1、 CyberspaceInterface DesignEric Van Hensbergen（airwicknick.csh.rit.edu）January 30, 1993Computer Science HouseCPU 86125 Andrews Memorial DriveRochester, New York 14623716-475-3305cshousenick.csh.rit.eduRochester Institute of TechnologyOne Lomb Memorial DriveRochester, NY 14623（716） 475-2400ABSTRACT V
2、irtual Reality as a concept essentially deals with convincing the participant thatshe/he is actually in another place, by replacing the normal sensory input received by the participant with information produced by a computer. Cyberspace, a visualization of the computer environment, is a practical ap
3、plication of Virtual Reality, providing amore natural interface between the user and the computer. Designing virtual worlds is a challenging departure from traditional interfacedesign. This document contains information on the basic concepts behind Cyberspacevisualization and interaction techniques.
4、1. Introduction: Defining Interface & Cyberspace: A new universe, a parallel universe created and sustained by the worlds computers and communication lines. A world in which the global traffic of knowledge, secrets, measurements, indicators, entertainments, and alter-human agency takes on form: sigh
5、ts,sounds, presences never seen on the surface of earth blossoming in a vast electronic night. Cyberspace is a consensual hallucination that these people have created. Its like, with this equipment, you can agree to share the same hallucinations. In effect, theyre creating a world. Its not really a
6、place, its not really space. Its notional space. Cyberspace represents one of the most potent and impressive visualization tools ever created.Now, entire universes, whether they be of our design or others, not only lay at our fingertips, but surround and envelop us as well. It represents the next ge
7、neration in the evolution of the human-computer interface medium. Virtual reality allows a more naturalized interface with the computer, that goes far beyond the Graphics User Interface （GUI）, point & click window environments that are so popular now. With virtual reality, the user is surrounded by
8、his environment, and an interface can be established not through the conventional keyboard or mouse, but through more complex tracking systems that keep record of hand and head orientation. The concept of the Virtual Reality terminal was introduced by Gibson, along with his concept of Cyberspace. Th
9、e progression of distributed system access has progressed from the text terminal to the X window workstation, and Virtual Reality is the next step in interactive access to multi-user computer systems. As the evolution from the text terminal to the X workstation brought about advancement in both visu
10、alization and problem solving, the giant leap into Cyberspace will radically transform the way we interact with computers. The transformation of data into geometric representations will allow us to view complex systems as simplified shapes from afar, or as a complex matrix of networked modules from
11、an interior view. The possibilities that cyberspace represents cannot even begin to reveal themselves until the first prototype systems have been implemented. It is such an new concept, one which represents a whole new medium of existence, that we have no frame of reference to make predictions on it
12、s usefulness. An interface is a surface forming a boundary between two regions. Virtual Reality allows the user to break through the interface barrier to interact directly with various information forms in an inclusive environment.2. Design Considerations Since virtual reality transcends the two dim
13、ensional existence we have been forced into through the use of convensional computer monitors, it also makes most traditional theories of interface design obsolete. Operating within an inclusive three dimensional environment requires special physical and psychological considerations. An important de
14、sign consideration stemming from inclusion is that while we interact within a virtual world, we are simutaneously inhabiting the physical world. People are functionally attuned to the earths gravity and to vertical position. Perceptual conflicts between the virtual and physical worlds cause physical
15、 discomfort and feelings of disorientation that can last well beyond the period of inclusion. In order to overcome these natural conflicts it becomes necessary to introduce several types of reference points. The most common so far is the extended ground plane which forms an artificial horizon to be
16、used in order to gain personal orientation. However, this causes conflicts with information from the inner ear. Another personal point of refrence would be virtual body parts （ie. the virtual hand）. Self representations have proven to be one of the most engaging parts of the primative virtual realit
17、ies that exist today. The virtual hand provides a focus point, removing senses of vertigo and disorientation. System performance plays a part in design considerations. A slow system or network can cause dizziness; the lag is especially noticeable when tracking systems are part of the environment. Fo
18、r example,a lag between when you turn your head and when the screen updates is quite disturbing. Another possibility which is introduced with Cyberspace is sensory overload. Individual learning and preformance styles differ greatly, and without proper calibration an immersive experience can be confu
19、sing and even disturbing. According to Bricken, there are four general categories of VR behavior that have to be considered when designing the interface: Relocation - simple movement Manipulation - modification of environment Construction - creation of environment Navigation - long range location an
20、d movement In order to be immersive there can be no menu bar, no list of icons. Without the keyboard there is no hot-keys. All traditional methods of interface are not possible inside the virutal world. New methods of interaction for the above four catagories must be designed - that is the challenge
21、 of cyberspace interface design.3. Process Visualization3.1. Surface Activation Most current views of Cyberspace seem to point towards a polygon-based environment. Therefore,in order to keep the experience immersive, no menus can magically pop-up. Instead, the polygons themselves must be used as an
22、interface method. Since a single shape may have more than one function, it is therefore logical to assign function activation to the surfaces of the object. Each surface then, has to check for collision, and then decide how to react as another object approaches it. This could mean that while youre e
23、valuating a certain button, it would also be evaluating you. To make the interface more friendly, surfaces could announce （through text messages or perhaps digitized sound） what their function is. It also follows, that the surface would highlight itself in order to indicate to the user that it is ab
24、out to be activated, or has been activated. For example, picture a text editor as a box. To edit the file within it you would approach the top, to check the spelling you would approach another side, to delete it- yet another side. This may seem a bit cryptic, but with appropriate labeling （either gr
25、aphic, sound, or text） it would be far easier than current interface methods. Surfaces could have a variety of functions - from sending a file or activating a process, to teleporting the user to another network. Certain surfaces would have to be solid, or without any type of functionality,in order t
26、o allow object manipulation. A primary factor in how an object physically appeared would then be based upon the functionality of its surfaces - this could be important as a distinguishing factor between objects.3.2. Connections & Ports The computer world is moving more towards network environments,
27、not just externally, but internally.Internal network connections （ie. a network of processes on a computer connected by intracomputer pipes & sockets） are an integral part of many unix-based workstation environments. Virtual reality is perfect for design, representation, and interaction with these i
28、nternal connections. Consider another function for the surface of a polygon. Instead of reacting to a users approach,what if you could hook a network pipe up to a port on the surface. Then, a stream of data, from some other object, could be transmitted to the object through the pipe and socket. The
29、connecting pipes could be attatched and detatched to different objects at the whim of the user. With a little thought, design, and programming, a neural-net could be created within the virtual environment with each neuron being an object, and each neural-connection being a pipe.3.3. Autonomous Entit
30、ies Another aspect of a virtual environment and its interface would be virtual entities, and our interactions with them. Certain system utilties （daemons） will no doubt take form within the electronic void of Cyberspace. These daemons will have special interface requirements, seeming more like conve
31、rsations than commands. Their full knowledge of both the system and virtual environments make them quite a complex interface puzzle.4. Data Representation Where interacting with static data is easier than active processes, static data requires a more acurate representation of the actual content. Whe
32、ther index design will mimic reality, or use the advantages of VR to evolve is yet to be seen. Designs for VR card-catalogs are being designed at the same time as complex multi-dimensional hyperstacks. How to catalog information for easy retrieval has always been an interface problem. Using virtual file cabinets or spiral staircases that extend into infinity does not seem very innovative.
