Comparison of Mouse, 6DoF Controller and Pen Interactions on a Glasses-Free 3D Display

3D displays are becoming available to mainstream consumers, offering the ability to view and interact with 3D content without wearing AR/VR glasses. This paper reports the findings of a user study that compares the performance of a range of different input devices for 3D creation tasks on a 3D display. The first-time use performance of a mouse, a tracked 6DoF controller, and a pen on a graphics tablet (without display) are evaluated in an office setting for a series of 3D sketching, painting and docking tasks. The main finding is that the three input modalities provide similar levels of precision, but for 3D sketching and docking, the 6DoF controller has significantly shorter execution times, fewer interactions, and is more enjoyable than other devices, at the cost of increased fatigue. For surface painting and regular UI interaction, the mouse is more accurate, without any speed differences. Many participants reported the graphics tablet pen as being confusing or frustrating to use, frequently resulting in longer task times and more errors.