An Interactive Toolkit Library for 3D Applications: it3d

An interactive toolkit library for developing 3D applications called "it3d" is described that utilize artificial reality (AR) technologies. It was implemented by using the Java language and the Java 3D class library to enhance its portability. It3d makes it easy to construct AR applications that are portable and adaptable. It3d consists of three sub-libraries: an input/output library for distributed devices, a 3D widget library for multimodal interfacing, and an interaction-recognition library. The input/output library for distributed devices has a uniform programming interface style for various types of devices. The interfaces are defined by using OMG IDL. The library utilizes multicast peer-to-peer communication to enable efficient device discovery and exchange of events and data. Multicast-capable CORBA functions have been developed and used. The 3D widget library for the multimodal interface has useful 3D widgets that support efficient and flexible customization based on prototype-based object orientation, or a delegation model. The attributes of a widget are used to customize it dynamically. The attributes constitute a hierarchical structure. The interaction-recognition library is used to recognize basic motions in a 3D space, such as pointing, selecting, pinching, grasping, and moving. The library is flexible, and the recognition conditions can be given as parameters. A new recognition engine can be developed by using a new circular event history buffer to efficiently manage and retrieve past events. Development of immersive AR applications using it3d demonstrated that less time is needed to develop the applications with it3d than without it. It3d makes it easy to construct AR applications that are portable and adaptable.