavy tasks cannot be afforded during initial stages of product development where there need to be plenty of rapid concept generation and casual experiments.

Touchable3D is a system with which the designer views the real 3D form placed in the physical workspace, and uses appropriate 3D tools in the physical workspace to generate and manipulate the 3D forms. Specifically, the system features a 3D display without the need of special glasses, a pen type interaction medium operating in 3D space, and synchronization between the 3D display and the interaction medium, for maximum level of concentration, precision and comfort. In addition, the system is small and affordable enough to be used in real design studios. Touchable3D can increase productivity and creativity during initial stages of product development as it is more intuitive and has a higher degree of freedom.