Audioptimization: Goal-Based Acoustic Design

Abstract:

We present a new inverse, interactive approach to acoustic design that applies optimization techniques to an acoustic simulation system. The work builds on previous work in computer graphics dealing with the analogous problem in lighting design. The user interactively indicates a range of acceptable material and geometric modifications for an auditorium or similar space and specifies acoustic goals by choosing target values for a set of acoustic measures. Given this set of goals and constraints, the system performs an optimization of surface material and geometric parameters using a combination of simulated annealing and steepest descent techniques. Visualization tools extract and present the simulated sound field data for points sampled in space and time. The user then manipulates the visualizations to create an intuitive expression of acoustic design goals. We demonstrate an interactive system and report results for two performance spaces.