Generating acoustic projections using 3D models

Author

Jake A. Brazelton, James Madison UniversityFollow

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Date of Graduation

5-7-2020

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4052-2113

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department

Department of Computer Science

Advisor(s)

John Bowers

Michael L. Norton

Caroline P. Lubert

Mikael Glago

Abstract

Raytracing is used in commercial graphics engines most commonly for lighting effects, but it also has many uses when it comes to acoustic simulation. Adopted directly from these computer graphics programs, the formulas presented herein enable the visualization of acoustic intensity levels throughout a 3D space using Python 3 and the OpenGL library. In addition to visualization, they also provide the ability to calculate the reverberation time and critical distance of an enclosed space in relation to its size and material makeup. The described application bundles all of these components together in a Qt5 application that allows users to view the aforementioned properties of provided 3D room models as well as manipulate the surface materials to desired effects. The application has a mainly educational purpose and is intended to allow students to better understand acoustic concepts through hands-on manipulation and visualization while also providing relevant information on how these results are calculated.

Recommended Citation

Brazelton, Jake A., "Generating acoustic projections using 3D models" (2020). Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current. 20.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors202029/20