Interactive Sound Propagation Clustering for Virtual Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sound propagation systems struggle to generate realistic sound effects in complex virtual environments with multiple sound sources at interactive rates, particularly due to computational challenges in simulating late reverberation and handling large numbers of sound sources, which limits their ability to produce accurate and immersive audio experiences.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a combination of backward sound propagation ray tracing, sound source clustering, and hybrid convolution audio rendering to efficiently compute and render sound propagation in dynamic scenes, using listener-based backward ray tracing and clustering to reduce computational complexity and optimize processing for Doppler shifting effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If wave-based methods are used to accurately simulate all acoustic effects, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to limitation to static scenes with few objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sound propagation simulation into two distinct parts: early reflections are computed using geometric ray-tracing methods, while late reverberation is synthesized using wave-based statistical models. This segmentation allows each method to be applied where it is most effective, achieving both accuracy and interactive performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the computational parameters by pre-computing and storing impulse responses for late reverberation in static environments. During interactive rendering, only the early reflection paths need to be computed in real-time, significantly reducing the computational burden while maintaining acoustic accuracy
2Productivity
If geometric propagation techniques are used to compute early reflections in dynamic scenes, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to accurately simulate all acoustic effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges geometric ray-tracing for early reflections with statistical energy models for late reverberation. By combining these two approaches, the system achieves both the real-time performance of geometric methods and the acoustic accuracy of wave-based models
3Manufacturing precision
If the number of sound sources is increased to represent complex scenes, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases linearly, limiting systems to only a handful of sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses impulse response copying by pre-computing the acoustic characteristics of the environment and storing them as reusable impulse responses. These copied impulse responses are then applied to multiple sound sources, allowing complex scenes with many sources to be rendered without linearly increasing computational complexity
4Manufacturing precision
If high-order reflections are computed to generate realistic reverberation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to computational expense
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary computation by pre-calculating the impulse responses for late reverberation in static environments before runtime. This preliminary action moves the computationally expensive high-order reflection calculations offline, allowing only lightweight processing during interactive rendering
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the simulation of complex acoustic scenes with many sound sources at interactive rates, achieving a significant speedup over prior algorithms and allowing for the computation of high-order reflections and realistic reverberation effects in large dynamic environments.
Implementation Method 1
backward sound propagation ray tracing
Implementation Method 2
sound propagation paths
Implementation Method 3
sound source clustering
Implementation Method 4
hybrid convolution audio rendering
Implementation Method 5
optimize processing for Doppler shifting effects
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for conducting interactive sound propagation and rending for a plurality of sound sources in a virtual environment scene are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes decomposing a virtual environment scene containing a plurality of sound sources into a plurality of partitions and forming a plurality of source group clusters, wherein each of the source group clusters includes two or more of the sound sources located within a common partition. The method further includes determining, for each of the source group clusters, a single set of sound propagation paths relative to a listener position and generating a simulated output sound at a listener position using sound intensities associated with the determined sets of sound propagation paths.