Tag Archives: unreal engine

class, elective, special topic, undergrad, undergrad-elective-s25

DM-UY 4913 Motion Capture

This course provides an introduction to motion capture and the virtual production pipelines used to record 3D animation for film, video games and live performance. While using the motion capture studio, students will learn the tools for tracking performers, cameras, and props. Students develop concepts around the technology and integrate their motion capture data and video along with 3D models into a virtual world they construct using the Unreal gaming engine.

Instructor : Matthew Rader (website)

Sample Syllabus

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

DM-GY 9201 Virtual Production Cinematics

This course delves into the key issues, challenges, and best practices of cinematic storytelling in emerging media, with a focus on real-time spatial computing. Students will gain technical skills to create a narrative motion-capture cinematic using Unreal Engine. The course emphasizes the role of a technical director, responsible for overseeing the virtual production’s technical workflow while making both creative and administrative decisions.

Instructor: Todd Bryant

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 Virtual Enhancements

Virtual Enhancements: How to Make Digital Things Look Good. Advanced topics in 3D rendering with node-based render engines, post-processing, and visual effects are covered as students hone the final steps of the design process with a focus on polish and visual fidelity. Software covered includes Cinema 4D, Redshift, Unreal Engine 5, After Effects, Houdini and others.

Sample Syllabus

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Camera and Capture

This course provides an introduction to compositing video using traditional vfx and realtime pipelines with the Unreal Engine. Students will develop cinematics that composite video into a 3D virtual world. Using matchmotion tracking students will integrate the camera movement of footage shot on greenscreen with CGI. Students will develop their concepts using previz and virtual production techniques.

Instructor : Matthew Rader

class, elective, f24, grad

DM-GY 7163 Virtual Production Development

This class will discuss the key issues, challenges, and best practices in visual storytelling in Cinema and emerging media like real-time spatial computing. The class will teach how to architect and lead a virtual production by creating a dialogue between the Producer, Director, and Cinematographer in filmmaking with the Technical Producer and Director in creative technology. The class will cover an overview of all of the technical skills required to produce a remote multi-user motion capture virtual production in the Unreal Engine through the lens of a project manager making administrative and creative decisions culminating in a real-time 3D project narrative cinematic work.

Instructor: Todd Bryant