Automatic placement of a virtual object in a three-dimensional space

An augmented reality (AR) system comprising:

• a hardware computer processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable medium having software instructions stored thereon, the software instructions executable by the hardware computer processor to cause the AR system to perform operations comprising:
• render a virtual environment to a user of the AR system;
• present a virtual menu of items to the user of the AR system;
• generate a focus indicator comprising a graphical representation of a cursor, virtual cone, or virtual ray;
• display the focus indicator at a location in the virtual environment of the user associated with a current pose of the user;
• receive a selection of an item by the user from the virtual menu of items based on a positioning of the focus indicator by the user;
• automatically place the selected item at a location in the virtual environment of the user based at least in part on:
• affordances of the selected item and affordances of objects, associated with inanimate physical objects, in the virtual environment of the user,
• wherein automatically placing the selected item at the location in the virtual environment of the user includes applying a virtual force to the selected item based on the affordances of the selected item and the affordances of the objects in the virtual environment of the user, and wherein the virtual force replicates at least one of a spring force, a gravitational force, an adhesive force, or an electromagnetic force and is at least partially dependent on a user preference associated with an orientation speed,
• wherein the applying the virtual force to the selected item based on the affordances of the selected item and the affordances of the object in the virtual environment of the user includes applying a repulsive force when the affordances of the selected item and the affordances of the object in the virtual environment of the user indicate a functional incompatibility for use or attachment at the location, such that placing the selected item at the location would prevent an intended use of the selected item or the object and
• wherein, upon determining that the placing of the selected item at the location is suitable, the automatically placing the selected item at the location in the virtual environment of the user further includes:
• calculating a distance between an initial location of the selected item from the virtual menu of items and the location,
• determining whether the distance between distance is less than a first threshold distance, and rendering, when the distance is less than the first threshold distance, an orientation of the selected item to align one or more objects at the location by automatically orienting the selected item to cause a surface normal of the selected item to face the AR system, the surface normal being defined by the affordances of the selected item;
• and
• automatically orienting the selected item to cause a surface normal of the selected item to be perpendicular to a surface of the location or parallel to a normal of the location.