Ar and vr course

Lesson 1 • Software Ecosystems and Platforms

Surveys operating systems, SDKs, and app stores specific to XR devices. Prepares students to select appropriate platforms for development projects.

Lesson 2 • History and Evolution of Immersive Tech

Traces XR development from early head-mounted displays to modern consumer devices. Contextualises current capabilities within decades of research.

Lesson 3 • Core Hardware Components

Examines displays, sensors, tracking systems, and input devices that power XR hardware. Connects hardware choices to user experience outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Defining the XR Spectrum

Clarifies the distinctions amongst AR, VR, and MR using the reality-virtuality continuum. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Rigging and Basic Animation

Introduces skeletal rigs, weight painting, and keyframe animation for interactive characters. Supports later work on interactive and animated XR experiences.

Lesson 2 • Asset Optimisation for Real-Time Rendering

Applies polygon reduction, LOD systems, and texture compression to meet XR performance targets. Directly enables smooth frame rates on target hardware.

Lesson 3 • Introduction to 3D Modelling Concepts

Covers polygonal geometry, mesh topology, and coordinate systems used in XR assets. Establishes the modelling vocabulary needed for all subsequent asset work.

Lesson 4 • Asset Pipeline and File Formats

Covers export formats, import workflows, and version control for 3D assets. Ensures consistent asset delivery across team-based XR projects.

Lesson 1 • Audio Integration in XR Engines

Implements spatialised audio, audio mixers, and environmental reverb within the engine. Reinforces the perceptual immersion principles introduced in Chapter 1.

Lesson 2 • Lighting and Rendering Pipelines

Covers real-time lighting models, baked lighting, and XR-specific rendering pipelines. Balances visual quality against the strict frame-rate demands of XR.

Lesson 3 • Engine Selection and Project Setup

Compares leading real-time engines on performance, licensing, and XR support. Guides students through initial project configuration for XR targets.

Lesson 4 • Scene Hierarchy and Object Management

Explains scene graphs, parent-child relationships, and object transforms in XR scenes. Establishes organisational habits that scale to complex projects.

Lesson 1 • Hand Tracking and Gesture Recognition

Implements controller-free hand tracking and discrete gesture detection for natural interaction. Extends interaction design beyond physical controllers.

Lesson 2 • XR Interaction Design Principles

Establishes affordance, feedback, and natural mapping principles specific to immersive interfaces. Frames all subsequent interaction implementation work.

Lesson 3 • Gaze and Dwell Interaction

Builds gaze-based raycasting and dwell-time selection for hands-free XR interfaces. Addresses accessibility and industrial use cases requiring hands-free control.

Lesson 4 • Controller-Based Input Systems

Maps physical controller inputs to in-engine actions using input abstraction layers. Covers button, trigger, thumbstick, and haptic output handling.

Lesson 1 • Object Grabbing and Manipulation

Implements grab, throw, and two-handed manipulation of physics-enabled objects. Builds on Chapter 4 controller input and Chapter 3 physics systems.

Lesson 2 • VR Locomotion Systems

Implements teleportation, smooth locomotion, and comfort settings to reduce motion sickness. Directly applies interaction principles from Chapter 4 to movement.

Lesson 3 • Narrative and Environmental Storytelling

Structures VR scenes with spatial narrative cues, lighting direction, and audio storytelling. Integrates asset, audio, and interaction skills into a cohesive experience.

Lesson 4 • VR Performance Profiling and Optimisation

Uses engine profiling tools to identify and resolve CPU, GPU, and memory bottlenecks in VR. Ensures the experience meets target frame-rate requirements on device.

Lesson 1 • Occlusion and Environmental Understanding

Applies depth-based occlusion and semantic scene understanding to blend virtual objects with reality. Elevates AR realism beyond simple overlay rendering.

Lesson 2 • AR Tracking Technologies

Compares image tracking, plane detection, object tracking, and face tracking for AR. Guides technology selection based on use-case requirements.

Lesson 3 • AR UI and Information Overlays

Designs screen-space and world-space AR overlays for data visualisation and guidance. Applies XR UI principles from Chapter 5 to the AR context.

Lesson 4 • AR App Deployment and Testing

Covers build settings, device provisioning, and on-device testing workflows for AR apps. Validates tracking stability and performance on physical hardware.

Lesson 1 • Voice and Spatial Communication

Integrates positional voice chat and proximity-based audio falloff into shared XR spaces. Enhances social interaction quality in collaborative environments.

Lesson 2 • Shared AR Experiences

Synchronises AR world anchors and virtual objects across multiple devices in the same physical space. Extends multiplayer concepts to co-located AR scenarios.

Lesson 3 • Avatar Systems and Representation

Builds full-body and half-body avatar rigs driven by tracked head and hand data. Addresses social presence and identity in shared virtual spaces.

Lesson 4 • State Synchronisation and Authority

Implements object ownership, state synchronisation, and conflict resolution for shared XR objects. Ensures consistent world state across all connected users.

Lesson 1 • Enterprise XR Deployment Models

Covers MDM solutions, sideloading, and kiosk-mode deployment for enterprise XR fleets. Addresses the distinct distribution needs of business and industrial clients.

Lesson 2 • Monetisation and Business Models

Evaluates premium, subscription, freemium, and enterprise licensing models for XR products. Connects technical delivery to sustainable revenue strategies.

Lesson 3 • Maintenance, Updates, and Roadmapping

Establishes patch management, backward compatibility, and feature roadmap planning for live XR apps. Ensures long-term product health after initial release.

Lesson 4 • Analytics and User Telemetry

Integrates XR-specific analytics to track gaze, interaction, and session data. Enables data-driven iteration after launch.