Effects of animation, user-controlled interactions, and multiple static views in understanding 3D structures

Visualizations of 3D spatial structures use various techniques such as user controlled interactions or 2D projection views to convey the structure to users. Researchers have shown that motion cues can help assimilate the structure of 3D spatial data, particularly for discerning occluded parts of the objects. However, motion cues or smooth animations also have costs - they increase the viewing time. What remains unclear is whether any one particular viewing time. What remains unclear is whether any one particular viewing modality allows users to understand and operate on the 3D structure as effectively as a combination of 2D and 3D static views. To assess the effectiveness of understanding 3D structures, we carried out three experiments. In all three experiments we evaluated the effectiveness of perceiving 3D structures with either self controlled interactions, animated transitions, and 2D+3D static views. In the first experiment, subjects were given a task to estimate the relative distances of objects in a 3D scene. In the second experiment, subjects made judgements to discern and identify the existence of differences between 3D objects. In the third experiment, participants were required to reconstruct a 3D spatial structure based on the 3D models presented to them. Results of the three experiments reveal that participants were more accurate and performed the spatial tasks faster with smooth animations and self-controlled interactions than with 2D+3D static views. Our results overall suggest that the costs involved in interacting or animating a 3D spatial structure are significantly outweighed by the perceptual benefits derived from viewing and interacting in these modes of presentation.