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George Fitzmaurice

Publications and source records attributed to George Fitzmaurice.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Compos3D: Interactive Part-Based Composition for Creative Control in Generative 3D Models

While generative AI has unlocked new opportunities for 3D content creation, current workflows often rely on multiple regenerations, which provides limited control and unpredictable outcomes. We present Compos3D, a system that introduces a compositional workflow for generative 3D modeling through remixing. Instead of repeatedly regenerating models, users generate multiple candidates from text or image prompts, select parts of interest via 2D image regions or 3D mesh segments, and assemble them into a coherent design. The system synthesizes these compositions into a refined 3D model, preserving high-level intent while resolving low-level geometry. To evaluate this approach, we conducted a controlled user study comparing remixing and regeneration workflows across both 2D and 3D modalities. Results show that the remixing workflow provides participants with greater creative control, stronger alignment with their intent, and higher satisfaction. We conclude with design recommendations for future AI-assisted 3D modeling workflows.

cs.HC

Elemental Alchemist: A Generative Interface for Semantic Control of Particle Systems Across Dynamic Levels of Abstraction

Editing particle-system visual effects (VFX) is vital for digital storytelling, but achieving controllable, art-directable results remains challenging due to their multi-dimensional nature. Given a large collection of parameters, users must find the ones relevant to their creative goals -- a task that requires a systematic understanding of the particle system and how parameters map to high-level intents, such as making a fire look angry. Elemental Alchemist is a generative interface that transforms user intent into contextualized controls for semantic editing of particle systems. The system introduces two components: a contextual brush palette that generates tools based on scene context, and a generative control panel that surfaces relevant technical parameters and abstracts them to generate mid-level semantic attributes and high-level conceptual controls. An evaluation with 10 novice and 5 expert VFX practitioners shows the system supported users in translating high-level creative goals into particle system parameters.

cs.HC

AnimationDiff: A Visual Comparison Tool for Generated 3D Character Animations

Creating 3D character animations traditionally requires significant time and effort from the animator. Advancements in generative methods now enable easy creation of multiple character animation variations for use or further editing. However, this capability introduces a new challenge in comparing character animations to select the best animation, which is challenging due to temporal misalignment and the large amount of spatial data. We present AnimationDiff, a visual comparison tool for generated character animations. AnimationDiff enables contextual comparisons in the intended scene and camera angle, and embedding of spatial information by combining established animation visualization techniques and easy switching between overlaid and side-by-side comparisons. AnimationDiff also supports filtering to handle information overload, and Temporal Lenses that visualize entire animations over time for overview, alignment, and comparison. We evaluated AnimationDiff in a user study, showcasing its efficacy in animation comparison and providing design insights for comparing motion.

cs.HC

Nanomentoring: Investigating How Quickly People Can Help People Learn Feature-Rich Software

People frequently use online forums to get help from experts to answer questions about feature-rich software. However, they may have to wait minutes, hours, or even days to receive advice. We investigate the potential to leverage experts to provide quicker help. We collected over 200 questions from online forums for two feature-rich software applications and suspected a quarter were short enough to be answered in less than one minute (defined as nanoquestions). We then conducted a study with 28 experts recruited from help forums to confirm this assumption, and explore whether there was a preference between text and audio answers. For more than half of the nanoquestions participants saw, they could give advice that they believed was helpful in under 60 seconds. Finally, we collected feedback about what makes a question quick to answer to inspire the design of future tools for ultra rapid human-to-human help.

cs.HC

PlayWrite: A Multimodal System for AI Supported Narrative Co-Authoring Through Play in XR

Current AI writing tools, which rely on text prompts, poorly support the spatial and interactive nature of storytelling where ideas emerge from direct manipulation and play. We present PlayWrite, a mixed-reality system where users author stories by directly manipulating virtual characters and props. A multi-agent AI pipeline interprets these actions into Intent Frames -structured narrative beats visualized as rearrangeable story marbles on a timeline. A large language model then transforms the user's assembled sequence into a final narrative. A user study (N=13) with writers from varying domains found that PlayWrite fosters a highly improvisational and playful process. Users treated the AI as a collaborative partner, using its unexpected responses to spark new ideas and overcome creative blocks. PlayWrite demonstrates an approach for co-creative systems that move beyond text to embrace direct manipulation and play as core interaction modalities.

cs.HC

GroundLink: Exploring How Contextual Meeting Snippets Can Close Common Ground Gaps in Editing 3D Scenes for Virtual Production

