Heads Up Displays (HUD) as a Tool to Contextualize the User in 3D Virtual Worlds

摘要

Virtual Worlds are open 3D environments that can be used to implement virtual laboratories and simulations, improving student interaction. However, it is often seen that their freedom characteristic can cause dispersion for the user, making it difficult to navigate and focus. This paper presents a proposal to reduce the difficulties of this impasse, with a Heads Up Display (HUD) solution that dynamically and constantly senses the locations visited by the avatar, and presents it in the form of a "heat map". An experiment was conducted with 16 individuals that formed the experimental and the control groups (with and without the HUD). The results reveal the usefulness of the HUD, allowing to see that this resource provided a real-time view of the user interaction and places visited, helping him/her navigate the Virtual World.