ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role and importance of visual perception in virtual and real environments, particularly as it applies to vehicle operation. This chapter is structured in sections intended to provide the reader with the basic understanding of how the human visual system functions as well as its limitations. To that end, the basic neuroanatomy of the visual system is described with emphasis on its functional interconnections and its operating characteristics and limitations. This is followed by a section on basic visual perception with emphasis on those areas that support human perception in the operation of vehicles. A section describing the results of simulator studies of human visual perception and studies of the effects of visual scene simulation design then follows. This section is intended to review and examine the current state of knowledge in simulator visual imaging design.