Virtual Production (VP) professionals often face challenges accessing tacit knowledge and creative intent, which are important in forming common ground with collaborators and in contributing more effectively and efficiently to the team. From our formative study (N=23) with a follow-up interview (N=6), we identified the significance and prevalence of this challenge. To help professionals access knowledge, we present GroundLink, a Unity add-on that surfaces meeting-derived knowledge directly in the editor to support establishing common ground. It features a meeting knowledge dashboard for capturing and reviewing decisions and comments, constraint-aware feedforward that proactively informs the editor environment, and cross-modal synchronization that provides referential links between the dashboard and the editor. A comparative study (N=12) suggested that GroundLink help users build common ground with their team while improving perceived confidence and ease of editing the 3D scene. An expert evaluation with VP professionals (N=5) indicated strong potential for GroundLink in real-world workflows.

cs.HC

PointAloud: An Interaction Suite for AI-Supported Pointer-Centric Think-Aloud Computing

Think-Aloud Computing, a method for capturing users' verbalized thoughts during software tasks, allows eliciting rich contextual insights into evolving intentions, struggles, and decision-making processes of users in real-time. However, existing approaches face practical challenges: users often lack awareness of what is captured by the system, are not effectively encouraged to speak, and miss or are interrupted by system feedback. Additionally, thinking aloud should feel worthwhile for users due to the gained contextual AI assistance. To better support and harness Think-Aloud Computing, we introduce PointAloud, a suite of novel AI-driven pointer-centric interactions for in-the-moment verbalization encouragement, low-distraction system feedback, and contextually rich work process documentation alongside proactive AI assistance. Our user study with 12 participants provides insights into the value of pointer-centric think-aloud computing for work process documentation and human-AI co-creation. We conclude by discussing the broader implications of our findings and design considerations for pointer-centric and AI-supported Think-Aloud Computing workflows.

cs.HC

PrevizWhiz: Combining Rough 3D Scenes and 2D Video to Guide Generative Video Previsualization

In pre-production, filmmakers and 3D animation experts must rapidly prototype ideas to explore a film's possibilities before fullscale production, yet conventional approaches involve trade-offs in efficiency and expressiveness. Hand-drawn storyboards often lack spatial precision needed for complex cinematography, while 3D previsualization demands expertise and high-quality rigged assets. To address this gap, we present PrevizWhiz, a system that leverages rough 3D scenes in combination with generative image and video models to create stylized video previews. The workflow integrates frame-level image restyling with adjustable resemblance, time-based editing through motion paths or external video inputs, and refinement into high-fidelity video clips. A study with filmmakers demonstrates that our system lowers technical barriers for film-makers, accelerates creative iteration, and effectively bridges the communication gap, while also surfacing challenges of continuity, authorship, and ethical consideration in AI-assisted filmmaking.

cs.HC

Protosampling: Enabling Free-Form Convergence of Sampling and Prototyping through Canvas-Driven Visual AI Generation

As an emergent process, creativity relies on explorations via sampling and prototyping for problem construction. These activities compile knowledge, provide a context enveloping the solution, and answer questions. With Generative AI, practitioners can go beyond sampling existing media towards instantly generating and remixing new ones. We refer to this convergence as 'protosampling'. Using existing literature we ground a definition for protosampling and operationalize it through Atelier, a canvas-like system that leverages a variety of generative image and video models for visual creation. Atelier: (1) blends the spaces for thinking and creation, where both references and generated assets co-exist in one space, (2) provides various encapsulated technical workflows that focus on the activity at hand, and (3) enables navigating emergence through interactive visualizations, smart search, and collections. Protosampling as a lens reframes creative work to emphasize the process itself and how seemingly disjointed thoughts can tightly interweave into a final solution.

cs.HC

Augmenting speech transcripts of VR recordings with gaze, pointing, and visual context for multimodal coreference resolution

Understanding transcripts of immersive multimodal conversations is challenging because speakers frequently rely on visual context and non-verbal cues, such as gestures and visual attention, which are not captured in speech alone. This lack of information makes coreferences resolution-the task of linking ambiguous expressions like ``it'' or ``there'' to their intended referents-particularly challenging. In this paper we present a system that augments VR speech transcript with eye-tracking laser pointing data, and scene metadata to generate textual descriptions of non-verbal communication and the corresponding objects of interest. To evaluate the system, we collected gaze, gesture, and voice data from 12 participants (6 pairs) engaged in an open-ended design critique of a 3D model of an apartment. Our results show a 26.5\% improvement in coreference resolution accuracy by a GPT model when using our multimodal transcript compared to a speech-only baseline.

