Assessing and Improving 3D Rotation Transition in Dense Visualizations

Abstract

When visually exploring a multidimensional dataset with a 2D visualization (e.g. scatterplots) , u s- ers may switch views with a smooth 3D rotation. We identified three expected benefits of such transitions: tracking graphical marks, understanding their relative arrangements, and perceiving structural elements. We studied existing implementations of progressive 3D rotation and found problem s that prevent those benefits when dealing with dense scenes. To address this issue, we propose an improvement by wisely plac ing the rotation axis. We performed two controlled exper i- ments, which confirm the expected benefits and validate our improvements to the technique. Based on these experiment results, we describe a set of interaction techniques to control the rot a- tion axis placement and apply them to the exploration of aircraft data