This course will begin your journey to creating Virtual Reality experiences. A Virtual Reality experience is a new world that you step into and are entirely immersed in. Creating a VR experience means creating that world and all the objects in it.
In this course you will learn the basics of 3D graphics: how we create objects and how to lay them out to create an environment. You will learn techniques like materials and texturing that make your objects appear realistic. You will also learn about audio techniques to ensure that your experiences sound great as well as looking great. In all of these topics we will pay attention to the particular requirements of Virtual Reality, including pitfalls and performance issues: making sure your environment runs fast enough in VR.
You will learn all of this using the professional game and VR engine, Unity3D. Unity is one of the most used game engine and is a relatively easy, but fully featured, introduction to 3D development.
The course will culminate in a project in which you will create your own VR scene. VR development is something you can only learn by doing it yourself, so working on your project will be the best way to learn.
This course is part of the Virtual Reality Specialization
3D Models for Virtual Reality
Offered By
University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
13D Graphics
This week you will begin developing 3D Virtual Reality Environments. We will cover the basics of 3D graphics, including a number of 3D engines and development environments that you can use. We will particularly focus on the Unity3D engine.
16 videos (Total 73 min), 7 readings, 4 quizzes
16 videos
What are 3D Graphics?1m
Introduction to Integrated Development Environments (IDE)1m
Why Use A-Frame?3m
Open VR with Lance Putman5m
Unreal Engine3m
Introduction to Unity2m
3D Space3m
Unity User Interface6m
Navigating in Unity4m
Objects and Meshes2m
Creating Objects in Unity | Primitives5m
Creating 3D Assets2m
The Asset Store8m
Importing Assets From Unity and Other Places6m
VR Environment Project13m
7 readings
Course Blog10m
Learning To Use A-Frame5m
Learning Unity5m
Setting Up Unitym
Unity Basics5m
Importing Assets5m
VR Project Brief10m
4 practice exercises
Reflection on Your Skills for VR Work4m
Choosing Game Engines4m
3D Graphics30m
Planning your project10m
Week
2VR Graphics
In this module you will carry on learning about 3D graphics, including how to use transforms to lay out a 3D scene and how to use materials to give your objects a distinctive appearance. You will also submit the first draft of your project.
16 videos (Total 60 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
16 videos
Transforms4m
Compound Objects1m
Positioning, Scaling, and Transforming Primitives in Unity5m
Cameras in VR2m
Unity VR Mode | Setting Up Cameras | Standard and VR2m
Keyframe Animation3m
Keyframe Animation in Unity7m
Introduction to Materials1m
Lights in VR2m
Lights in Unity4m
Materials2m
Materials in Unity4m
Textures2m
Textures in Unity4m
Working on Your Project7m
4 readings
Transforms and Cameras5m
Setting up VR mode10m
Unity Animation10m
Graphics in Unity10m
1 practice exercise
VR Graphics Quiz14m
Week
3VR Audio
In this week you will learn about using sound in Virtual Reality and how you can use advanced 3D Audio techniques to enhance your experience.
14 videos (Total 66 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
14 videos
What is Sound?8m
How Do Humans Perceive Sound?8m
What is Digital Audio?8m
How is Sound Useful?3m
How Do We Use Sound in VR?6m
General Guidance for Using Sound2m
How Do We Use Filters in VR?3m
Audio Formats, Sources and Listeners in Unity6m
Audio Effects in Unity4m
Unity Audio Clips and Files3m
Audio Mixers in Unity7m
Audio in Unity | Additional Resources1m
Summary1m
2 readings
Learning More About Audio in Unity15m
Now It's Your Turn!30m
1 practice exercise
Audio and Revision Quiz30m
Week
4Content Creation: What works in VR?
In this final week of the course, we will put together everything we have learned to think about how to create compelling VR worlds. We will start by looking behind the scenes at how 3D graphics hardware works and why VR can be so demanding of computing power. Then we will think about the particular requirements of content creation for VR. You will finish by submitting the final version of your project for a peer review.
11 videos (Total 67 min), 5 readings, 3 quizzes
11 videos
Polygons to Pixels4m
Motion to Photon2m
Global Illumination4m
Why Do We Need Different Graphics Techniques for VR?6m
Further Learning1m
Unity Resources5m
Unity Examples11m
Learning VR Content Creation16m
Summary| Creating VR Worlds6m
Project Advice6m
5 readings
Unity Shaders10m
Techniques for Optimising a VR Experience10m
Further Learning in Unity10m
Final Project Requirements10m
Thank you10m
2 practice exercises
What Works in VR?2m
How is VR Content Creation Different?2m
4.6
19 Reviews50%
started a new career after completing these courses
83%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Top Reviews
By AC•Jan 15th 2018
This course refreshed my skills of developing 3D models and environments in Unity3D software. Some new learnings were interesting and useful - viz. how and where to to get 3D models.
By DC•Oct 4th 2018
Can be tough because there are multiple media options to build projects but overall will help you become comfortable with various VR systems.
Instructors
Dr Sylvia Xueni Pan
Lecturer, Department of ComputingGoldsmiths, University of London
Dr Marco Gillies
Senior LecturerComputing Department, Goldsmiths, University of London
About University of London
The University of London is a federal University which includes 18 world leading Colleges. Our distance learning programmes were founded in 1858 and have enriched the lives of thousands of students, delivering high quality University of London degrees wherever our students are across the globe. Our alumni include 7 Nobel Prize winners. Today, we are a global leader in distance and flexible study, offering degree programmes to over 50,000 students in over 180 countries. To find out more about studying for one of our degrees where you are, visit www.london.ac.uk
About Goldsmiths, University of London
Championing research-rich degrees that provoke thought, stretch the imagination and tap into tomorrow’s world, at Goldsmiths we’re asking the questions that matter now in subjects as diverse as the arts and humanities, social sciences, cultural studies, computing, and entrepreneurial business and management. We are a community defined by its people: innovative in spirit, analytical in approach and open to all.
About the Virtual Reality Specialization
This specialisation from the University of London will introduce you to virtual reality.
Virtual reality is one of the most highly requested skill sets in the jobs market, and this specialisation will give you an introduction to the subject and key skills in the field. You will hear from world-leading lecturers and industry experts, use Unity to develop your own VR environment, and end the specialisation by creating your first VR game.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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