Placement of large objects in open environments

In this part of the research we investigated scaling and rotating a simplified caravan model in an outdoor location to test the limits of marker resolution and object persistence.

• Scaling and rotation of a placed object using a single marker - using hiro markers

We took video using an iPhone 6S and an iPhone XR. Immediately we were able to see that the 6S rear-mounted camera was not able to resolve the Hiro marker at a distance greater than 3m, so we switched to the XR for the rest of the test.

The following points were notable:

• We were to resolve the marker, and therefore show the model, up to around 6m. Any further and the detail of the marker was lost and the model could not be displayed
• Camera shake became a problem as we moved further away the marker - image stabilisation is not available in realtime video capture
• Model rotation and scale were difficult to control with the somewhat fiddly gesture based system. Therefore, it may be better to use simple buttons to modify the dimensions of the model and reserve gestures for interactions with hotspots on the mode.
• I said "10 or 15 yards" when I meant "10 or 15 feet"