Degrees of Freedom (DoF) describes the position and orientation of an object in space. DoF is defined by three components of translation and three components of rotation.
An experience with three degrees of freedom (3DoF) is one which allows for:
- Swiveling left and right (yawing);
- Tilting forward and backward (pitching);
- Pivoting side to side (rolling).
3DoF applications can be experienced on devices such as Google Cardboard and GearVR.
An experience with six degrees of freedom (6DoF) allows for:
- Moving up and down (elevating/heaving – Y Translation);
- Moving left and right (strafi ng/swaying – X Translation);
- Moving forward and backward (walking/surging – Z Translation);
- Swivels left and right (yawing);
- Tilts forward and backward (pitching);
- Pivots side to side (rolling).
6DoF applications can be experienced on devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.