Topic outline

  • "Where in the world?"

    Virtual reality installation with pages from Vesalius' Anatomy Handbook printed on vellum suspended from ceiling by wood ring


    Participants learn the basics of designing and implementing a virtual world. The presentations in the course touch on a diversity of topics related to the process of design: 1. Cultural history of virtual reality and anthropology of the human senses; 2. Information architecture, content domain development, and making a production schedule 3. Scenario design, storyboarding; and user studies research 4. Interaction design, user interface, and narrative; 5. Using sound for storytelling. We also touch, albeit not as deeply as might be the case in a longer course, on critical issues regarding the use of immersive technologies.


    WHAT THE COURSE IS ABOUT (IN A NUTSHELL)

    • Basics of designing and implementing a virtual world
    • A cultural history of virtual reality 


    WHAT THE COURSE IS NOT ABOUT 


    RESOURCES

    Literature

    • Bucher, J. (2018). Storytelling for Virtual Reality, Methods and Principles for Crafting Immersive Narratives, New York and London: Routledge.
    • Chalmers, D. J. (2022). Reality+: Virtual worlds and the problems of philosophy. Penguin UK.
    • Haynes, P. (2001). How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature and Informatics by N. Katherine Hayles. Body & Society7(4), 105-108.
    • Jerald, J. (2015). The VR book: Human-centered design for virtual reality. Morgan & Claypool.
    • Salter, C. (2011). Entangled: Technology and the transformation of performance, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
    • Slater, M., Wilbur, S. (1997). "A framework for immersive virtual environments five: Speculations on the role of presence in virtual environments", Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, Volume 6, Issue 6, December 1997 pp. 603–616, https://doi.org/10.1162/pres.1997.6.6.603


    Podcasts

     

    Steam VR experiences (available in the VR Hub)

    • Museum of Other Realities: Alex’s Sci
    • Dreams of Dali
    • The Isle of the Dead
    • The Dawn of Art 
    • Notes on Blindness


    Mozilla Hubs experiences


    Other

    Monika Bielskyte’s talks related to futurism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixg7e1fWdM0&ab_channel=GoogleDesign


    Tutorials

    • Setting up the Oculus Quest for use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVkivmMKikU&ab_channel=VirtualRealityOasis 
    • Introduction to Mozilla Hubs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QnOsyyebEQ&t=847s&ab_channel=MozillaHubs 
    • Building for Oculus Quest using Unity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWBc0y95obc&ab_channel=CircuitStream 
    • How to create Hubs scenes (virtual worlds) using Mozilla Spoke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUECN5fEN-o&t=637s&ab_channel=BenKreimer 
    • Basics of using Google Blocks in VR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2KByucQ7zk&ab_channel=Annadreambrush
    • Using blender to convert fbx or obj to glb for Mozilla Hubs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpDbcxtxxpM&ab_channel=ExpandedMedia 



    RULES FOR USING ZOOM:
    • All the sessions are recorded and uploaded to mycourses for the participants.
    • Join the sessions using the Zoom App on your device rather than via a weblink.
    • Please ensure that your microphone is on mute while others are speaking.
    • Use the “hand raise” feature whenever you wish to speak.
    • Post your questions and/or comments using the chat and they will be addressed.
    • Preferably keep the camera open while speaking.
    • While entering the Mozilla Hubs scene, ensure that your zoom microphone is muted and the only Hubs microphone is on.

    NEWS:
    Every week 2 groups will present news for 5-10min per group related to VR/AR/Immersive media at the beginning of Monday's online sessions.
    News schedule
    Oct 31st: Group 5 & 4
    Nov 7th: Group 3 & 2
    Nov 14th: Group 1 & 5
    Nov 21st: Group 4 & 3
    Nov 28th: Group 2 & 1