An asymmetric collaborative system for architectural-scale space design

Yuta Sugiura, Hikaru Ibayashi, Toby Long Hin Chong, Daisuke Sakamoto, Natsuki Miyata, Mitsunori Tada, Takashi Okuma, Takeshi Kurata, Takashi Shinmura, Masaaki Mochimaru, Takeo Igarashi

Abstract: We present a system that facilitates asymmetric collaboration among users with two different viewpoints in the design of living or working spaces. One viewpoint is that of the space designers, who observe and alter the space from a top-down view using a large table-top interface. The other viewpoint is that of a space occupant, who observes the space through internal views using a head-mounted display. We conducted two studies to understand how our system support users in architectural-scale space design. One is about preliminary user study to observe general behavior to Dollhouse VR system, and the other one is a case study that users are actual employees of restaurant and discuss rearrangement of floor by moving tables and chairs in virtual environment. Results showed that the system supports a pair of interaction techniques that could facilitate communication between these two user viewpoints.