Interpretation of Simulations in Interactive VR Environments: Depth Perception in Cave and Panorama

 Virtual reality (VR) applications are transforming the way architecture is conceived and produced. By introducing an open and inclusive approach, they encourage a creative dialogue with the users of residential schemes and other buildings and allow competition juries a more thorough understanding of architectural concepts. Architects need to heed the dynamics set in motion by these technologies and especially of how laypersons interpret building forms and their simulations in interactive VR environments.

The article presents a study which compares aspects of spatial perception in a physical environment, CAVE and Panorama. In a report, statistical analysis and discussion of the results, the paper addresses three hypothetical assertions - that depth perception in physical reality and its virtual representations in CAVE and Panorama are quantifiably different, that differences are attributable to prior contextual experience of the viewer, and that spatial ability is an important contributing factor.

Results in the two virtual environments tested show consistent differences in how depth and shape are perceived, indicating that VR context is a significant variable in spatial representation. It is asserted that perception of shape and distance display here fundamental conditions of the CAVE and Panorama.