We have the touch...

I'm wanting contact, wanting contact, with you.
I move with the movement, and I have the touch.
Give me the thing I understand. Take your hand. Take hands.
I need contact. My hand moves out, and I have the touch.
   "I Have The Touch," Security, Peter Gabriel

The multi-touch wall was a big hit at Autodesk University. We demonstrated a device designed and manufactured by Perceptive Pixel - the company founded by industry luminary Jeff Han. Although this device is present among military installations and corporate briefing centers, it's not yet in use by the typical Autodesk design software user. So one may ask, why is Autodesk Labs interested in it?

Aside from the whiz-bang-gee-it's-cool factor, multi-touch-based computing may revolutionize the way humans interact with computers. The mouse certainly replaced the command line. Could the finger replace the mouse?

Whether we realize it or not, we have all been trained to use a mouse. We know how to point. We know how to click. We even know the difference between left-click and right-click. In fact, we can probably recall instances where a software application's user interface did not meet our expectations. "Expectations" is a key word here. Based on our regular use of a mouse, we expect a certain way of working. When we point and click and don't get what we anticipated, we immediately conclude that something is wrong with the software. :-)

With regard to operating systems like Microsoft Windows, standards exist. These help guide application developers in providing a consistent user experience across applications even though the applications may be developed independently. For multi-touch interfaces, no such standards exist. A double-click of a mouse generally opens an object. What does it mean to touch the screen with two fingers? How about three? These are questions that need answering, and your feedback will help Autodesk Labs figure that out.

Autodesk is a design software company. So whereas other companies may help define standards for multi-touch operation that are generic, we want to be involved to make sure CAD is not left behind. Historically CAD has placed greater demand on computing resources than other applications. We want to work with our customers to arrive at what they consider their multi-touch expectations. In this regard we instrumented Autodesk Design Review (a special Labs build) to support a true multi-touch interface in the following ways:

Dimension	Touch Points	Action
2D	1 finger	pan (move with finger)
	2 fingers	zoom in (fingers move apart) zoom out (fingers move closer) pan (move both fingers) - The guiding principle is that the two points under your fingers stay there.
3D	1 finger	rotate (move with finger)
	2 fingers	zoom in (fingers move apart) zoom out (fingers move closer) pan/zoom/roll (move both fingers) - The guiding principle is that pan, zoom, and roll all happen at the same time so that the object “held” under the two fingers says under the two fingers as they are moved.
	3 fingers	orbit (two fixed fingers define axis, third moving finger rotates about that axis)
	6 to 7 fingers	enter pull apart mode (indicated by pull apart cursor, then use 6th finger to pull apart)
	8 to 10 fingers	reset the model

The Perceptive Pixel Multi-Touch Wall is leading the way in the advancement of multi-touch devices. In the not-so-distant future, it is quite possible that other form factors, e.g., surface computing, may provide multi-touch capabilities at different price points in a vast array of sizes. For example, the Apple iPhone is two-finger touch-enabled today at a reasonable cost, and we hope to see design-capable sized displays in the not too distant future. When that day comes, Autodesk software will be ready. We have the touch.

Staying abreast of human-computer interaction is alive in the lab.