arXiv subjects

Benjamin Watson

Publications and source records attributed to Benjamin Watson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Light Field Display Point Rendering

Rendering for light field displays (LFDs) requires rendering of dozens or hundreds of views, which must then be combined into a single image on the display, making real-time LFD rendering extremely difficult. We introduce light field display point rendering (LFDPR), which meets these challenges by improving eye-based point rendering [Gavane and Watson 2023] with texture-based splatting, which avoids oversampling of triangles mapped to only a few texels; and with LFD-biased sampling, which adjusts horizontal and vertical triangle sampling to match the sampling of the LFD itself. To improve image quality, we introduce multiview mipmapping, which reduces texture aliasing even though compute shaders do not support hardware mipmapping. We also introduce angular supersampling and reconstruction to combat LFD view aliasing and crosstalk. The resulting LFDPR is 2-8x times faster than multiview rendering, with similar comparable quality.

cs.GR↗

arXiv2025

A virtual airplane for fear of flying therapy

Fear of flying is a serious problem that affects millions of individuals. Exposure therapy for fear of flying is an effective therapy technique. However, exposure therapy is also expensive, logistically difficult to arrange, and presents significant problems of patient confidentiality and potential embarrassment. We have developed a virtual airplane for use in fear of flying therapy. Using the virtual airplane for exposure therapy is a potential solution to many of the current problems of fear of flying exposure therapy. We describe the design of the virtual airplane and present a case report on its use for fear of flying exposure therapy.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2025

Adaptive Frameless Rendering

We propose an adaptive form of frameless rendering with the potential to dramatically increase rendering speed over conventional interactive rendering approaches. Without the rigid sampling patterns of framed renderers, sampling and reconstruction can adapt with very fine granularity to spatio-temporal color change. A sampler uses closed-loop feedback to guide sampling toward edges or motion in the image. Temporally deep buffers store all the samples created over a short time interval for use in reconstruction and as sampler feedback. GPU-based reconstruction responds both to sampling density and space-time color gradients. Where the displayed scene is static, spatial color change dominates and older samples are given significant weight in reconstruction, resulting in sharper and eventually antialiased images. Where the scene is dynamic, more recent samples are emphasized, resulting in less sharp but more up-to-date images. We also use sample reprojection to improve reconstruction and guide sampling toward occlusion edges, undersampled regions, and specular highlights. In simulation our frameless renderer requires an order of magnitude fewer samples than traditional rendering of similar visual quality (as measured by RMS error), while introducing overhead amounting to 15% of computation time.

cs.GR↗

arXiv2025

Effects of variation in system responsiveness on user performance in virtual environments

System responsiveness (SR) is defined as the elapsed time until a system responds to user control. SR fluctuates over time, so it must be described statistically with mean (MSR) and standard deviation (SDSR). In this paper, we examine SR in virtual environments (VEs), outlining its components and methods of experimental measurement and manipulation. Three studies of MSR and SDSR effects on performance of grasp and placement tasks are then presented. The studies used within-subjects designs with 11, 12, and 10 participants, respectively. Results showed that SDSR affected performance only if it was above 82 ms. Placement required more frequent visual feedback and was more sensitive to SR. We infer that VE designers need not tightly control SDSR and may wish to vary SR control based on required visual feedback frequency. These results may be used to improve the human-computer interface in a wide range of interactive graphical applications, including scientific visualization, training, mental health, and entertainment.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Evaluation of the effects of frame time variation on VR task performance

We present a first study of the effects of frame time variations, in both deviation around mean frame times and period of fluctuation, on task performance in a virtual environment (VE). Chosen are open and closed loop tasks that are typical for current applications or likely to be prominent in future ones. The results show that at frame times in the range deemed acceptable for many applications, fairly large deviations in amplitude over a fairly wide range of periods do not significantly affect task performance. However, at a frame time often considered a minimum for immersive VR, frame time variations do produce significant effects on closed loop task performance. The results will be of use to designers of VEs and immersive applications, who often must control frame time variations due to large fluctuations of complexity (graphical and otherwise) in the VE.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Model Simplification through refinement

As modeling and visualization applications proliferate, there arises a need to simplify large polygonal models at interactive rates. Unfortunately existing polygon mesh simplification algorithms are not well suited for this task because they are either too slow (requiring the simplified model to be pre-computed) or produce models that are too poor in quality. These shortcomings become particularly acute when models are extremely large. We present an algorithm suitable for simplification of large models at interactive speeds. The algorithm is fast and can guarantee displayable results within a given time limit. Results also have good quality. Inspired by splitting algorithms from vector quantization literature, we simplify models in reverse, beginning with an extremely coarse approximation and refining it. Approximations of surface curvature guide the simplification process. Previously produced simplifications can be further refined by using them as input to the algorithm.

