An Experimental Analysis of the Perception of the Area of an Open Space Using 3-D Stereo Dynamic Graphics

Abstract

This article experimentally investigated the perception of the area of an open space. In the experiment, 3-D stereo dynamic graphics were used to present subjects with a simulated environment in which subjects walked around, thus creating a hypothetical reality of being in an actual city. Having walked through the simulated city, subjects conducted two kinds of area judgment tasks. The results showed that the shape and location of an open space affect the perception of the area. These effects were termed the width/depth ratio effect and the visible area effect. Three models were formulated to explain the perception of area. Each model was statistically tested and the best-fit model was determined. The best-fit model suggested that the largest visible area and the judgment of the inside and outside of a setback space played an important role in deriving the perceived area.