OpenManip: An Extensible Cross-Scene-Graph Framework for Direct Object Manipulation

Abstract

In this paper we describe a framework that exploits 3D widgets in order to allow for the direct manipulation of scene graph objects. The design of the frameworks is inspired by the OpenInventor manipulator functionality, but additionally emphasizes transparency from the underlying scene graph system, by separating core functionality from a relatively lean scene graph abstraction layer. Thus, the framework features different scene graph APIs, in particular OpenSG and Cosmo3D. Using our framework manipulation functionality can be easily integrated into any existing application since it only introduces a few new objects that have to be connected to the application. Our framework provides different manipulators for selection, scaling, rotation, and translation of objects. Moreover a set of editors allows for the manipulation of light and material properties. We demonstrate the extensibility of our framework both, in terms of customized manipulators and porting the framework to new scene graph APIs, which is supported by a clear object-oriented structure.