The Role of Visual Comparison Testing in Material Appearance Modeling.

Material appearance modeling should involve end user testing. These tests can be visual comparison experiments where decisions made with real physical samples are compared with choices done using computer graphic simulations. This type of evaluation is necessary to determine whether simulations derived from material appearance models can be used to accomplish such tasks as the design of new products or the sale of manufactured goods. Lighting conditions, viewing circumstances, decision criteria, and user expertise can vary widely in each situation where the results of material appearance modeling are used to make a choice. An experiment is currently underway to perform such tests for automotive paint simulation.