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Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games pp 1–3Cite as

Raycasting in Virtual Reality

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Synonyms

3D pointing; Distal pointing; Virtual pointing metaphor

Definitions

Raycasting is a set of interaction techniques used in immersive environments for selection of targets at the distance. Raycasting resembles real-life pointing with a laser pointer: the user points a ray of light at the target and confirms its selection with a motion gesture, a voice command, or a button click. Raycasting belongs to a family of interaction techniques known as virtual pointing. A more general term, 3D pointing, includes raycasting as one of the common approaches to selection of objects in immersive environments. The term “raycasting” should not be confused with the term used in computer graphics to describe a rendering technique.

Introduction

Object acquisition is a prerequisite for object manipulation in 3D user interfaces (Bowman et al. 2017). Target acquisition technique must facilitate the indication of an object and confirmation of its selection. It should also provide visual, haptic, or...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Game Research Lab, School of Computing and Design, California State University Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA, USA

    Krzysztof Pietroszek

Authors
  1. Krzysztof Pietroszek
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Correspondence to Krzysztof Pietroszek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Computer Science Department, Woodbury University Applied Computer Science Department, Burbank, California, USA

    Newton Lee

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Pietroszek, K. (2018). Raycasting in Virtual Reality. In: Lee, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_180-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_180-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-08234-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08234-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Computer SciencesReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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