Virtual and Augmented Reality (VXR)

VXR-1150  Introduction to Immersive Technology  (3 Credits)  

An identification of historic milestones in immersive technology, and industry terminology. Students will meet, interact, and learn best practices with industry professionals in extended reality production. Students will gain insight into immersive design through direct exploration of technologies and examples. Using various XR platforms, students will plan and create content to articulate immersive design principles. Not available forsupplemental.

Instruction (1.0), Lab (2.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1150L (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1160  Art and Design for Extended Reality  (3 Credits)  

An introductory modeling course exploring a variety of spatial and object creation techniques necessary for real-time environments. Three-dimensional software and tools facilitating the development of assets and environment creation will be explored. Topics include art and design fundamentals, three-dimensional geometry and surface creation, material creation and basic lighting techniques. Course topics are applied through in-class exercises and practical, hands-on assignments. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (1.0), Lab (2.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1160L (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1161  Asset Production for XR  (3 Credits)  

An exploration of a variety of asset types and workflows for XR including intermediate modeling and texturing techniques, animation, shaders, and VFX. Emphasis is on a foundational technical understanding of asset development as well as optimization and workflow efficiency. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1160 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1161L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1161T (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1165  Advanced Design for VXR  (3 Credits)  

An advanced course which combines principles of human-centered design with hands-on prototyping and production. User experience and interaction design concepts will be discussed, researched, and applied through a collaborative approach. Focus will be on creating immersive experiences that feel natural and intuitive. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1160 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1170 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1180 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1165L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1165T (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1170  Fundamentals of Coding  (3 Credits)  

A hands-on course in which fundamental programming concepts within an industry-standard game engine will be explored. Emphasis will be on completing an optimized immersive experience using a variety of interaction concepts. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1170L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1170T (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1171  Coding for Immersive Experiences  (3 Credits)  

An advanced game engine coding class that introduces new programming concepts for creating immersive experiences. Focus will be on implementing concepts that result in development efficiency, advanced interactions, and handling ofdata in XR applications. Through hands-on projects, students will apply software design patterns and advanced techniques to improve application development. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1170 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1171L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1171T (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1180  Spatial Media Production  (3 Credits)  

An investigation of the tools and processes used to produce spatial media content for extended reality. This course combines the use of hardware and software techniques with the fundamentals of real-time applications to bring physical images and objects into digital immersive environments. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1180L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1180T (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1181  Advanced Media Capture  (3 Credits)  

A continuation of VXR 1180 and VXR 1190, investigating advanced audio and visual capture techniques used to create high quality XR content. Through hands-on projects, students will identify, evaluate and implement tools and processes used to produce spatial media environments and experiences for various extended reality platforms. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1180 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1190 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1181L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1181T (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1190  Immersive Audio Design  (3 Credits)  

An introduction to recording, editing and mixing digital audio for the 360-degree space. Students will investigate basic audio concepts and discover how the use of music, sound effects, voice, ambisonics and spatial audio can make an immersive experience more compelling. Not available for supplemental.

Instruction (2.0), Lab (1.0), Tutorial (1.0)

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1190L (Required, Concurrent). Take VXR-1190 (Required, Concurrent).

VXR-1195  XR Industry Capstone  (3 Credits)  

A 120-hour production course that brings together the technical skills and design experience learned throughout the program into an industry focused capstone project. In consultation with their instructors, students will propose a final extended reality project to be completed during the 6-week intensive term. Throughout the term, students will have access to mentorship and studio equipment, and will develop and document their project. At the end of the term, students will highlight the resulting experiences at Lethbridge College's annual Merging Realities event. Not available for supplemental.

Work Integrated Learning (3)

Equivalent to VXR-1195W.

Requisite courses: Take VXR-1161 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1165 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1171 (Required, Previous). Take VXR-1181 (Required, Previous). Take BUS-1177 (Required, Previous).