Blog

Major Release: Open Exhibits 3

We are excited to announce the Open Exhibits 3 release which includes a number of significant and exciting improvements to the free and open HCI software framework.

The most fundamental change to the framework is in how Open Exhibits 3 works in 3D space. This improvement not only encompassed how objects are rendered with Away3D, but how motion gestures are analyzed behind the scenes for devices like the Leap Motion Controller.

Away3D Support
With the new Away3D support, three dimensional models may be authored in external programs like Maya, 3DS Max, Cinema4D, and Blender and imported into an Open Exhibits project through simple CML (Creative Markup Language) declarations. One of the exhibits we provide in this release includes a 3D molecule viewer. Please check out our 3D tutorials for interactive display objects to see all of the amazing things you can build quickly.

3D interactions and handling are done in the same manner that 2D interactions are completed, so previous methods of working with interactive display objects (CML) and gesture definition assignments (GML, Gesture Markup Language) have been preserved.  Another feature of 3D support is that any new 2D applications you create will automatically take advantage of the 3D rendering pipeline by representing your 2D objects as textures on 3D objects. This means that your exhibit will benefit from a performance boost, since rendering instructions are completely offloaded to the GPU.

Leap Motion Support
Open Exhibits 3 true 3D gesture recognition support opens up a whole new set of possibilities. With support for an inexpensive device like the Leap Motion Controller, Open Exhibits 3 expands the ways of interacting with exhibits. Along with support for 3D gestures, the framework includes visual feedback indicators that let visitors know where their hands correlate with the interactive display and what types of interactions are possible. Users can see how their hands can grab an object to manipulate it or gesture in mid-air for more information.

Combining the 3D interaction space with the 2D touch surface also opens up new possibilities for multimodal exhibits, where touch and motion can be used together.  The Open Exhibits 3 framework has significantly improved the accuracy and gesture recognition capabilities of the Leap Motion Controller. This makes it easier for developers to author exhibits, more so than by using Leap Motion’s API alone.

New Modules and UI Components
Open Exhibits 3 also contains a new set of very useful software modules. Highlights are: an HTML browser element that allows you to explore the web, Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text through Microsoft SAPI (for accessibility), updated Starling support, touch input recorder, Gesture Visualizer, and much more. Ultimately, we want to provide the Open Exhibits community with the best tools possible to create compelling experiences for visitors. Download Open Exhibits for free today and try it for yourself.

Open Exhibits 3 Features

• Away3D support
• CML support for Away3D scene construction
• Leap Motion integration
• Touch 3D gesture integration
• Dozens of 3D motion gestures
• CML primitive elements are now gesture-ready
• Gesture Visualizer
• Touch input recorder utility
• Text-to-speech and Speech-to-Text through Microsoft SAPI
• HTML element and viewer (load URL or write inline HTML within CML)
• Paint element and viewer (export as SVG or PNG)
• SVG element
• Open sourced CML
• Radial Slider
• More examples
• New CML state manager and improved internal State Machine
• 100+ CML Tags
• Improved CML selector support including DOM and jQuery-like $ selectors
• State support for RenderKit
• Enhanced input mode support
  • allow input modes on a per-object basis
  • automatic mouse filtering when mouse and touch events are doubled by OS
• Load multiple GML files
• New relative layout system for containers
• Updated Starling support
• LoaderMax integration
• SlideMenu element

Open Exhibits Major Bug Fixes and Feature Requests from the Last Release

• Object transformation boundary limits in GML
• Individual object transformation boundary limits
• Finger count settings for hold and tap in GML
• Improved TUIO support includes FLOSC, TUIO via TCP, and TUIO via UDP
• Improved virtual touch object workflow
• Magnifier performance improved
• Modest Maps improved