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StereoVista: Concept for an Intuitive Interaction and Navigation System as Open Source Reference Implementation
Benjamin Tanzer
Schneider Digital & AHM Airborne Hydro Mapping GmbH
Abstract
StereoVista aims to provide a new industry standard for camera navigation and mouse interaction by combining three core concepts to create an immersive hassle-free stereo experience: (1) Advanced Camera Navigation System with distance-aware sensitivity suitable for any scene size; (2) Comprehensive 3D Cursor Framework with multiple cursor types, adaptive scaling and modular backend architecture; (3) Seamless 6DOF Input Support for continuous interaction across all dimensions and devices. Combining these three modules with adaptive depth-aware stereo, we create an intuitive 3D navigation system that automatically adjusts to scene content of every scale and complexity.
Camera & Orbiting Controls
Adaptive Navigation for Every Environment

Orbiting Modes:
  • Standard Orbit: Rotates around viewport center at cursor depth
  • Around Cursor: Rotate around cursor position without centering
  • Around Cursor (Center): Centers view on cursor before orbiting
Different Navigation Modes
  • Panning: Move on a 2D plane at the current camera position
  • Free-Look: Look around with the camera without moving your position
  • Orbit around Point: Rotate around the set pivot point
  • 6DOF Movement: used by the 3DConnexion Spacemouse around 6 axes with different pivot point options
Movement Processing & Input
Robust Input Handling with Advanced Smoothing and Adaptive Speed Scaling

Physics-Based Scrolling:
  • Momentum system with configurable carry-over
  • Adaptive speed scaling with distance to objects
  • Smooth deceleration and mouse smoothing
  • Zoom to cursor position
Advanced Input Processing:
  • Distance-adaptive speed scaling based on scene bounds and object proximity
  • Multi-device input support with state management between different cameras
  • Momentum accumulation with configurable deceleration curves
3D Cursor System
Advanced Cursor Framework with Automatic Scaling and an Expandable Backend Cursor Pipeline
Sphere Cursor
  • 3D sphere with fixed or smart depth-based scaling modes
  • Optional inner sphere with independent color and size factor
  • Configurable edge softness and center transparency effects
Fragment Cursor
  • Circular cursor rendered entirely in fragment shader on geometry
  • Configurable outer/inner radius and border thickness
  • Independent RGBA color control for outer and inner rings
Plane Cursor
  • Camera-facing circular plane
  • Adjustable diameter and RGBA color with transparency
  • Automatic rotation matrix calculation for camera orientation
Cursor Scaling & Preset Management
Adaptive Scaling System with Configuration Management Cursor Scaling Modes:
  • Fixed Size: Constant screen size independent of camera distance
  • Depth Aware Fixed Size: Fixed world radius for maintaining depth perception
  • Depth-Based Smart Scaling: Radius adjusted by distance factor with configurable min/max difference bounds
Settings and Preset Management System:
  • Customizability: Every aspect of the cursor can be customized and combined with other cursor types
  • Configuration Loading: One-click switching between saved cursor configurations with automatic preference loading on start
6DOF Input Handling
Extended Support for 6DOF Input Devices
  • Seamless switching between 6DOF devices and normal input with camera state continuity
  • Multiple modes for 6DOF navigation and integration of the 3D cursor
  • All depth-aware sensitivity and controls features supported
Stereo Visualization & Controls
Left Eye
Right Eye
Zero Plane
Stereo Visualization Features:
  • Frustum visualization with zero plane and real-time scene cross-section
  • Zero plane visualization showing convergence in 3D space
  • Live parameter display for separation and convergence values in automatic mode
Additional Features
Extended Capabilities:
  • Custom LOD-based point cloud rendering engine for real-time visualization of 500M+ points
  • Voxel cone tracing with real-time scene voxelization supporting transparency, refractions, specularity and indirect illumination (WIP)
  • Hardware-accelerated shader-based path tracing (WIP)
  • Preference manager for automatic settings loading
  • Scene management with saving and loading of scenes
  • Extended scene manipulation capabilities using the 3D cursor
  • Clean and modern user-friendly GUI with in-depth customizability
  • Comprehensive system with modular architecture for extensibility
Contact
Project Repository
github.com/Brum2409/StereoVista
Benjamin Tanzer
Software Developer