Interactive Asset Implementation
This guide covers implementing interactive elements in metaverse assets, focusing on practical workflows for creating assets that respond to user interaction across different platforms.
Use Cases
Interactive asset implementation addresses these common scenarios:
- Creating assets that respond to user actions (click, touch, proximity)
- Implementing state changes and animations triggered by interactions
- Defining behavior patterns that work across different environments
- Building linked interactions between multiple objects
- Creating programmatic responses to environmental conditions
Prerequisites
Before implementing interactive assets, ensure you have:
- A clear understanding of your target platforms' interaction systems
- Knowledge of supported animation and state management capabilities
- Familiarity with basic MVMD metadata structure
- Understanding of event-driven interaction models
Implementation Workflow
1. Define Interaction Points
Start by identifying where and how users can interact with your asset:
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mvmd": "https://mvmd.org/v1/"
},
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Interactive Control Panel",
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "interactionPoints",
"name": "Interaction Points",
"value": [
{
"id": "power-button",
"type": "button",
"position": [0, 0.5, 0.1],
"radius": 0.05,
"label": "Power",
"interactionType": ["touch", "click"],
"highlightColor": "#FF3366"
},
{
"id": "volume-slider",
"type": "slider",
"position": [0.2, 0, 0.1],
"size": [0.3, 0.05, 0.02],
"label": "Volume",
"interactionType": ["grab", "drag"],
"axis": "x",
"range": [0, 100],
"default": 50,
"steps": 10
}
]
}
]
}
2. Define State Transitions
Specify how the asset changes state based on interactions:
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mvmd": "https://mvmd.org/v1/"
},
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Interactive Lamp",
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "states",
"name": "Object States",
"value": {
"initialState": "off",
"states": [
{
"id": "off",
"properties": {
"emissiveColor": "#000000",
"lightEnabled": false
}
},
{
"id": "on",
"properties": {
"emissiveColor": "#FFDD88",
"lightEnabled": true,
"lightIntensity": 100
}
},
{
"id": "dimmed",
"properties": {
"emissiveColor": "#664400",
"lightEnabled": true,
"lightIntensity": 30
}
}
],
"transitions": [
{
"from": "off",
"to": "on",
"trigger": "click",
"target": "lamp-switch",
"animation": "switch-on"
},
{
"from": "on",
"to": "off",
"trigger": "click",
"target": "lamp-switch",
"animation": "switch-off"
},
{
"from": "on",
"to": "dimmed",
"trigger": "hold",
"target": "lamp-switch",
"duration": 2.0
}
]
}
}
]
}
3. Link Interactions to Animations
Connect user interactions to appropriate animations:
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mvmd": "https://mvmd.org/v1/"
},
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Interactive Door",
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "animations",
"name": "Interactive Animations",
"value": {
"animations": [
{
"id": "door-open",
"trigger": "click",
"target": "door-handle",
"duration": 1.5,
"playMode": "once",
"transitionTo": "open"
},
{
"id": "door-close",
"trigger": "click",
"target": "door-panel",
"duration": 1.2,
"playMode": "once",
"transitionTo": "closed"
},
{
"id": "handle-wiggle",
"trigger": "interaction-denied",
"duration": 0.5,
"playMode": "once"
}
],
"conditions": [
{
"animation": "door-open",
"requiresState": "closed",
"fallback": "handle-wiggle"
},
{
"animation": "door-close",
"requiresState": "open",
"fallback": null
}
]
}
}
]
}
4. Define Interaction Feedback
Specify how the asset provides feedback during interactions:
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mvmd": "https://mvmd.org/v1/"
},
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Interactive Console",
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "feedback",
"name": "Interaction Feedback",
"value": {
"feedbackTypes": [
{
"event": "hover",
"visual": {
"highlightColor": "#88AAFF",
"outline": true,
"outlineWidth": 2
},
"audio": null,
"haptic": null
},
{
"event": "press",
"visual": {
"highlightColor": "#FFAA00",
"moveDistance": 0.01,
"moveDirection": "down"
},
"audio": {
"sound": "button-click",
"volume": 0.7,
"spatial": true
},
"haptic": {
"intensity": 0.5,
"duration": 0.1
}
},
{
"event": "success",
"visual": {
"emissiveColor": "#00FF00",
"emissiveDuration": 0.5
},
"audio": {
"sound": "success-chime",
"volume": 0.5
},
"haptic": {
"pattern": "success",
"intensity": 0.3
}
}
]
}
}
]
}
5. Set Up Connections Between Objects
Create interactive systems with connected elements:
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mvmd": "https://mvmd.org/v1/"
},
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Connected Room System",
"hasPart": [
{
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Light Switch",
"identifier": "switch-1"
},
{
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Ceiling Light",
"identifier": "light-1"
},
{
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Motion Sensor",
"identifier": "sensor-1"
}
],
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "connections",
"name": "Object Connections",
"value": {
"connections": [
{
"source": "switch-1",
"sourceEvent": "toggle",
"target": "light-1",
"targetAction": "setPower",
