ExquiMo: An Exquisite Corpse Tool for Collaborative 3D Shape Design

We introduce ExquiMo, a collaborative modeling tool which enables novice users to work together to generate interesting, and even creative, 3D shapes. Inspired by an Exquisite Corpse gameplay, our tool allocates distinct parts of a shape to multiple players who model the assigned parts in a sequence. Our approach is motivated by the understanding that effective surprise leads to creative outcomes. Hence, to maintain the surprise factor of the output, we conceal the previously modeled parts from the most recent player. Part designs from individual players are fused together to produce an often unexpected and novel end result. We investigate the effectiveness of collaboration on the output designs by conducting a sequence of user studies to validate the hypotheses formed based on our research questions. Results of the user studies are supportive of our hypotheses that multi-user collaborative 3D modeling via ExquiMo tends to lead to more creative novice designs according to the commonly used criteria for creativity: novelty and surprise.