PapARt: Interactive 3D graphics and multi-touch augmented paper for artistic creation

Standard physical pen-and-paper creation and computer graphics tools tend to evolve in separate tracks. In this paper, we propose a new interface, PapARt, that bridges the gap between these two worlds. We developed a system that allow users to visualize, manipulate and edit a 3D scene projected onto a paper sheet. Using multitouch and tangible interfaces, users can directly interact with the 3D scene to prepare their drawings. Then, thanks to the projection of the 3D scene directly on the final surface medium, they can draw using standard tools while relying on the underlying 3D scene. Hence, users benefit from both the power of interactive 3D graphics and fast and easy interaction metaphors, while keeping a direct link with the physical material. PapARt has been tested during a large scale exhibition for general public. Such an interface, which combines computer-assisted drawing and free form user expressiveness on a standard sheet of paper, opens new perspectives for enhancing user creation.