This paper presents an interaction technique for walkthrough in virtual 3D spaces, where the user draws the intended path directly on the scene, and the avatar automatically moves along the path. The system calculates the path by projecting the stroke drawn on the screen to the walking surface in the 3D world. Using this technique, the user can specify not only the goal position, but also the route to take and the camera direction at the goal with a single stroke. A prototype system is tested using a displayintegrated tablet, and experimental results suggest that the technique can enhance existing walkthrough techniques.

We propose a new photo search method that uses threedimensional (3D) viewpoints as queries. 3D viewpoint-based image retrieval is especially useful for searching collections of archaeological photographs, which contain many different images of the same object. Our method is designed to enable users to retrieve images that contain the same object but show a different view, and to browse groups of images taken from a similar viewpoint. We also propose using 3D scenes to query by example, which means that users do not have the problem of trying to formulate appropriate queries. This combination gives users an easy way of accessing not only photographs but also archived information.

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Creative group activities, for example, the development of new products, have recently increased in importance. Hence, demands are growing for groupware that is able to help stimulate human creativity. In this article, aiming to achieve such a system of groupware, we first propose a group thinking model, based on the transitions of the mentality of a thinking entity, and divide group thinking into several basic tasks based on the model. We then describe a creative group thinking support system called “AIDE,” which we have been researching and developing. From our experience in developing and testing the uses of AIDE, we have ascertained that multiagent architecture is very suitable for achieving a group thinking support system. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 29(14): 21–31, 1998

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