General information


Subject type: Optional

Coordinator: Adso Fernández Baena

Trimester: Second term

Credits: 6

Teaching staff: 

Daniel Candil Gil-ortega

Teaching languages


L'assignatura s'impartirà en Castellà i Català, si bé l'àmplia majoria de noms i conceptes associats al camp de la Realitat Virtual seran referits en anglès.

Skills


Specific skills
  • E8. Visually represent concepts and / or data for the ideation and creation of video games.

  • E10. Design and develop modeling of 3D scenes and characters.

General competencies
  • G1. Demonstrate having and understanding advanced knowledge of their area of ​​study that includes the theoretical, practical and methodological aspects, with a level of depth that reaches the forefront of knowledge.

  • G4. Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to a specialized and non-specialized audience.

Transversal competences
  • T2. Work as a member of an interdisciplinary team either as an additional member or performing management tasks in order to contribute to developing projects with pragmatism and a sense of responsibility, making commitments and taking into account available resources.

Description


En Virtual Reality Experiences and 3D Environments, subject framed in the subject of Artistic Creation, students will learn the basic principles of narrative and both artistic and technical development of VR and space design. Using as an excuse the creation of a 3D environment that meets the technical requirements required by a Virtual Reality application will face schemes of interaction, use of light, use of color, offer of objects and design of spaces to end up creating a satisfying VR experience that tells a little story. Also in the subject will work the concept of Environmental Storytelling: use elements of the stage to develop a narrative. To achieve the knowledge of the subject is evaluated on the one hand the creation of a VRGDD in group, the creation of a playable prototype developed by each of the students and finally the theoretical knowledge individually.

This subject has methodological and digital resources to make possible its continuity in non-contact mode in the case of being necessary for reasons related to the Covid-19. In this way, the achievement of the same knowledge and skills that are specified in this teaching plan will be ensured.

The Tecnocampus will make available to teachers and students the digital tools needed to carry out the course, as well as guides and recommendations that facilitate adaptation to the non-contact mode.

Learning outcomes


At the end of the course students must be able to:

  • E8.1. To devise the graphical aspect of a video game, according to the type of user, type of game and cultural and historical context of the same. 
  • E10.1. Describe the basics of 3D modeling, methodologies, types of modeling, lighting and texturing.
  • E10.2. Design the 3D modeling of the video game according to the specifications.
  • E10.3. Develop 3D modeling of the elements of a video game, characters and scenes.
  • E10.4. Illuminate and text 3D models of the elements of a video game.

Working methodology


The subject uses the following work methodologies:

Video capsules, presentations, case studies and master classes.

Contents


Topic 1 - The lawn mower: welcome to Virtual Reality
          1.1 History of Virtual Reality: Where do we come from? Where we go?
          1.2 Technologies in VR
          1.3 Methods of interaction, creation of people and narrative
          1.4 Motion Sickness
          1.5 Tips to consider
         1.6 The importance of VRGDD


Topic 2 - Environmental Storytelling: telling stories with the stage
         2.1 Narrative Archetypes
         2.2 Theory of Environmental Storytelling
         2.3 Light and emotions (“Feel Engineering”)
         2.4 The use of color and shape
         2.5 Joining the stage in Unity

Topic 3 - Optimization and implementation of VR
          3.1 Working with real-time lights and lightmaps (Charts)
          3.2 LoD, Drawcalls reduction, Occlusion Culling
          3.3 Testing our demos
          3.4 Motion Sickness Test
          3.5 Corrections, feedback and release

Learning activities


A1. Exercise in class or at home: Creating a VR Application proposal using a VRGDD (Evidence of learning outcomes E8.1, E10.1, E10.2)

According to the indications of a hypothetical end customer, students must present a VRGDD document in which they will make a proposal to create a VR experience following the basic principles of Virtual Reality based on the creation of people, schemes of interaction and aesthetic proposal.
 

A2. Lab Practice: Tell a story using a complete playable VR / Demo scenario - Part 1 (Evidence of learning outcomes E8.1, E10.1, E10.2, E10.3, E10.4).

The student will have to create a small story that can be solved in 2 or three small scenarios following one of the various narrative archetypes proposed in class, designing the 3D scenarios and creating a model of interaction in Virtual Reality that is perfectly playable with a headset Oculus Rift

A3. Lab Practice: Tell a story using a complete playable VR / Demo scenario - Part 2 (Evidence of learning outcomes E8.1, E10.1, E10.2, E10.3, E10.4).

The student must create a short story that can be solved in 2 or three small scenarios following one of the various narrative archetypes proposed in class, designing the 3D scenarios and creating a model of interaction in Virtual Reality that is perfectly playable with an Oculus headset Rift.

A4. Final exam (Evidence of all learning outcomes)

 

General criteria of the activities:

  • The teacher will present a statement for each activity and the evaluation and / or rubric criteria.
  • The teacher will inform of the dates and format of the delivery of the activity.

Evaluation system


The subject consists of a practical part (Activities) that supposes 60% of the final grade and a theoretical part (final exam) that involves the 40% remaining. The practical part divides this 60% as follows:

A1. Exercise in class or at home: Creating a VR Application proposal using a VRGDD - 20%
A2. Lab Practice: Tell a story using a complete playable VR / Demo scenario - Part 1- 20%
A3. Lab Practice: Tell a story using a playable VR / Complete Demo scenario - Part 2 20%
A4. Final exam - 40%

Final note = A1 0,2 + A2 0,2 + A3 0,2 + A4 0,4

Considerations:

  • The theoretical part will consist of an exam that includes all the contents of the subject (notes, class examples and readings).
  • It is necessary to obtain a mark higher than 5 in the final exam to pass the subject
  • An activity not delivered or delivered late and without justification (court summons or medical matter) counts as a 0.
  • It is the responsibility of the student to prevent plagiarism in all its forms. In the case of detecting a plagiarism, regardless of its scope, the deliverable in question and all the activity that is part of it will automatically have a grade of 0. In addition, the teacher will inform the Head of Studies the situation so that the applicable measures in the matter of sanctioning regime are taken.

Recovery:

  • It is necessary to obtain a mark superior to 5 in the final exam of recovery to pass the asignatura.
  • The mark of the resit exam will be applied only to the mark of the A4 activity.
  • In case of passing the recovery, the maximum final mark of the subject will be 5.
  • Every student has one NP a the final exam or equivalent test, DO NOT you will be entitled to perform the recovery.

 

REFERENCES


Basic

Jerald, J. (2015). The VR Book: Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality. San Francisco: Morgan & Claypool Publishers-ACM. *

Fictum, C. (2016). VR UX: Learn VR UX, Storytelling & Design. Seattle: Createspace Independent. *

Bucher, J. (2017). Storytelling for Virtual Reality: Methods and Principles for Crafting Immersive Narratives. London: Routledge. 

McCaffrey, M. (2017). Unreal Engine VR Cookbook: Developing Virtual Reality with UE4. Boston: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc. *