We developed the Bell Labs Box to compare the result of acoustical simulations with measured data in simple and controlled settings

omputer simulated sound propagation through 3D environments is important in many applications, including computer-aided design, training, and virtual reality. In many cases, the accuracy of the acoustical simulation is critical to an applica-tion's success. For example, in concert hall and factory design (where designers must meet US Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] sound limits), a simulation's accuracy might save costly reengi-neering after construction. In virtual environments, experiments have shown that more accurate acoustic modeling provides a stronger sense of presence. 1 Furthermore, auditory cues help form spatial impressions, separate simultaneous sound signals, and localize objects, 2 such as when a soldier locates an enemy in a training exercise or a firefighter locates a person stranded in a burning building. In contrast, incorrect auditory cues can lead to negative training.

[1]  H. Sabine.  Room Acoustics , 1953, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders.

[2]  J. Keller,et al.  Geometrical theory of diffraction. , 1962, Journal of the Optical Society of America.

[3]  A. Krokstad,et al.  Calculating the acoustical room response by the use of a ray tracing technique , 1968 .

[4]  R. Kouyoumjian,et al.  A uniform geometrical theory of diffraction for an edge in a perfectly conducting surface , 1974 .

[5]  Sven‐Ingvar Thomasson.  Reflection of waves from a point source by an impedance boundary , 1976 .

[6]  R. Welch.  Perceptual modification : adapting to altered sensory environments / Robert B. Welch , 1978 .

[7]  Turner Whitted,et al.  An improved illumination model for shaded display , 1979, CACM.

[8]  J. Blauert.  Spatial Hearing: The Psychophysics of Human Sound Localization , 1983 .

[9]  Pat Hanrahan,et al.  Beam tracing polygonal objects , 1984, SIGGRAPH.

[10]  George William Kent Moore.  An Approach to the Analysis of Sound in Auditoria , 1984 .

[11]  Donald P. Greenberg,et al.  Modeling the interaction of light between diffuse surfaces , 1984, SIGGRAPH.

[12]  James T. Kajiya,et al.  The rendering equation , 1986, SIGGRAPH.

[13]  Donald P. Greenberg,et al.  An experimental evaluation of computer graphics imagery , 1986, TOGS.

[14]  L. Kaufman,et al.  Handbook of perception and human performance , 1986 .

[15]  Hugo Fastl,et al.  Psychoacoustics: Facts and Models , 1990 .

[16]  Graham Naylor,et al.  ODEON—Another hybrid room acoustical model , 1993 .

[17]  D. V. Maercke,et al.  Binaural simulation of concert halls: A new approach for the binaural reverberation process , 1993 .

[18]  Gregory B. Newby,et al.  Virtual reality: Scientific and technological challenges , 1996 .

[19]  Dana S. Hougland,et al.  Concert and Opera Halls: How They Sound , 1996 .

[20]  Thomas A. Funkhouser,et al.  A beam tracing approach to acoustic modeling for interactive virtual environments , 1998, SIGGRAPH.

[21]  P. Nelson,et al.  Measurement of transient response of rooms and comparison with geometrical acoustic models , 1999 .

[22]  I. Bork,et al.  A comparison of room simulation software - The 2nd round robin on room acoustical computer simulation , 2000 .

[23]  Thomas A. Funkhouser,et al.  Modeling acoustics in virtual environments using the uniform theory of diffraction , 2001, SIGGRAPH.

[24]  M. Kleiner,et al.  Computation of edge diffraction for more accurate room acoustics auralization. , 2001, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[25]  D. Malacara-Hernández,et al.  PRINCIPLES OF OPTICS , 2011 .