Field-of-View

What is Field-of-View (FOV)

Field-of-View (FOV) refers to the observable area visible to a user when looking straight ahead, typically measured in degrees, with higher values in head-mounted displays creating more immersive experiences by filling more of the user's vision.

How does Field-of-View (FOV) work?

Human vision naturally encompasses approximately 200 degrees horizontally, establishing a biological baseline against which digital display systems are measured. Contemporary head-mounted displays (HMDs) typically offer FOV ranges between 90-110 degrees, representing a fundamental specification that directly influences user immersion by determining how much of the peripheral vision is engaged with virtual content versus remaining aware of the display's boundaries.

Achieving wider FOV presents significant engineering challenges due to optical limitations including chromatic aberration and barrel distortion that become increasingly pronounced at broader angles, requiring more complex lens systems and higher-resolution displays to maintain visual clarity throughout the expanded viewable area.

How is the Field-of-View (FOV) used?

Development platforms address these constraints through specialized rendering techniques like multi-resolution shading that allocates computational resources according to perceptual importance across the visual field.

For architectural visualization applications, understanding FOV limitations becomes crucial when designing virtual walkthroughs that effectively communicate spatial relationships despite display constraints, while training simulations must carefully consider FOV requirements to accurately replicate real-world visibility conditions for proper skill transfer between virtual and physical environments.