Sound perception in 3d virtual environments: Application to a Roman theatre of Hispania

The aim of this work is to present the methodology implemented for the assessment of the human perception of sound and of the degree of acoustic comfort of occupants in an ancient Roman theatre. The evaluation is carried out through a visual and acoustic experience in a virtual environment. The textured 3D visual model of the space, and the binaural auralisations based on either on-site empirical measurements or on acoustic simulations, are displayed in a listening room designed with a very short reverberation time and low background noise. By means of sophisticated equipment for 3D virtual environment reproduction to groups of people, this listening room enables the physical ambience to be recreated of the Roman theatre of Cartagena, which is located in the southeast of Hispania (Spain). Groups of people can therefore subjectively assess the intelligibility of speech and the clarity for music of this open-air performance venue. The results accentuate the strong correlation between audio and visual perceptual aspects and contribute towards a more comprehensive understanding of the architectural aural experience.