Tag Archives: unity

class, elective, grad, grad-s25-studio, s25, special topic

DM-GY 9103 VR Studio

This course is designed to explore introductory approaches to using Virtual Reality (VR) as a creative medium. The course will provide historical context, hands-on instruction, theoretical inquiry and class visits from relevant experts to engage students critically in the creation of VR environments. Students will learn about the physiology and psychology of virtual immersion as well as the core concepts of VR production and interaction, including 3D asset creation, scene development, immersive user experience design, and exporting to target platforms.

instructor: Najma Dawood

class, elective, grad, grad-s25-studio, s25, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Better Storytelling Through Humor and Game Engines

“Humor is everywhere in that there’s irony in just about anything a human does.” – Bill Nye (“the Science Guy”, mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter)

“When humor goes, there goes civilization.” – Erma Bombeck (female humorist)

Do our immersive media experiences sometimes feel too functional, either too programmatic or too earnest? Humor can be the agent that humanizes our technological products, services and experiences. It also can act as salve during moments of crisis in culture and society.

This course is designed to engage students critically in exploring humor and the absurd in the production of moving image works built with game engines and video editing software, including Unity, Unreal and After Effects. Taking a speculative design approach, students can address pressing societal issues, autobiography, the art of puns and more through thoughtful and imaginative implementations of comedic storytelling.

There will be lectures; class visits from scholars on the absurd, comedy writers, and game engineers; along with hands-on introductions to working with software to produce comedic moving image stories. There are no prerequisites for this course, however a key asset to success is tapping into your own sense of humor. The course will culminate in a screening of student work at locations in New York and the University of Texas at Austin.

Instructor: Carla Gannis

Sample Syllabus

elective, f24, special topic, undergrad

DM-UY 4913 Unity for Games

In this class, students will receive an intensive tutorial of the Unity game engine, be exposed to the different aspects of the game development process, and gain a basic understanding of the principles of game design. Heavy emphasis will be placed on understanding Unity’s place in the game development pipeline and mastering its unique world-building and scripting capabilities. This is a project-based class where students will get the opportunity to use what they have learned in lectures to develop their own 2D or 3D games. Students will work individually and in groups, and by the end of this course will have completed at least one full game.

Instructor : Seth Scott

Sample Syllabus

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Designing for Immersive Media

This course will explore a variety of topics for building screen based and room-scale immersive media experiences. Instruction will mostly center around the Unity game engine, with some lessons addressing the integration of other interactive frameworks such as Max, electronics, and sensors. Students will gain a wide perspective of common workflows and technologies at play in immersive experience design while engaging VR headsets and real world peripherals. Coursework will take the form of creative and technical exercises with some critical responses to readings and gameplay. Guiding our practice will be an attunement to our own creative voice and the ways it can take shape in immersive worlding. The class will culminate with a student showcase of experimental and interactive works.

Instructor : Tommy Martinez