3D Graph Visualization with the Oculus Rift Virtual Graph Reality

There are many theoretical results in the graph drawing literature regarding three-dimensional (3D) representations of graphs. However, the actual usefulness of such 3D drawings has always been questioned; in particular, the effectiveness of visual-ization has been a main concern, as ultimately the graph must be presented to the user, commonly: • projected onto a (2D) monitor, possibly with a stereographic effect such as shutter glasses, or anaglyphically, • displayed in a virtual reality environment such as a CAVE, or • printed as a physical model with a 3D printer. Early studies on the effectiveness of head-mounted VR systems vs. fish tank VR noted that the hardware suffered from latency and resolution problems [4]. How-ever, more recent HCI experiments indicate that users can improve performance on graph tasks (such as determining paths) for large graphs in a 3D VR environment [3]. What? The GLuskap [1] software package allows for the creation and editing of graphs in 3D and has been extended over the past decade to include each of the above three output techniques; interactive visualization of 3D graphs has always been a priority. The Oculus Rift [2] headset provides an affordable, individual, 3D stereo experi-ence with head tracking and display of appropriate left and right eye information The low latency and accurate orientational tracking allow an acceptable immersive experience