Reaching a higher sense of presence in VR through 3D architectural visualization

Abstract

This thesis focused on researching 3D visualization in VR and its possible effect on the sense of presence. Being one of the largest historic market squares of Europe, the Delft market square was chosen as the most suitable candidate for the project "VR and phobias" in researching Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in respect to agoraphobia. Two virtual environments resembling the market square in Delft were developed. One virtual environment consisted of 2D surroundings placed in such a way that they emitted the illusion of a 3D setting. The other virtual environment consisted of actual 3D surroundings, built to resemble the real world in a higher degree. The stated problem definition was as follows: "Can 3D (compared to 2D) architectural visualization in VR provide us with a perceptual component in reaching a higher sense of presence?" This problem definition was tested by use of an experiment, which was held among students. Two groups were randomly formed and each group consisted of 10 participants. One group evaluated the 3D visualized virtual environment, while the other group evaluated the 2D visualized virtual environment. The experiment lasted approximately 8.5 minutes, after which the participants were given the opportunity to assess their virtual environment trial with a questionnaire. The Igroup Presence Questionnaire was used to evaluate the sense of presence of the participants in two different virtual environments. The Igroup Presence Questionnaire covers 14 items on basis of three subscales (spatial presence, involvement, and experienced realism) and one additional general item ("sense of being there") not belonging to a subscale. Collecting the outcomes of the questionnaires from all participants provided us with an answer on the stated problem definition on virtual visualization and the feeling of presence. Two out of three subscales showed a significant improvement of the 3D visualized virtual environment. One subscale and the general item showed no significant difference. Having found significant differences between the 2D and 3D visualized virtual environment is quite remarkable considering the small test group used in the experiment. It is evident that the 3D architectural visualization provides us with a promising perceptual component for reaching a higher sense of presence.