INTERACT: An authoring tool that facilitates the creation of human centric interaction with 3d objects in virtual reality
Rama Krishnan Gopal Ramasamy Thandapani, Benjamin Capel, Antoine Lasnier, Ioannis Chatzigiannakis
TL;DR
This paper addresses the need for rapid authoring of human-centric, physics-based ITS in XR to train and upskill large workforces while mitigating safety risks. It introduces INTERACT, a no-code Unity plugin that enables realistic VR simulations from CAD/point-cloud data, supported by an embedded physics engine for ergonomic evaluation and object-level interactions. The authors demonstrate its utility with a laser cutting machine maintenance use case, presenting step-by-step guidance, scoring, and scalable scenario authoring via a Scenario Graph. The work contributes a practical tool that lowers barriers for domain experts and small teams to develop immersive, safe, and interactive industrial training, with potential impact across manufacturing, education, and energy sectors.
Abstract
A widespread adoption of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR), collectively referred to as Extended Reality (XR), has become a tangible possibility to revolutionize educational and training scenarios by offering immersive, interactive experiences. In this paper we present \textsf{INTERACT}, an authoring tool for creating advanced 3D physics-based Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) by individual developers or small-scale development teams. \textsf{INTERACT} is based on a cutting edge physics engine allowing realistic interactions such as collision detection and ergonomic evaluations. We demonstrate the benefits of \textsf{INTERACT} by developing a set of training scenarios for a use case of a Laser cutting machine. The use case illustrates the numerous possibilities such as creating interaction with objects, ease of configuring a scenario and how to design the visual effects to the machine.