Exploring perceptual equivalence between real and simulated imagery

We conducted a new psychophysical experiment which judges the quality of computer graphics imagery with respect to the real scene it depicts. The experimental framework facilitates perceptual judgment of images against a real scene. Unlike previous work, which examined at primitive objects under basic illumination, this new experiment examines complex geometry illuminated using a calibrated light source. Here we present the design and results of the experiment. To ensure valid results, a commercial lighting booth containing rapid prototyped three dimensional objects serves as the real scene. For comparison, a series of representative images, of varying quality, were rendered using the physically based Radiance lighting simulation software. Result from these experiments show that higher parameter settings, which lead to longer processing times, do not necessarily lead to higher quality images.