Interactive props and choreography planning with the mixed reality stage

This paper introduces - the Mixed Reality Stage - an interactive Mixed Reality environment for collaborative planning of stage shows and events. The Mixed Reality Stage combines the presence of reality with the flexibility of virtuality to form an intuitive and efficient planning tool. The planning environment is based on a physical miniature stage enriched with computer-generated props and characters. Users may load virtual models from a Virtual Menu, arrange those using Tangible Units or employ more sophisticated functionality in the form of special Tools. A major feature of the Mixed Reality stage is the planning of choreographies for virtual characters. Animation paths may be recorded and walking styles may be defined in a straightforward way. The planning results are recorded and may be played back at any time. User tests have been conducted that demonstrate the viability of the Mixed Reality Stage.