Level of detail in room-acoustic simulation

The quality of present-day room acoustic simulations depends on the quality of the boundary conditions and of the underlying CAD room models. A “high-resolution” room model does not mean that it needs to have a visually perfect geometrical fine structure. To our experience, the required resolution of objects or surfaces does not need to be higher than about 1 m. In this presentation, an auralization engine is briefly introduced which uses a set of models of the same room but with a graduated level of detail (LOD). These different models can account for more physical correctness especially for very low-frequency specular reflections. Furthermore, a good estimate of scattering coefficients is essential. The relevance of the uncertainty of scattering coefficient data is discussed in a review on perception tests with varied surface scattering. Finally, guidelines for creation of CAD models are proposed.