XR Reference: Controllers and Commands

Note

This is the operational reference for the WebXR immersive-vr session. For a friendlier overview of what you can do in VR, see Virtual Reality Mode. This page is meant to be scanned when you have a headset on your head and need to remember which button does what.

1. Purpose and terminology

This document describes the functions available during a WebXR immersive-vr session and the commands used to activate them.

Right controller: primary controller used for pointing.
Left controller: secondary controller that hosts the wrist-mounted panels.
Trigger: button pressed with the index finger.
Grip: side button pressed by squeezing the controller handle.

The physical position and label of each button may vary between headsets; the roles above are the canonical WebXR mapping.

2. Entering and exiting XR

To enter XR: connect the headset, open a scene, press VR in the top bar and confirm the start of the immersive session. The session starts in Node interaction mode.

To exit: select the red button next to the left-wrist panel with the right trigger, or use the browser / headset exit control.

3. Quick command reference

Controller	Command	Context	Result
Right	Trigger	XR interface	Activates the pointed button
Right	Trigger	Teleport mode	Teleports to the aimed point
Right	Trigger	Node-interaction mode	Selects proxies, graph nodes and panel entries
Right	Hover / Leave	Over a graph node	Shows / hides the info panel
Right	Grip (hold)	Pointing at a stratigraphic node	Highlights the associated proxy
Right	Grip (release)	Highlighted proxy	Restores the proxy’s previous state
Left	Grip near a preview	Preview shown	Grabs the image or the 3D model
Left	Grip (release)	Preview being held	Positions the preview in the scene
Left	Grip	Graph open, nothing grabbable nearby	Closes the graph
Right	A / WebXR index 4	XR session	Moves the user downward
Right	B / WebXR index 5	XR session	Moves the user upward

4. Interaction modes

Two mode-selector buttons sit on the left wrist. The active mode is highlighted in green.

Teleport mode

Select the button with the pointer icon, aim at a valid surface, and press the right trigger. In this mode the right trigger does not open proxies or graph nodes; the interface controls on the wrist panels remain usable.

Node-interaction mode

Select the button with the connected-nodes icon. The right trigger now:

opens the graph associated with a proxy;
selects a node inside the graph;
activates entries on the wrist panels;
opens the preview of a document node.

5. Left-wrist panels

Before a graph is opened, the main panel shows the temporal selector. Use the arrows to scroll through epochs and filters, and the right trigger to apply the selection.

When a graph is opened, the main panel switches to show the origin node, its relationships and the neighbouring nodes. The arrows change which relationship group is displayed.

Selecting an entry with the right trigger displays the node’s details in the secondary panel on the wrist. Selecting a node in this way does not open the info panel next to the node in the scene — that only appears on hover.

6. Graph and semantic nodes

To open a graph:

Activate the Node-interaction mode.
Aim the right controller at a stratigraphic proxy in the scene.
Press the right trigger.

While a graph is open, hovering a proxy in the scene no longer highlights it. To close the graph, press the left grip while no preview is being held.

When the right pointer enters the area of a graph node, an info panel appears next to the node. It disappears on Leave. Clicking instead updates the secondary panel on the right wrist.

In a collaborative session, the graph and the visibility of the info panel can be synchronised with the other participants.

7. Temporary proxy highlighting

Use this feature to locate the proxy associated with a stratigraphic node, even when the proxy is hidden behind other geometries.

Point at a stratigraphic node in the graph with the right controller.
Press and hold the right grip.
The associated proxy is highlighted in the scene.
Release the grip to restore the previous material and visibility.

The command has no effect if the node is not stratigraphic or does not carry a proxy.

8. Image and 3D previews

When a document node is selected, Heriverse loads the first image or the first compatible 3D model linked to the node. The resource is resized and shown next to the right controller. This feature is only available in immersive mode.

Grabbing and placing

Move the left controller close to the preview.
Press and hold the left grip.
Move the controller to reposition the resource.
Release the grip at the desired position.

The preview remains in the scene, keeping its position, rotation and scale. It can be grabbed again by moving the left controller close and pressing the grip.

The left grip gives priority to grabbing. When no preview is close enough, the left grip closes the currently open graph instead.

Clearing previews

The preview still attached to the controller is removed when a non-document node is selected or when the graph is closed. All placed previews are cleared when the epoch changes and when the XR session exits.

9. Vertical movement

With the standard WebXR mapping:

the right A button (index 4) moves the user downward;
the right B button (index 5) moves the user upward.

The exact mapping may differ on non-standard controllers.

10. Operational notes

Teleport and node selection are alternative modes of the right trigger; switch between them from the left wrist.
The right grip drives the temporary proxy highlighting.
The left grip prioritises previews first, then closes the graph.
Changing epoch clears the graph, the temporary highlights and every placed XR preview.
Resources blocked by CORS rules cannot be shown as previews.