  Exploring and manipulating complex virtual objects is challenging due to
limitations of conventional controllers and free-hand interaction techniques.
We present the TanGi toolkit which enables novices to rapidly build physical
proxy objects using Composable Shape Primitives. TanGi also provides
Manipulators allowing users to build objects including movable parts, making
them suitable for rich object exploration and manipulation in VR. With a set of
different use cases and applications we show the capabilities of the TanGi
toolkit, and evaluate its use. In a study with 16 participants, we demonstrate
that novices can quickly build physical proxy objects using the Composable
Shape Primitives, and explore how different levels of object embodiment affect
virtual object exploration. In a second study with 12 participants we evaluate
TanGi's Manipulators, and investigate the effectiveness of embodied
interaction. Findings from this study show that TanGi's proxies outperform
traditional controllers, and were generally favored by participants.
