View-dependent Focal Blur for Immersive Virtual Environments

Abstract

Many immersive projection displays like the CAVE (CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment) system have been developed. These systems can realize highly immersive virtual environments, and the utililation of these virtual environments is expected in various fields. However, there are many problems regarding the practical use of immersive virtual environments. Depth perception errors are especially serious for interactive applications in immersive virtual environments. In this paper, we provide a view-dependent focal blur effect in immersive virtual environments and examine its effects on depth perception and sense of reality of virtual environments. The effect is synchronized with viewing direction, and it can generate natural blur effect in one's field of view. We show experimentally that the focal blur effect enables us to perceive depth informations accurately, and enhances the sense of reality of virtual environments.