Abstract
The current study was done to investigate the effect of varying the update rate of a computer-generated simulation (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Hz) on the sense of presence within stereoscopic virtual environments. Thirteen subjects navigated a virtual representation of Stonehenge and were asked to search for a rune, inscribed upon the wall of one of Stonehenge's edifices. After performing the search task, subjects completed a questionnaire designed to assess their level of presence within the virtual environment. The results indicated that the subjective report of presence within the virtual environment was significantly less using an update rate of 5 and 10 Hz when compared to update rates of 20 and 25 Hz. Furthermore, the reported level of presence using a 15 Hz update rate was similar to the reported level of presence using update rates of 20 and 25 Hz thus indicating that computational resources could be saved using a slower update rate while maintaining a given level of presence. In addition, a factor analysis procedure indicated that the 13 questions designed to assess the subjects sense of presence within virtual Stonehenge could be grouped into three factors: (1) virtual presence, (2) navigation within the virtual environment, and (3) knowledge of real world surroundings while in the virtual world. Finally, comments on a descriptive model of presence within virtual environments are presented.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Airey, J.M., Rohlf, J.H. and Brooks, F., (1990). Towards Image Realism with Interactive Update Rates in Complex Virtual Building Environments,Computer Graphics 24: 41–50.
Barfield, W. and Weghorst, S., (1993). The Sense of Presence Within Virtual Environments: A Conceptual Framework, inHuman Computer Interaction: Software and Hardware Interfaces, (Eds.) G. Salvendy and M. Smith, Elsevier Publisher, 699–704.
Barfield, W., Sheridan, T., Zeltzer, D. and Slater, M., (1995). Presence and Performance within Virtual Environments, inVirtual Environments and Advanced Interface Design, (Eds.) W. Barfield and T. Furness III, Oxford University Press.
Barfield, W., Rosenberg, C. and Lotens, W., (1995). Augmented-Reality Displays, inVirtual Environments and Advanced Interface Design, (Eds.) W. Barfield and T. Furness III, Oxford University Press.
Foley, J., Van Dam, A., Feiner, S.K., Hughes, J.F. and Phillips, R.L., (1994).Introduction to Computer Graphics, Addison-Wesley.
Hendrix, C. and Barfield, W., (1995a). Ego-presence within Virtual Environments as a function of Visual Display Parameters, accepted for publicationPresence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.
Hendrix, C. and Barfield, W., (1995b). Presence as a Function of Auditory Cues, accepted for publicationPresence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.
Lampton, D.R., Knerr, B.W. and Goldberg, S.L., (1994). The Virtual Environment Performance Assessment Battery (VEPAB): Development and Evaluation,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 3(2): 145–157.
McKenna, M.D. and Zeltzer, D., (1992). Three Dimensional Visual Display Systems for Virtual Environments,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 1(4): 421–458.
Piantanida, T., Boman, D.K. and Gille, J., (1993). Human Perceptual Issues and Virtual Reality,Virtual Reality Systems, Applications and Research 1(1): 43–52, March.
Sheridan, T.B., (1992a). Musings on Telepresence and Virtual Presence,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 1(1): 120–125.
Sheridan, T.B., (1992b). Defining our Terms,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 1(2): 272–274.
Slater, M. and Usoh, M., (1994). Representations Systems, Perceptual Position, and Presence in Immersive Virtual Environments,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 2(3): 221–233.
Slater, M. and Usoh, M., (1993). Presence in Immersive Virtual Environments,IEEE Virtual Reality International Symposium, 90–96.
Slater, M., Usoh, M., and Steed, A., (1994). Depth of Presence in Virtual Environments,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 3(2): 130–144.
Slater M., Steed, A. and Usoh, M., (1993). The Virtual Treadmill: A Naturalistic Metaphor for Navigating in Immersive Virtual Environments, in M. Goebel (Ed.),Proceedings of the Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Reality, Barcelona, September.
Tharp, G. and Liu, A., (1993). Timing Considerations of Helmet Mounted Display Performance,SPIE Vol. 1666, Human Vision, Visual Processing, and Digital Display III 570–576.
Weghorst, S. and Billinghurst, M., (1993). Spatial Perception of Immersive Virtual Environments,HIT Lab Technical Report, University of Washington.
Zeltzer, D., (1992). Autonomy, Interaction, and Presence,Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 1(1): 127–132.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barfield, W., Hendrix, C. The effect of update rate on the sense of presence within virtual environments. Virtual Reality 1, 3–15 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02009709
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02009709