With the rapid development of Virtual Reality (VR) and Virtual Environments (VE), costs have now fallen to the point where it is feasible and practical for architects to consider integrating VR/VE in their design workflow. This module aims to give a theoretical and practical grounding in VR and VE to equip students with the tools to use this technology.
Students will be introduced to the historical context of virtual environments and virtual reality, and different related concepts such as augmented reality and mixed reality. They will experience different ways of interacting with the virtual environments through modelling, editing, visualising, immersing and walkthroughs.
Students will be able to explore profoundly different VR systems through a comparative study. They will be introduced to various software specialised in advanced 3D modelling and visualisation, and will be able to practice using this software through developing a detailed model for an existing space.