ABSTRACT
Some acoustic modelling programs can import 3-D CAD models and use them as a basis for acoustic models of spaces. Acoustic modelling programs work by generating thousands of rays which leave the source at all possible angles over a sphere and are reflected many times by the room surfaces. The properties of the room surfaces are combined with the information generated by ray tracing to produce predictions of the strength, time of arrival and direction of travel of acoustic energy in the room. The technique of raytracing sound ‘rays’ is exactly the same as that used in lighting. The predicted flow of acoustic energy is presented as a number of parameters which acousticians use to describe the loudness, reverberance, intimacy and clarity of the sound in a room.
