Immersive 3D sketching tools: Implications for visual thinking and communication

Paper-based (PB) sketching involves the challenge of representing three-dimensional (3D) shapes on two-dimensional (2D) surfaces. The recent generation of virtual reality (VR) sketching tools offer a way to overcome this challenge. These immersive 3D sketching environments permit the rapid construction of freehand stroke-based 3D models in 3D space while replicating the immediate experience of PB sketching. To explore the potential advantages of VR sketching in visual thinking and visual ommunication, we conducted investigations with sixteen architectural students engaged in PB and VR sketching tasks. We observed their visualization behavior during VR sketching and their behavior in transitioning between PB and VR sketching. The participants’ experiences of the two media were also recorded in semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Our observations show that immersive 3D sketching is a unique form of visual representation that facilitates the rapid and flexible creation of large and detailed (but inaccurate) 3D computer models. It is a multimodal medium that supports visual thinking and communication behaviors associated with PB sketching, CAD modeling, physical model-making and gesturing, all within the same space. This unique combination enables users to engage in visual thinking and visual communication activities in ways that cannot presently be achieved with any other single representation technique