ARCrowd - a tangible interface for interactive crowd simulation

TL;DR: A tangible interface based on augmented reality (AR) is introduced, which provides more intuitive means of control for the users, promoting the efficiency of human-machine interface.

Abstract: Manipulating a large virtual crowd in an interactive virtual reality environment is a challenging task due to the limitations of the traditional user interface. To address this problem, a tangible interface based on augmented reality (AR) technology is introduced. With a novel interaction framework, the users are allowed to manipulate the virtual characters directly, or to control the crowd behaviors with markers and gestures. The marker-gesture pairs are used to adjust the environment factors, the decision-making processes of virtual crowds, and their reactions. The AR interface provides more intuitive means of control for the users, promoting the efficiency of user interface. Several simulation examples are provided to illustrate the various crowd control methods.