cs.HC

FeedQUAC: Quick Unobtrusive AI-Generated Commentary

Design thrives on feedback. However, gathering constant feedback throughout the design process can be labor-intensive and disruptive. We explore how AI can bridge this gap by providing effortless, ambient feedback. We introduce FeedQUAC, a design companion that delivers real-time AI-generated commentary from a variety of perspectives through different personas. A design probe study with eight participants highlights how designers can leverage quick yet ambient AI feedback to enhance their creative workflows. Participants highlight benefits such as convenience, playfulness, confidence boost, and inspiration from this lightweight feedback agent, while suggesting additional features, like chat interaction and context curation. We discuss the role of AI feedback, its strengths and limitations, and how to integrate it into existing design workflows while balancing user involvement. Our findings also suggest that ambient interaction is a valuable consideration for both the design and evaluation of future creativity support systems.

cs.HC

Transformer-Based Interfaces for Mechanical Assembly Design: A Gear Train Case Study

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly transformer-based models, presents new opportunities for automating and augmenting engineering design workflows. However, effectively integrating these models into interactive tools requires careful interface design that leverages their unique capabilities. This paper introduces a transformer model tailored for gear train assembly design, paired with two novel interaction modes: Explore and Copilot. Explore Mode uses probabilistic sampling to generate and evaluate diverse design alternatives, while Copilot Mode utilizes autoregressive prediction to support iterative, context-aware refinement. These modes emphasize key transformer properties (sequence-based generation and probabilistic exploration) to facilitate intuitive and efficient human-AI collaboration. Through a case study, we demonstrate how well-designed interfaces can enhance engineers' ability to balance automation with domain expertise. A user study shows that Explore Mode supports rapid exploration and problem redefinition, while Copilot Mode provides greater control and fosters deeper engagement. Our results suggest that hybrid workflows combining both modes can effectively support complex, creative engineering design processes.

cs.HC

AQuA: Automated Question-Answering in Software Tutorial Videos with Visual Anchors

Tutorial videos are a popular help source for learning feature-rich software. However, getting quick answers to questions about tutorial videos is difficult. We present an automated approach for responding to tutorial questions. By analyzing 633 questions found in 5,944 video comments, we identified different question types and observed that users frequently described parts of the video in questions. We then asked participants (N=24) to watch tutorial videos and ask questions while annotating the video with relevant visual anchors. Most visual anchors referred to UI elements and the application workspace. Based on these insights, we built AQuA, a pipeline that generates useful answers to questions with visual anchors. We demonstrate this for Fusion 360, showing that we can recognize UI elements in visual anchors and generate answers using GPT-4 augmented with that visual information and software documentation. An evaluation study (N=16) demonstrates that our approach provides better answers than baseline methods.

cs.HC

WorldSmith: Iterative and Expressive Prompting for World Building with a Generative AI

Crafting a rich and unique environment is crucial for fictional world-building, but can be difficult to achieve since illustrating a world from scratch requires time and significant skill. We investigate the use of recent multi-modal image generation systems to enable users iteratively visualize and modify elements of their fictional world using a combination of text input, sketching, and region-based filling. WorldSmith enables novice world builders to quickly visualize a fictional world with layered edits and hierarchical compositions. Through a formative study (4 participants) and first-use study (13 participants) we demonstrate that WorldSmith offers more expressive interactions with prompt-based models. With this work, we explore how creatives can be empowered to leverage prompt-based generative AI as a tool in their creative process, beyond current "click-once" prompting UI paradigms.

cs.HC

3DALL-E: Integrating Text-to-Image AI in 3D Design Workflows

Text-to-image AI are capable of generating novel images for inspiration, but their applications for 3D design workflows and how designers can build 3D models using AI-provided inspiration have not yet been explored. To investigate this, we integrated DALL-E, GPT-3, and CLIP within a CAD software in 3DALL-E, a plugin that generates 2D image inspiration for 3D design. 3DALL-E allows users to construct text and image prompts based on what they are modeling. In a study with 13 designers, we found that designers saw great potential in 3DALL-E within their workflows and could use text-to-image AI to produce reference images, prevent design fixation, and inspire design considerations. We elaborate on prompting patterns observed across 3D modeling tasks and provide measures of prompt complexity observed across participants. From our findings, we discuss how 3DALL-E can merge with existing generative design workflows and propose prompt bibliographies as a form of human-AI design history.

cs.HC

SkyGlyphs: Reflections on the Design of a Delightful Visualization

In creating SkyGlyphs, our goal was to develop a data visualization that could possibly capture people's attention and spark their curiosity to explore a dataset. This work was inspired by a mingling of research including serendipitous interactions, visualizations for public displays, and personal visualizations. SkyGlyphs is a nonconventional whimsical visualization, depicting datapoints as animated balloons in space. We designed it to encourage non-experts to casually browse the contents of a repository through visual interactions like linking and grouping of datapoints. Our contributions include SkyGlyphs' representation and our design reflection that reveals a perspective on how to design delightful visualizations.

cs.HC