Real illumination from virtual environments

Abstract

We present a method for actively controlling the illumination in a room so that it is consistent with a virtual world. This procedure triggers natural adaptation processes in the human visual system. Combined with conventional or high dynamic range displays, the system improves the realism of transitions from dark to light environments and vice versa. It also helps with directional illumination in the user's peripheral field of view. We describe both the hardware and the software aspects of this approach, and discuss the results of an informal user survey that we conducted to verify the concept.