An Investigation of Material Perception in Virtual Environments

Abstract

Material representation has always been an important part of visual effects in industrial design. And the judgment and recognition of product material often remain on the rendering effect drawings of the 2D display. However, it cannot fully intuitive performed, even sometimes cannot identify the specific material composition. As a device to simulate the real environment, VR strengthens people’s immersive experience by its 3D sense of space. The purpose of this study is to explore whether the material perception in VR is different from that in traditional 2D mode, and to determine whether VR can be used as a tool for users’ material perception in the future. The study found that VR provides the users with stereoscopic visual effects not seen on a 2D display. This feature seems to deepen the perception of material, which may facilitate the design of industrial products, furniture design, automotive interior and so on.