A Real-time Auralization Plugin for Architectural Design and Education

The role of acoustics in architectural planning processes is often neglected if the designer lacks necessary experience in acoustics. Even if an acoustic consultant is involved he might be presented with limited options after the initial planning process. Some disadvantageous decisions might be hard to reverse then. To improve and facilitate the construction process permanent immediate feedback should be given to the designer. Planning cannot be imaged today without live 3D visual rendering. But also acoustics should be rendered in real-time to provide the same type of intuitive feedback. Therefore a real-time room acoustics auralization was implemented into a popular CAD-Modeling tool. Binaural room impulse responses are continuously updated using image sources and ray tracing algorithms and convolved in real-time with audio feed from recorded sounds or the user’s microphone. The CAD model can be freely modified during the simulations including geometry, surface materials and source and receiver positions. Using streaming low-latency convolution, an immediate feedback is provided to the user.