HIGH-POWER GRAPHIC COMPUTERS FOR VISUAL SIMULATION - A REAL-TIME-RENDERING REVOLUTION

Advances in high-end graphics computers in the past decade have made i t possible to render visual scenes of incredible complexity and realis m in realtime. These new capabilities make it possible to manipulate a nd investigate the interactions of observers with their visual world i n ways once only dreamed of. This paper reviews how these developments have affected two preexisting domains of behavioral research (flight simulation and motion perception) and have created a new domain (virtu al environment research) which provides tools and challenges for the p erceptual psychologist. Finally, the current limitations of these tech nologies are considered, with an eye toward how perceptual psychologis ts might shape future developments.