Visualizing user perception of daylighting: a comparison between VR and reality

Abstract

This study introduces a novel method to investigate human perception of daylight in an interactive and immersive way, using game-engine and virtual reality (VR). The proposed method produces highly realistic renderings in real time of which users can explore freely and report daylight brightness perception using rated snapshots. Perceptions on daylighting in the virtual environment were found consistent with that in the physical one. The proposed approach can overcome some of the challenges facing current light simulation tools, regarding rendering speed and interactivity. It also encourages more validation studies to light simulation in game-engines.