Head-Fixed, Edge Fixed,  World-Fixed Texts

By Yuanbo Li, 2023 Spring

The Three Texts Presentations


A group of scientists from the University of Regensburg in Germany conducted a research study to examine the impact of different text presentation types and locations in virtual reality (VR). The study focused on three specific types of text presentations: head-fixed, edge-fixed, and world fixed.

The original paper can be found here. This page mainly serves as an introduction of the work and summary of the results. 

1)head-fixed: 

refers to a text displayed in a head-up display, where the text maintains a static position and orientation relative to the user's head movements. This can include text that remains stationary in both position and orientation, text with a fixed position but dynamic orientation that adjusts to the user's head movements, or text with a dynamic position but static orientation.

2)edge-fixed:

involves a text with a static position and dynamic orientation, where the text is attached to the virtual environment at an edge and vertically tilts to face the user. This type of presentation allows the text to maintain a connection with the environment while adapting its orientation to ensure readability.

3) world fixed:

refers to a static, in-situ text that is placed within the virtual environment. This type of text remains stationary and integrated into the virtual world, providing a consistent reference point for the reader.  

 

Results


The researcher found each of the presentations are helpful at different scenaiors. Here is a summary of the pros and cons of each technique. 


1)head-fixed: 

Pros:

Cons:


2)edge-fixed:

Pros:

Cons:


3) world fixed:

Cons:

Implementation

For students who may wish to implement the three different text presentation techniques, here is a simple guide of how to do it in Unity VR.


Head-Fixed text:

You can find the tutorial here. 


Edge-Fixed text:

Unfortunately, the paper does not discloses its implementation of head-fixed texts. And non tutorials can be found online. I'm still searching for it.


World-Fixed text:

It is simply adding a TextMeshPro object in the world space.