VR Course

Lesson 1 • History and Evolution of VR

Traces VR from early stereoscopic displays to modern headsets. Establishes historical context that informs current design decisions.

Lesson 2 • VR Application Domains

Maps VR use across training, healthcare, entertainment, and architecture. Motivates learners by showing real-world impact of VR skills.

Lesson 3 • Hardware Components Overview

Surveys headsets, controllers, tracking systems, and computing platforms. Connects hardware capabilities to the experiences they enable.

Lesson 4 • Core VR Concepts and Terminology

Defines presence, immersion, field of view, and degrees of freedom. Provides shared vocabulary used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 1 • Accessibility in VR Design

Covers colour blindness, mobility limitations, and cognitive load in VR. Embeds inclusive design thinking early in the learning journey.

Lesson 2 • Causes and Mitigation of Motion Sickness

Identifies latency, vection, and locomotion as primary sickness triggers. Teaches design strategies that reduce discomfort without sacrificing immersion.

Lesson 3 • Visual Perception in VR

Covers depth cues, stereopsis, and vergence-accommodation conflict. Explains why display parameters directly affect perceived realism.

Lesson 4 • Vestibular and Proprioceptive Systems

Explains how the inner ear and body sense interact with visual motion in VR. Identifies the sensory mismatch root cause of motion sickness.

Lesson 1 • Scene Hierarchy and Asset Pipeline

Explains scene graphs, asset import workflows, and folder conventions. Establishes organised project structure for scalable development.

Lesson 2 • Version Control for VR Projects

Applies version control workflows to large binary assets common in VR. Protects project history and enables team collaboration.

Lesson 3 • VR Camera and Rig Setup

Configures the VR camera rig, eye offsets, and tracking origin modes. Ensures correct spatial alignment between virtual and physical space.

Lesson 4 • Choosing a Development Platform

Compares major real-time engines on performance, tooling, and community support. Guides platform selection based on project requirements.

Lesson 1 • Environment Design Principles

Applies spatial design, scale, and wayfinding to VR environments. Creates spaces that feel believable and guide user attention naturally.

Lesson 2 • Texturing and Material Optimisation

Teaches UV unwrapping, texture atlasing, and PBR material workflows. Reduces draw calls and memory usage without sacrificing visual quality.

Lesson 3 • Lighting Strategies for VR

Compares baked, real-time, and mixed lighting approaches for VR performance. Guides lighting choices that balance quality and frame rate.

Lesson 4 • 3D Modelling Fundamentals for VR

Covers polygon budgets, topology, and scale conventions specific to VR. Connects modelling decisions directly to runtime performance.

Lesson 1 • Ray Casting and Direct Interaction

Implements ray-cast pointer and direct-touch interaction paradigms. Covers when each paradigm suits near vs. far interaction scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Locomotion Systems

Builds teleportation, smooth locomotion, and arm-swing movement systems. Balances user comfort with freedom of movement in virtual space.

Lesson 3 • UI and Menu Design in VR

Designs world-space and head-locked UI panels for VR contexts. Applies readability and placement rules unique to head-mounted displays.

Lesson 4 • Hand Tracking Interactions

Integrates markerless hand tracking for gesture-based input. Extends interaction vocabulary beyond physical controllers.

Lesson 1 • Scripting and CPU Optimisation

Identifies expensive script patterns and applies object pooling and async techniques. Frees CPU headroom for physics and tracking systems.

Lesson 2 • Understanding VR Performance Targets

Defines frame rate, frame time, and reprojection thresholds for major platforms. Sets measurable performance goals before optimisation begins.

Lesson 3 • Profiling Tools and Workflows

Uses built-in and external profilers to locate CPU, GPU, and memory bottlenecks. Establishes a data-driven optimisation workflow.

Lesson 4 • Memory and Asset Management

Controls texture streaming, asset bundles, and garbage collection to prevent hitches. Maintains smooth frame delivery throughout a session.

Lesson 1 • Voice and Spatial Audio Networking

Integrates real-time voice chat with spatialised audio positioning. Enhances social realism by anchoring voices to avatar locations.

Lesson 2 • Networking Fundamentals for VR

Covers client-server vs. peer-to-peer models, latency, and packet loss in VR. Frames networking constraints that shape multiplayer architecture decisions.

Lesson 3 • Avatar Systems and Representation

Builds full-body avatar rigs driven by head and hand tracking data. Creates believable social presence through accurate body representation.

Lesson 4 • State Synchronisation and Authority

Implements object ownership, state sync, and conflict resolution across clients. Ensures consistent shared world state for all participants.

Lesson 1 • Analytics and Post-Launch Monitoring

Integrates session analytics, crash reporting, and comfort telemetry. Uses data to prioritise post-launch improvements and reduce churn.

Lesson 2 • Quality Assurance for VR

Designs VR-specific test plans covering comfort, interaction, and performance. Catches critical issues before public release.

Lesson 3 • Over-the-Air Updates and Patching

Implements delta patching and staged rollouts to update deployed applications. Minimises user disruption while delivering fixes and new content.

Lesson 4 • Store Submission and Review Process

Navigates store listing creation, metadata, screenshots, and review guidelines. Maximises approval speed and discoverability on distribution platforms.