cs.GR↗

arXiv2025

Managing level of detail through peripheral degradation: Effects on search performance with a head-mounted display

Two user studies were performed to evaluate the effect of level-of-detail (LOD) degradation in the periphery of head-mounted displays on visual search performance. In the first study, spatial detail was degraded by reducing resolution. In the second study, detail was degraded in the color domain by using grayscale in the periphery. In each study, 10 subjects were given a complex search task that required users to indicate whether or not a target object was present among distracters. Subjects used several different displays varying in the amount of detail presented. Frame rate, object location, subject input method, and order of display use were all controlled. The primary dependent measures were search time on correctly performed trials and the percentage of all trials correctly performed. Results indicated that peripheral LOD degradation can be used to reduce color or spatial visual complexity by almost half in some search tasks with out significantly reducing performance.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

On tangible user interfaces, humans and spatiality

Like the prehistoric twig and stone, tangible user interfaces (TUIs) are objects manipulated by humans. TUI success will depend on how well they exploit spatiality, the intuitive spatial skills humans have with the objects they use. In this paper we carefully examine the relationship between humans and physical objects, and related previous research. From this examination we distill a set of observations, and turn these into heuristics for incorporation of spatiality into TUI application design, a cornerstone for their success. Following this line of thought, we identify spatial TUIs, the subset of TUIs that mediate interaction with shape, space and structure. We then examine several existing spatial TUIs using our heuristics.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Measuring and predicting visual fidelity

This paper is a study of techniques for measuring and predicting visual fidelity. As visual stimuli we use polygonal models, and vary their fidelity with two different model simplification algorithms. We also group the stimuli into two object types: animals and man made artifacts. We examine three different experimental techniques for measuring these fidelity changes: naming times, ratings, and preferences. All the measures were sensitive to the type of simplification and level of simplification. However, the measures differed from one another in their response to object type. We also examine several automatic techniques for predicting these experimental measures, including techniques based on images and on the models themselves. Automatic measures of fidelity were successful at predicting experimental ratings, less successful at predicting preferences, and largely failures at predicting naming times. We conclude with suggestions for use and improvement of the experimental and automatic measures of visual fidelity.

cs.GR↗

arXiv2025

Developing and evaluating quilts for the depiction of large layered graphs

Traditional layered graph depictions such as flow charts are in wide use. Yet as graphs grow more complex, these depictions can become difficult to understand. Quilts are matrix-based depictions for layered graphs designed to address this problem. In this research, we first improve Quilts by developing three design alternatives, and then compare the best of these alternatives to better-known node-link and matrix depictions. A primary weakness in Quilts is their depiction of skip links, links that do not simply connect to a succeeding layer. Therefore in our first study, we compare Quilts using color-only, text-only, and mixed (color and text) skip link depictions, finding that path finding with the color-only depiction is significantly slower and less accurate, and that in certain cases, the mixed depiction offers an advantage over the text-only depiction. In our second study, we compare Quilts using the mixed depiction to node-link diagrams and centered matrices. Overall results show that users can find paths through graphs significantly faster with Quilts (46.6 secs) than with node-link (58.3 secs) or matrix (71.2 secs) diagrams. This speed advantage is still greater in large graphs (e.g. in 200 node graphs, 55.4 secs vs. 71.1 secs for node-link and 84.2 secs for matrix depictions).

cs.GR↗

arXiv2025

Agent-based visualization of streaming text

We present a visualization infrastructure that maps data elements to agents, which have behaviors parameterized by those elements. Dynamic visualizations emerge as the agents change position, alter appearance and respond to one other. Agents move to minimize the difference between displayed agent-to-agent distances, and an input matrix of ideal distances. Our current application is visualization of streaming text. Each agent represents a significant word, visualizing it by displaying the word itself, centered in a circle sized by the frequency of word occurrence. We derive the ideal distance matrix from word cooccurrence, mapping higher co-occurrence to lower distance. To depict co-occurrence in its textual context, the ratio of intersection to circle area approximates the ratio of word co-occurrence to frequency. A networked backend process gathers articles from news feeds, blogs, Digg or Twitter, exploiting online search APIs to focus on user-chosen topics. Resulting visuals reveal the primary topics in text streams as clusters, with agent-based layout moving without instability as data streams change dynamically.

cs.MA↗

arXiv2025

Better frame rates or better visuals? An early report of Esports player practice in Dota 2

