Virtual Reality

U Nevada Reno Workshops Help Students Create VR Content

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/08/19

A university library in Nevada is hosting a set of immersion events that combine theory with practice. The University of Nevada, Reno has hosted virtual reality sessions for the last couple of years, ever since it opened @Reality, a 640-square-foot VR and augmented reality studio in the campus' Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center in 2017. The goal of the studio is to provide a space where students, faculty and staff can explore, study and learn how to create new applications for VR and AR.

The latest round of sessions will run each Tuesday evening in two-week increments. Separate workshops will cover 360-degree video and photo creation, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and game development using Unreal and Unity. According to the university, the first week describes the topic and the second week lets participants "apply the knowledge and have a hands-on experience with creating virtual reality content."

"It is our hope that by hosting VR sessions the University Libraries is inspiring more members of the campus community to use VR in their field," said Multimedia Production Specialist Michelle Rebaleati, in an article about the program. "Because this technology is evolving at a fast pace, we are continuing to learn how to incorporate VR into university course work, research and more."

"Our goal this year for students, is to give them tools in virtual reality to further their independent fields and to understand ways to approach virtual reality that will impact their studies and areas of interest," added Tim Hoover, who will serve as lead presenter for the sessions.

The university will also be hosting a November meet-up to enable faculty to hear from each other on research involving VR and AR. Last year the institution piloted the use of VR technology in nursing and medical education to help students develop situational awareness and communication techniques.