The Arlab and Cave libraries: On authoring augmented reality and virtual reality experiences using a graphical programming language

In an attempt to better understand how the use of graphical programming environments can be beneficial to artists, I have designed two new libraries for authoring augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR) experiences in Max/MSP/Jitter. I propose that libraries of pre-constructed objects, known as abstractions, as well as the use of existing graphical interfaces, could facilitate experimentation and could encourage programmers to repurpose projects for use by non-programmers. This paper describes these libraries and their uses.