HADEN: Using Virtual Reality as an Expressive Medium for Spatial Design.

Recent developments in Virtual Reality have brought a resurgence of interest in incorporating Virtual Reality with computer-aided design to help designers better express their ideas and thinking. Current computer-aided design interfaces are not intuitive enough for designers to be creative in the conceptual stage of spatial design. This thesis explores the use of Virtual Reality as an intuitive and expressive spatial design medium through the physical embodiment of design interfaces. It proposes a design system, HADEN (HAptic DEsign iNterface) which provides passive haptic feedback by overlapping real and virtual objects using a motion tracking system. This novel tangible user interface not only improves one’s sense of presence in VR but also increases the affordances of the virtual interface. Designers can freely generate spatial designs and explore new design alternatives and ideas at the same time.