Derek Hoiem, a doctoral candidate at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, has spent the past year and a half figuring out how to get software to convert flat images into 3-D virtual-reality models that can be manipulated on-screen.
In a video posted on YouTube, he unveiled features including the re-introduced Start Menu, as well as a new search function on the task bar, and apps which can be manipulated on-screen like regular programs.
Of the 20 apps I tested, not even one lets you handle and manipulate on-screen 3-D objects with your fingers — a deck of cards, a knob, a glob of Silly Putty.
We also discuss why we recommend using gestural manipulations that enable users to directly manipulate on-screen objects instead of issuing commands with symbolic gestures whose meaning varies among different users, contexts, and cultures.
They enable computer users to click, drag, drop and otherwise manipulate on-screen imagery and turn those actions into digitally generated performances.
Han has developed software that lets users manipulate on-screen data in three dimensions rather than two, sliding virtual objects under each other by pressing down on them.
Relying on them in the conference room, using a connected "wand" to manipulate on-screen data, can make the user look almost like they're conducting an unseen symphony.
Those who take the test on a computer will see a new breed of questions — free-response questions in which students manipulate on-screen images to form their conclusions.
The more exacting approach to computer-aided design afforded by OpenSCAD means it can be a good choice for projects requiring more mathematical rigor; but some might miss the ability to manipulate on-screen objects by using the mouse, and the overall interface is somewhat less than intuitive.
