Abstract

Sketching and other forms of visual representation help designers think and communicate. Designers often use sketches as a tool for thought and communication. Anecdote, intuition and research all suggest that paper-based (PB) sketching is useful in the early stages of design. Sketching allows ideas to be captured, explored and developed, and designers also discover new ideas in their sketches. If designers are better able to sketch, then they are better able to design. In PB sketching, 3D shapes are represented with one or more 2D views. This is a skill that must be learnt, developed and maintained. However, recent developments in immersive virtual reality (VR) sketching tools allow 3D shapes to be sketched rapidly and directly in 3D space. In such tools, 3D shapes are generated by the user’s physical gestures represented and recorded as computer models of lines and surfaces. The advent of immersive VR sketching tools raises questions about their potential role in the design process?