The limits of realism: perceptions of virtual landscapes

Communicating planning results within expert groups or to local citizens is crucial to an efficient planning process. In the planning and design disci plines such as landscape and urban planning, recent digital 3D-visualizatio ns have gained increased recognition. However, the validation of simulation s of virtual landscapes, in terms of their degree of realism (R'Degree) has so far been neglected in research. This study concentrates on the question whether, how, and to which degree the real visually perceived landscape, r epresented through photographs, can be validly represented by means of virt ual landscapes. The study area comprises the communities of Schwyz and Inge nbohl-Brunnen situated on Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland. From a modelling point of view, landscapes are highly complex structures. I nstead of manually modelling the virtual environment, which is the traditio nal CAD-approach, a GIS-based approach is pursued. This is the prerequisite for the efficient visualization of large data sets. The validity of the created virtual landscape is tested in an empirical stu dy in which test persons are asked to order a set of real images and variat ions of the corresponding computer-generated images. In the experiment, app roximately 75% of the test persons assigned the highest possible value (ver y high degree of realism) to one or more scenes of simulated landscapes. In order to achieve an even higher degree of realism, more and very detailed 3D-object-data and accompanying texture information would be necessary. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.