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We present and evaluate methods to redirect desktop inputs such as eye gaze and mouse pointing to a VR-embedded avatar. We use these methods to build a novel interface that allows a desktop user to give presentations in remote VR meetings such as conferences or classrooms. Recent work on such VR meetings suggests a substantial number of users continue to use desktop interfaces due to ergonomic or technical factors. Our approach enables desk-top and immersed users to better share virtual worlds, by allowing desktop-based users to have more engaging or present "cross-reality" avatars. The described redirection methods consider mouse pointing and drawing for a presentation, eye-tracked gaze towards audience members, hand tracking for gesturing, and associated avatar motions such as head and torso movement. A study compared different levels of desktop avatar control and headset-based control. Study results suggest that users consider the enhanced desktop avatar to be human-like and lively and draw more attention than a conventionally animated desktop avatar, implying that our interface and methods could be useful for future cross-reality remote learning tools. 

Building collaborative VR applications for exploring and interacting with large or abstract spaces presents several problems. Given a large space and a potentially large number of possible interactions, it is expected that users will need a tool selection menu that will be easily accessible at any point in the environment. Given the collaborative nature, users will also want to be able to maintain awareness of each other within the environment and communicate about what they are seeing or doing. We present a demo that shows solutions to these problems developed in the context of a collaborative geological dataset viewer.