Esports athletes often reduce visual quality to improve latency and frame rate, and increase their in-game performance. Little research has examined the effects of this visuo-spatial tradeoff on performance, but we could find no work studying how players manage this tradeoff in practice. This paper is an initial examination of this question in the game Dota 2. First, we gather the game configuration data of Dota 2 players in a small survey. We learn that players do limit visual detail, particularly by turning off VSYNC, which removes rendering/display synchronization delay but permits visual "tearing". Second, we survey the intent of those same players with a few subjective questions. Player intent matches configuration practice. While our sampling of Dota 2 players may not be representative, our survey does reveal suggestive trends that lay the groundwork for future, more rigorous and larger surveys. Such surveys can help new players adapt to the game more quickly, encourage researchers to investigate the relative importance of temporal and visual detail, and justify design effort by developers in "low visual" game configurations.

cs.GR↗

arXiv2025

StoryGrid: A Tangible Interface for Student Expression

StorySpace is a classroom-based design and presentation system for interactive multimedia posters. Employing the technology base first used in Eden's PITAboard [2002], StorySpace allows groups of learners to manipulate projected multimedia objects on a horizontal board using a small collection of shared physical tokens. In this paper, we present the ongoing design history of StorySpace in the context of its introduction within an urban high school literature class. Interface modifications based on student and teacher feedback led on changes in token semantics and media importing methods. We describe how StorySpace features enriched students' interpretations of literature, with particular emphasis in two areas: (1) attention to audience, and (2) reflection of multiple perspectives.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Esports and expertise: what competitive gaming can teach us about mastery

Historically, much research and development in human computer interaction has focused on atomic and generalizable tasks, where task completion time indicates productivity. However, the emergence of competitive games and esports reminds us of an alternative perspective on human performance in HCI: mastery of higher-level, holistic practices. Just as a world-renowned artist is rarely evaluated for their individual brush strokes, so skilled competitive gamers rarely succeed solely by completing individual mouse movements or keystrokes as quickly as possible. Instead, they optimize more task-specific skills, adeptly performing challenges deep in the learning curve for their game of choice.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

A Survey of Virtual Reality in Japan

The NSF Summer Institute in Japan program sends about 60 graduate students of all disciplines to Japan each summer. For two months, students participate in research at host labs, visit conferences and other labs of interest, and receive Japanese language and cultural instruction. Full financial support is provided by the American and Japanese governments. During the summer of 1993, the author participated in this program and took the opportunity to visit the Japanese virtual reality research community. He attended two virtual reality conferences and toured more than a dozen labs. After the program, he made short visits to VR and graphics labs in PR China and South Korea. This paper gives a detailed account of these experiences.

cs.CY↗

arXiv2025

The shortcomings of video conferencing technology, methods for revealing them, and emerging XR solutions

Video conferencing has become a central part of our daily lives, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, so have its many limitations, resulting in poor support for communicative and social behavior and ultimately, Zoom fatigue. New technologies will be required to address these limitations, including many drawn from mixed reality (XR). In this paper, our goals are to equip and encourage future researchers to develop and test such technologies. Toward this end, we first survey research on the shortcomings of video conferencing systems, as defined before and after the pandemic. We then consider the methods that research uses to evaluate support for communicative behavior, and argue that those same methods should be employed in identifying, improving, and validating promising video conferencing technologies. Next, we survey emerging XR solutions to video conferencing's limitations, most off which do not employ head-mounted displays.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

A framework for 3D interaction techniques

This paper presents a software architecture for 3D interaction techniques (ITs) and an object oriented, toolkit-independent framework that implements such architecture. ITs are composed of basic filters connected in a dataflow, where virtual input devices and objects in the scene are sources of information. An execution model defines the general flow of information between filters. This framework has been designed to be extensible: new information types, new input devices, new execution models, or new interaction techniques can easily be added. Application specific code and application specific ITs are seamlessly integrated into this architecture.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

A wireless, inexpensive optical tracker for the CAVE

CAVE displays offer many advantages over other virtual reality (VR) displays, including a large, unencumbering viewing space. Unfortunately, the typical tracking subsystems used with CAVE displays tether the user and lessen this advantage. We have designed a simple, low-cost feet tracker that is wireless, leaving the user free to move. The tracker can be assembled for less than $200 US, and achieves an accuracy of 10 cm at a 20 Hz sampling rate. We have tested the prototype with two applications: a visualization supporting close visual inspection, and a walkthrough of the campus. Although the tracking was convincing, it was clear that the tracker's limitations make it less than ideal for applications requiring precise visual inspection. However, the freedom of motion allowed by the tracker was a compelling supplement to our campus walkthrough, allowing users to stroll and look around corners.

cs.HC↗