Unit information: Immersive Technologies and Practice in 2020/21

Unit name	Immersive Technologies and Practice
Unit code	COMSM0035
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Professor. Calway
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Computer Science
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

This unit aims to introduce the technologies and practices which underpin immersive experiences, which provide people with a sense of being within or at a remote location/event through the stimulus of senses such as vision, audio, touch and even smell. The most well-known are virtual reality experiences and 360-degree films, which stimulate visual and audio senses through a variety of different platforms such as head mounted displays. The unit objectives are twofold:

Aims

• introduce students to the fundamental theory and practical implementation underpinning the key technologies including virtual, augmented and mixed reality and 360-degree films;
• introduce students to the fundamental concepts and practical issues surrounding the design, development, implementation and evaluation of immersive experiences using one or more of the technologies introduced above.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. Understand and apply of the basic principles behind the main technologies used in creating immersive experiences;

2. Be aware of , and critically compare the variety of platforms and delivery methods that can be used to create immersive experiences, the principles behind those platforms and methods, their advantages and disadvantages and the constraints and trade-offs involved in their use;

3. Understand and apply the principles and concepts used in the design, development and implementation of immersive experiences in one or more of the above technologies, including the interplay between creative and technology elements;

4. Design, develop, implement and critically appraise an immersive experience, working in a team of fellow students and with creative professionals.

Teaching Information

Practical sessions will be run by and provided at the Bristol VR Lab led and overseen by UoB academic staff.

Assessment Information

Group project report (60%); (ILO 1-4)

Demonstration and presentation (40%). (ILO 1-3)

In the group project, students will typically conceptualise an innovative technology related to a new commercial opportunity in AR or VR, or will consider methods and workflows for the creation of immersive experiences. The project work will be supported by lectures on CGI environments such as UE4 and Unity, modern studio design and operation, and immersive /360o capture and display formats.

Reading and References

Learning Virtual Reality: Developing Immersive Experiences and Applications for Desktop, Web, and Mobile, Tony Parisi, O’Reilly, 2015.

Augmented Reality: Principles and Practice, Dieter Schmalstieg and Tobias Höllerer, Addison-Wesley, 2016.

Virtual Reality Filmmaking: Techniques & Best Practices for VR Filmmakers, Celine Tricart, Routledge, 2017.