Handymap: A Selection Interface for Cluttered VR Environments Using a Tracked Hand-Held Touch Device

We present Handymap, a novel selection interface for virtual environments with dense datasets. The approach was motivated by shortcomings of standard ray-casting methods in highly cluttered views such as in our visualization application for coalbed methane well logs. Handymap uses a secondary 2D overview of a scene that allows selection of a target when it is occluded in the main view, and that reduces required pointing precision. Reduced sensitivity to pointing precision is especially useful for consumerlevel VR systems due to their modest tracking precision and display sizes. The overview is presented on a tracked touch device (iPod Touch) that is also usable as a general VR wand. Objects are selected by a tap or touch-moverelease action on the touch surface. Optionally, redundant visual feedback and highlighting on the main display can allow a user to keep focus on the main display and may be useful with standard wand interfaces. Initial user feedback suggests Handymap can be a useful selection interface for cluttered environments but may require some learning.