An alternative way of drawing

ABSTRACT

Current object-oriented drawing programs have an established way of drawing in which the shape of an object is controlled by manipulating control points. While the control points are intuitive in their basic use, it is not clear whether they make more complex drawing tasks manageable for the average user. In this paper we describe an alternative way of drawing and editing a drawing using new direct manipulation tools. Our approach resembles sculpting in two dimensions: the user begins with a large block and uses different tools to give it the desired shape. We also present a user evaluation in which the users could try our new tools and compare them to their previous experience of control points, The users claimed to understand the operations better with our tools than if they had needed to use curves and control points. However, our tools were better suited for sketching the artwork than for making very detailed drawings.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Theory

Keywords:
direct manipulation, drawing programs, interaction techniques, sculpting, two-handed interaction