On desktop computers, good user interface design is now almost universally
recognized as a crucial part of the software and hardware development process.
Almost every computing-related product touts itself as "easy to use,”
"intuitive,” or "designed with your needs in mind.” With the advent of virtual
environments, augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, and other "off-the
desktop” technologies, 3D user interface design is now becoming a critical area
for developers, students, and researchers to understand. The authors are all at
the forefront of this field, have presented on the topic at several conferences,
and lead the 3D UI mailing list. They provide information on existing software
tools; case studies of 3D UIs in real-world applications; implementation tips for
common interaction techniques; and principles for choosing appropriate
devices for 3d UIs. This is one of the most exciting areas of research in
computer science today, yet there have been very few if any books written
about it. 3D User Interfaces will be the first compilation of principles, research
results, and real-world examples for 3D UIs, and should become the seminal
work on the subject.
