Digital Composing of Virtual Environments

The course “Digital Composing of Virtual Environments” covers in detail both the basic concepts and principles of virtual reality and more specialized, complex concepts of design and implementation. The course focuses on the processes of designing, synthesizing, and developing interactive, real-time digital virtual environments. The course lectures emphasize the analysis of topics related to virtual worlds, their use, evolution, and significance, as well as their role in the field of human–computer interaction (HCI: Human–Computer Interaction), and their application in the creation of artistic works and the promotion of cultural heritage. At the same time, specific topics and best practices for presentation, immersion, and interaction are analyzed.

The primary objective of the course is to familiarize students with the concept and functioning of virtual environments and, above all, to enable them to gain an in-depth understanding of and apply practical methods for creating virtual worlds that allow real-time interaction through modern digital tools. As part of the course, students will confront the challenges of the design and development process and delve into best practices and methods for content curation and the programming implementation of interaction.

Week 1: Introduction, Unity Presentation
Week 2: Principles of C# Programming
Week 3: Position and Movement
Week 4: Terrain and Topography
Week 5: Prefabs and First-Person Interaction
Week 6: Player Interaction with Virtual Objects
Week 7: Physics and Forces
Week 8: User Interface - Canvas
Week 9: Main Menu, Scene Switching, and Customization
Week 10: Sound and Lighting, Final Production
Week 11: States and Object Animation, 3PC
Week 12: Raycasting and Target-Based Interaction
Week 13: General Review

The course is organized as a combination of lectures and lab sessions. During the lectures, topics related to the specific concepts and principles of virtual environment development are analyzed. In addition, programming methods, algorithms, and best practices that are essential for implementing these concepts through code writing in a production-grade programming environment are presented. Detailed reference is made to specific tools, components, functions, code libraries and reusable components, development frameworks, and anything else necessary from a practical standpoint to connect broader concepts with the actual design and development of functional virtual worlds.

During lab sessions, students delve deeper into the practical aspects by applying all of the above in a real-world development environment. The lab exercises focus on developing the class’s digital skills through knowledge organization, a hands-on approach, repetition, and collaboration. The primary objective is to understand the use of scripting languages for programming interactions and to become familiar with writing code, proper syntax, and the application of the principles of abstraction in processes and code readability. 

Enhanced by multimedia content.
The learning process is supported by the asyncrhonous e-learning platform e-class.

The final course evaluation is based on a project that students work on throughout the semester and submit and present at the end of the semester, which involves the development of a simple digital virtual environment application.  The goal of the project is for students to use their creativity to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter and to apply their knowledge by creating a comprehensive interactive experience in a virtual world.  Assessment is based on the scope and quality of the interaction it offers, the structure of the code, the implemented user experience, the quality of production, its storyline, and its aesthetics; it is also accompanied by a brief report that describes its design and development in detail.