JOUR 430: Augmented and Virtual Reality

Examines the importance and application of immersive technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. Students will learn about the history of these technologies, research regarding their effectiveness, and how to apply them to solve real-world problems and convey non-fiction narrative experiences. Students will also receive an introduction to designing content for these technologies (a formal design background is NOT required). This course will be tailored to students interested in the application of these emerging technologies in fields such as journalism, advertising, and media studies. 

CS 415: Game Development

A team and project-based course on the technical aspects of video game development and game engine internals: geometric modeling, game physics and AI, shader programming, real-time physically based rendering, and software engineering practices within the game industry. The central focus of the course is the development of a game by teams of 3 to 5 students. The course strongly emphasizes code development using a modern game engine. Students will gain skills necessary to develop games and to develop game engines. 

Students taking the course for 4 credits will complete the following additional work:

Watch a set of pre-recorded lectures on Virtual Reality
Complete 1 additional homework assignment on PrairieLearn
Complete 1 additional programming assignment focused on Virtual or Augmented Reality

The additional programming assignment is typically a VR game, but you can propose your own project instead. Any proposal will need to be reviewed by the course staff and you will be notified if it is acceptable. Full details of the procedure will be available on the Assignments page when the assignment is released.

GSD 390: Human Animation in VR

Creation and implementation of human animation in virtual reality through use of various motion capture technologies. Rigging skeletons and mapping animations onto avatars in Unreal Engine to create a database of publicly available animations, culminating in a VR application created by students in the class.