Modeling software:

Teddy
The models created by Teddy's methods are very organic in form. They are all rounded - if the user wants to create geometric shapes like a desk or a cube, it's impossible using Teddy.

SmoothTeddy
SmoothTeddy has "beautified" and refined meshes, and texture painting, but the basic approach to modeling is the same.

SKETCH
Their gesture-based system of modeling seems very promising for what we want to do. It could be adapted for modeling in a 3D space. Written in Java - we might be able to get the code, as this is an old research project.

Google Sketchup
Mainly uses extending to create models, contains some other modeling tools as well. Very easy to learn.

Archipelis
Similar to Teddy, but developed into a product. Seems to be popular for creating content for

Wii Hacking
Some projects based on Wii technology. Including finger(remote tracking), modeling techniques,

Decisions we need to make:

1. Finger tracking VS. Wii remote drawing.
--Finger tracking's limitation:
    1. We may need more "buttons"(or fingers) to draw. Though we have solution: increase the complexity of user interface design, but still not sure about if it is convenient.
        also, to use finger tracking, we need the user to wear some special material. is that a good choice?
    2. Remote provides more buttons to control and more convenient to use. but maybe not as interesting as using finger. When we want to build games after the platform,                     wiiremote might be a better choice for game control.

2. Teddy VS. direct Drawing in 3d environment
 --Teddy:
 1. Smoothteddy also includes other features like texture painting, extrusion, smooth cut, export and load models, which is helpful for us but painful if develop by ourselves.
      But when we draw, must fix the screen as a 2d plane, means we can't rotate head to see different angle. In addition, it developed in java.
 2. Direct drawing in 3d:
      Relative project about that: protoShop but not too much. still need to do more research.

If we choose direct draw in 3d, we need to find out the algorithms about drawing.that means more work to do, but it is also a new try, so we still need to do more research on direct draw in 3d.

Approaches to modeling that go from 2D to 3D:

    1. Extending - create a 2D closed shape, then extrude it along a straight or curved path to create a 3D object
            Google Sketchup
    2. Lathing - Create a profile line, then rotate it through 360° to make something like a clay pot
            Julie's cuve/surface modeler
    3. Blobbing - Create a 2D closed shape, then give it thickness according to its width to create a 3D object
            Teddy, Archipelis
    4. Gesture drawing - combinations of lines and points direct the software to create different 3D models
            SKETCH

Packages like Maya or Blender use these and other modeling techniques to create 3D models. Some of the techniques can start from points and lines in 3D space. We need to figure out which of these techniques will work best in our virtual space with finger tracking, and which we can actually implement in one semester.

Video from Ben (in Japan) - we obviously can't do this without a lot more time and a million dollars, but the approach might give us some ideas about sketching in a 3D space.