A workflow for designing VR experiments for daylight and view-out studies using real-time stereoscopic videos

Introduction

The introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) technology has opened up new avenues to delve into daylight and view-out studies, offering a dynamic, controlled, and immersive approach for conducting human-centered experiments. Despite these benefits, existing VR studies in the current view-out research tend to rely on the use of static scenes, typically sourced from tone-mapped HDR photographs or rendered images, which lack the temporal dynamics inherent to real world views. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for integrating real-time stereoscopic videos into VR to enhance the realism and dynamism of daylight and view-out research.

Methods

We utilize a Canon EOS R5 camera equipped with dual fisheye lenses to capture dynamic views-out scenes. The captured footage is converted to an equirectangular format and integrated into Unity3D to create an immersive VR environment. The proposed methodology includes detailed steps for setting up VR experiments, capturing and processing stereoscopic videos, and analyzing participant interactions using physiological data and eye-tracking from a VR headset. Our approach addresses the limitations of static scene simulations by incorporating temporal dynamics and real-time data collection.

Results

We provide technical insights, pseudocode, and visual evidence to support the reproducibility and reliability of the proposed workflow. The results demonstrate the potential of VR to significantly improve the accuracy and depth of environmental perception studies, offering a valuable tool for architectural and urban design research. Some of the challenges faced when dealing with the preparation of VR-based human experiments will be addressed, including debugging complexities, scene generation or sequencing issues and problems arising in data collection, specifically within the context of daylight and view-out research. Our aim is to deliver a hands-on workflow, similar in nature to a “contextualized tutorial,” that can assist researchers in avoiding common mistakes and refining accuracy in subsequent studies. Future work will focus on validating the VR simulations against real-world conditions and exploring the broader applications of this methodology in different environmental contexts.

Conclusion

The implications of our work extend beyond immediate research outcomes, serving as a foundational framework that can grow in utility and application as VR technology advances. In conclusion, we emphasize that our paper stands as a critical resource for researchers dedicated to exploring the intricate interplay between daylight, views, and human perception within the realm of architectural design, offering a method to deepen our understanding as we anticipate future technological breakthroughs.