While we have so far been talking about computer graphics, it is important to realise that audio is also very important to creating a realistic virtual environment. Not only is audio effective for creating a sense of atmosphere, it can also help the user to navigate. As long as the user is moving he/she can identify whether a sound is coming from infront or behind the user and whether he/she is moving towards or away from the sound. Most audio rendering systems in VR/3D systems today is quite simple, offering multi-voice stereo sound, however audio rendering can also be extremely complex, with reflections and realistic echoes computer using audio ray tracing techniques to auccurately simulate the acoustics of an environment.

We won't be looking much at audio specifically in this course, but I would encourage people to try to actively use audio in their virtual worlds as it can make an enormous difference to the user experience.