Assessing the QoE Impact of 3D Rendering Style in the Context of VR-based Training

In this paper, we evaluate the influence of different VR rendering styles on the QoE of users of a training application. To this end, we present the results of a lab-based QoE study featuring a virtual manufacturing training setting in which participants were asked to correctly allocate spare parts to mounting locations inside and outside a vehicle using an HTC Vive VR Setup. We evaluate how five different rendering styles (defined by rendering technique and shader used), ranging from point cloud to highly photo-realistic, affect different quality dimensions such as perceived visual quality, task difficulty, spatial orientation ability, and discomfort (including cyber-sickness). Our results show that while rendering style has a significant impact on QoE and other dimensions (like task completion time), a standard shader already can provide sufficient quality to support the provided training task and can even outperform rendering styles using more sophisticated techniques like ambient occlusion. Furthermore, we also discuss significant influence of user-related factors like previous experience with VR as well as gender as well as other related critical issues to be considered in VR training application and assessment study design.