Cutting Tetrahedra : Affordances and Limitations of Using Virtual Reality Visualization for Tetrahedral Cutting

Abstract: Finite element method researchers aim to create algorithms for optimally cutting complex 3D shapes into several tetrahedra for computational efficiency in simulations. It is difficult to create a mental representation of the 3D shapes as they increase in complexity. Our hypothesis is that a virtual reality (VR) visualization could help with creating this mental 3D representation. In this thesis, a desktop tool using a 2D monitor and a virtual reality tool were compared in a controlled within-subject user study. The findings show that VR gave a better understanding of the 3D objects. Participants reported VR to be more intuitive and enjoyable than the 2D monitor. However, it did not improve the time it took to complete the study tasks and, although it made the users perceive that they were more accurate, the observational data suggests that more accurate cuts were made using the desktop tool.