Reimagined cursors can change digital imaging

The cursor—that small, jumping pixel arrow computer users don’t even notice anymore—are becoming obsolete, especially as touch screens rise. But the developers of Hyve3D are turning it into something new, something that can change how Building Teams collaborate with each other.

"What we've done is evolve the cursor into an avatar for a 3D world," Tomás Dorta, the University of Montreal professor responsible for Hyve3D, told Fast Company. "It's no longer just this little arrow, bouncing around on your desktop. Instead, it can now be a powerful tool for seeing inside and modifying virtual worlds."

What Hyve3D does is give your smartphones access to a program: a game, website, or building imaging program. Using multitouch gestures, users can control whatever they want to drag, grab, click, or drop on the screen in 3D form.

“Within Hyve3D, Dorta says that the 3D cursor allows multiple designers or engineers to interact with a virtual space simultaneously, using their individual smartphones to grab objects, copy and paste them, rotate them, sketch in the air with them, and so on,” the article says.

Fast Company has the full report