Development of 3D shape evaluation system for collaboration support in virtual space

Collaboration consists mainly of two tasks; one is each partner's task which is done by the individual, the other is communication with each other. Both of them are very important for the smooth collaboration. From the viewpoint, the collaboration support system should be a coalition between the operation support and the communication support. We have developed the 3D shape evaluation support system in virtual space and the embodied virtual communication system for the analysis by synthesis. The fusion of two system is necessary for the collaboration support system for 3D shape evaluation in virtual space. From the viewpoint of communication, the talkers tend to prefer the situation in which they can share embodied interaction by observing their interaction of avatars including themselves in the same virtual space. However, the motion images including themselves would discourage them from the shape evaluation. In this paper, the influence of difference of the point of view on the shape evaluation in virtual space is investigated using the proposed system by the sensory evaluation of paired comparison and the questionnaire analysis. It is found that the subjects prefer the point of view from which they can see only their forearms' motion for the shape evaluation in virtual space.