"valueMapping": {
"on": true,
"off": false
}
},
{
"source": "sensor-1",
"sourceEvent": "motionDetected",
"target": "light-1",
"targetAction": "setPower",
"value": true,
"conditions": [
{
"property": "environmentLight",
"operator": "<",
"value": 0.3
}
]
}
]
}
}
]
}
Complete Example
A comprehensive interactive asset implementation:
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mvmd": "https://mvmd.org/v1/",
"gltf": "https://www.khronos.org/gltf/"
},
"@type": "3DModel",
"name": "Interactive Control Console",
"description": "User console with multiple interactive elements",
"creator": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Interactive Systems Inc.",
"url": "https://interactivesystems.example.com"
},
"contentUrl": "https://assets.example.com/console.glb",
"encodingFormat": "model/gltf-binary",
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"additionalProperty": [
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "interactionPoints",
"name": "Interaction Points",
"value": [
{
"id": "power-button",
"type": "button",
"position": [0, 0.1, 0.05],
"radius": 0.03,
"label": "Power",
"interactionType": ["touch", "click"],
"highlightColor": "#FF3366"
},
{
"id": "volume-slider",
"type": "slider",
"position": [0.15, 0, 0.05],
"size": [0.2, 0.03, 0.01],
"label": "Volume",
"interactionType": ["grab", "drag"],
"axis": "x",
"range": [0, 100],
"default": 50,
"steps": 10
},
{
"id": "mode-selector",
"type": "dial",
"position": [-0.15, 0, 0.05],
"radius": 0.04,
"label": "Mode",
"interactionType": ["rotate"],
"rotation": {
"axis": "z",
"range": [0, 270],
"steps": 3
}
}
]
},
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "states",
"name": "Object States",
"value": {
"initialState": "off",
"states": [
{
"id": "off",
"properties": {
"screenEnabled": false,
"powerLed": "#330000",
"buttonsEnabled": false
}
},
{
"id": "on",
"properties": {
"screenEnabled": true,
"powerLed": "#00FF00",
"buttonsEnabled": true,
"screenContent": "main-menu"
}
},
{
"id": "standby",
"properties": {
"screenEnabled": true,
"powerLed": "#FFAA00",
"buttonsEnabled": true,
"screenContent": "standby"
}
}
],
"transitions": [
{
"from": "off",
"to": "on",
"trigger": "click",
"target": "power-button",
"animation": "power-up"
},
{
"from": "on",
"to": "standby",
"trigger": "timer",
"duration": 60,
"animation": "fade-to-standby"
},
{
"from": ["on", "standby"],
"to": "off",
"trigger": "hold",
"target": "power-button",
"duration": 2.0,
"animation": "power-down"
}
]
}
},
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "animations",
"name": "Interactive Animations",
"value": {
"animations": [
{
"id": "power-up",
"duration": 2.0,
"playMode": "once",
"transitionTo": "on"
},
{
"id": "power-down",
"duration": 1.5,
"playMode": "once",
"transitionTo": "off"
},
{
"id": "fade-to-standby",
"duration": 1.0,
"playMode": "once",
"transitionTo": "standby"
},
{
"id": "button-press",
"duration": 0.2,
"playMode": "once"
},
{
"id": "slider-move",
"duration": 0.1,
"playMode": "continuous"
}
]
}
},
{
"@type": "PropertyValue",
"propertyID": "feedback",
"name": "Interaction Feedback",
"value": {
"feedbackTypes": [
{
"event": "hover",
"visual": {
"highlightColor": "#88AAFF",
"outline": true,
"outlineWidth": 2
},
"audio": null,
"haptic": null
},
{
"event": "press",
"visual": {
"highlightColor": "#FFAA00",
"moveDistance": 0.01,
"moveDirection": "down"
},
"audio": {
"sound": "button-click",
"volume": 0.7,
"spatial": true
},
"haptic": {
"intensity": 0.5,
"duration": 0.1
}
},
{
"event": "drag",
"visual": {
"highlightColor": "#FFAA00"
},
"audio": {
"sound": "slider-move",
"volume": 0.3,
"spatial": true
},
"haptic": {
"intensity": 0.2,
"continuous": true
}
}
]
}
}
],
"gltf:asset": {
"version": "2.0",
"generator": "Interactive Studio 2024"
},
"gltf:animations": [
"power-up",
"power-down",
"fade-to-standby",
"button-press",
"slider-move"
]
}
Implementation Considerations
Platform-Specific Interaction Systems
Each platform handles interactions differently:
- VR/AR Environments: May use ray-based selection, controller input, or hand tracking
- Web 3D Viewers: Typically use mouse/touch interactions
- Game Engines: Often use custom interaction systems with raycast and collision detection
- Mobile Platforms: Rely on touch-based interactions with simplified feedback
Accessibility Considerations
- Include multiple interaction methods for the same functionality
- Ensure feedback is available through multiple channels (visual, audio, haptic)
- Use standard interaction patterns that users will recognize
- Provide sufficient visual cues for interactive elements
- Consider reduced motion preferences for animations
Performance Optimization
- Limit the number of interactive elements visible at one time
- Use simple collision shapes for interaction detection
- Implement level-of-detail for interaction options at different distances
- Optimize animations to use minimal resources
- Consider batching interaction feedback for multiple simultaneous interactions
Common Issues
- Input Detection: Inconsistent handling of click/touch events across platforms
- Animation Timing: Different animation systems interpret timing differently
- Feedback Synchronization: Visual, audio and haptic feedback may not sync perfectly
- Performance Impact: Complex interaction systems can significantly affect performance
- State Management: Race conditions can occur with rapid state transitions