GMU:Critical VR Lab

Lecturer: Jörg Brinkmann
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: Thursdays, 15:15 – 18:30
Venue: Online Seminar
First Date: Thursday, 15.04.2021, 15:15

Description

Critical VR Lab is a beginner module that offers an Introduction to the Unity game engine. The whole course will be taught online. Participants will be introduced to Unity through video tutorials, accompanied by PDFs and it will be possible to communicate through online meetings and individual consultations.

The course will be taught in two phases:
In phase one participants will be introduced to an overview of the Unity interface and different techniques (Lights, Skyboxes, Prefabs, Timeline, Animation). The learning phase will be accompanied by lectures and discussions that are focused on finding strategies for dealing with the possibilities and challenges of working artistically with Game Engines and 3D technologies. At the end of phase one, students will have created an experience with Unity and documented it on our GMU Wiki-Page. In phase two students are challenged to reflect, discuss, rethink and rework their Unity experience, based on individual research and experienced insights.

The course emphasises on artistic and opposing ways of working with Virtual Reality concepts. It’s aim is to establish individual approaches to VR, a challenging medium which offers artists new possibilities for expression and intercultural communication, especially at times of the Corona Crisis which creates new challenges to the way we interact with each other. Please watch the video for more information.

Recommended Requirements

No previous knowledge of Unity or other 3D software is needed, but applicants should have access to the Internet, a Computer and Headphones.

Criteria for passing

In order to successfully participate you will have to develop and document your own project on the GMU Wiki. Also, complete the exercises and comply with the submission deadlines

Communication throughout the semester

The GMU-Wiki
Here you can find all the info about our class and also present your work linked under your name
Please create your account under this link with your University email adress:
https://www.uni-weimar.de/kunst-und-gestaltung/wiki/Special:CreateAccount

Email
For individual communication. I might send you download links to material

Telegram
CriticalVR1 will be our collective chatroom
Please download Telegram and join for group discussions:
https://t.me/joinchat/HZlOrxuHLynKhLE44cts_Q

BigBlueButton
This video conference utility will be used for our meetings and consultations
To start the conversation click on the link

Student works (after login, please add your name and create a page)

• Kemal Özen
• Bo Liu
• Belcim Yavuz
• Noel Zuniga
• Chanitnanth Phadungnanonth
• Defne Isikli
• David Krug
• Paula Dehnel
• Denise Blickhan
• Fei Xie
• Zhixuan Zhou
• Max Oppenheimer
• Isabella Lee Arturo
• Moritz Löwe

Syllabus

15.04.2021

Online meeting via BBB from 15:15 - 18:30 CET
open the link, to start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

please watch the video to get some information about the course
https://youtu.be/sbhbC5y-jpI

if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anything at the online meeting

22.04.2021

Online meeting via BBB from 15:15 - 18:30 CET
open the link, to start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

29.04.2021

Online meeting via BBB from 15:15 - 18:30 CET
open the link, to start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

06.05.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – (put your name here)
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – Isabella Lee Arturo
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – Paula Dehnel
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – Noel Zuniga
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – Mint
18:00 - 18:30 CEST – David Krug

13.05.2021

Holidays (Christi Himmelfahrt) - no class

20.05.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – put you name here
16:00 - 16:30 CEST –
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – Fei Xie
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – Bo Liu
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – Zhixuan Zhou
18:00 - 18:30 CEST – Defne Isikli

27.05.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – Max Oppenhiemer
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – (put your name here)
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – (Belcim)
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – Mint
18:00 - 18:30 CEST – Denise Blickhan

03.06.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – (put your name here)
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – (put your name here)
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – (Denise Blickhan)
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – Noel Zuniga
18:00 - 18:30 CEST –

09.06.2021

Deadline:
1.) Please create an Experience in Unity. Record a video of your Experience with OBS (https://obsproject.com) or Unity Recorder (https://youtu.be/2HVhnh93JZY) and post it in our Wiki (GMU:Critical VR Lab) under your name

10.06.2021

Online meeting via BBB from 15:15 - 18:30 CET
open the link, to start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

17.06.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – Moritz Löwe
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – Beatrice Perlato
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – (put your name here)
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – (put your name here)
18:00 - 18:30 CEST –

29.06.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – Moritz Löwe
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – (put your name here)
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – Mint
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – Belcim
18:00 - 18:30 CEST – Defne Isikli

01.07.2021

Online meeting via BBB from 15:15 - 18:30 CET
open the link, to start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

08.07.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – Moritz Löwe
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – (put your name here)
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – Mint
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – (put your name here)
18:00 - 18:30 CEST – Belcim

15.07.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – Belcim
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – Noel Zuniga
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)

Online meeting via BBB from 17:30 - 18:30 CET
open the link, to start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

21.09.2021

Consultations via BBB
Choose your timeslot for an individual consultation. To start the conversation open the link which will start the video chat in your browser and click 'join'
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/jor-6sd-4c4-vzp

15:30 - 16:00 CEST – (put your name here)
16:00 - 16:30 CEST – (put your name here)
16:30 - 17:00 CEST – (put your name here)
17:00 - 17:30 CEST – (put your name here)
17:30 - 18:00 CEST – (put your name here)
18:00 - 18:30 CEST – Noel Zuniga

31.10.2021

Final Deadline:
Please document your final project on our Wiki (GMU:Critical VR Lab I) under your name

VR TOOLBOX

Software

• Unity 3D - cross-platform game engine (proprietary)
• Blender - 3D modeller with many features (open source)
• Autodesk FBX Converter – convert OBJ, DAE, and 3DS files to or from multiple versions of the FBX format (proprietary)
• MeshLab - system for processing and editing 3D triangular meshes (open source)
• Meshroom - Photogrammetric Computer Vision framework for 3D Reconstruction and Camera Tracking (open source)
• MakeHuman tool for making 3D characters (open source)
• Meshmixer - "Swiss Army Knife" for 3D meshes (proprietary)
• Open Broadcaster Software - streaming and recording program (open source)

Online Tools

• Adobe Mixamo - Rapidly create, rig and animate unique characters
• NormalMap-Online - create a normalmaps directly inside your browser
• Sources/Sounds - where to get audio recordings
• Abstract/Technical/Synthetic Sounds (under Packs are several Free ones)

3D Models (for download and use)

• http://www.myminifactory.com
• http://www.sketchfab.com
• http://www.thingiverse.com
• http://www.turbosquid.com
• http://www.lincoln3dscans.co.uk
• https://3dmodelhaven.com

Unity 3D Tutorials

• Tutorials from the Unity 3D page
• Brackeys Unity 3D Tutorials

Unity 3D Assets

• Standard Assets
• Free HDR Skyboxes

Blender Tutorials

• Blender Beginner Series(new) by Blender Guru
• Interface and Navigation
• Modeling - Creating a kitchen (ignore part 2)
• Modeling - Modeling a simple character
• Materials - Basic properties of materials
• Texturing - Applying textures to an object
• Rigging - Rigging a character
• Animation - 12 Principles of Animation
• Animation - Animating a bouncing ball
• Different (aesthetically) interesting Tutorials for Blender (2.8)