1. Sound rendering issues

Interactive virtual reality systems combine visual, aural and haptic representations to immersively simulate the exploration of a three-dimensional world represented from the point of view of an observer controlled in real time by the user. Most of the work carried out in this field has historically focused on visual aspects (e.g. methods for interactive display of complex 3D models or realistic and effective lighting simulation), and relatively little work has been devoted to the simulation of virtual sound sources, also known as auralisation. Yet it is clear that sound simulation is a key factor in the production of synthesized environments, with sound perception adding to visual perception to produce a more natural interaction. In particular, spatialized sound effects, whose direction of origin is faithfully reproduced to the listener's ears, are particularly important for locating objects,...