3D User Interfaces for Interactive Annotation of Vascular Structures

Abstract

A large number of scientific documents show additional information through annotations, which can also be used in interactive 3D environments. Here, labels are usually placed on an image plane and do not benefit from the 3D domain to convey, e.g., depth cues. These are especially important for spatially complex structures, such as the Circle of Willis, which is the central part of the cerebral vessel system. We present an approach for diegetic annotations, i.e., labels which are part of the 3D world. Based on the wide space for possible label positions and orientations, we enable the user to interactively create and position labels. For this, we present a concept for a 3D User Interface (3D UI) setup in a semi-immersive and a fully-immersive environment. Furthermore, we describe an evaluation design to evaluate the different setups.