If you have any questions please reach me on ODU Microsoft Teams and you can schedule time via my office hours through ODU's Microsoft Booking just make sure to select the option for the Game Design Class.
GAME 395: Designing and Developing with the Unity Engine or as Dr. Moberly calls it 'Unity Zero to Hero'. This class will take a Systems Engineering approach into how you can use real-time simulation systems aka ‘Game Engines’ to rapid prototype, create, build, compile, and deploy functioning software across major hardware and operating systems. We will primarily be utilizing Unity3D for the class and we might explore Godot as well. We will focus in on four key areas: Version Control, Unity, 'The Observer Pattern', and the 'Humble Pattern'. We will work through the Unity Package Management system so you can make your own Unity Package(s). The class will focus on one core project that students will have to mod. Upon modding the game you will then be required to deploy it across either Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, or iOS.
The links and resources below are primarily the software we will be using in class for assignments and the project work.
If you're setting up a Windows machine to go along with the class please download and install these in the order they are provided.
- Git Download Windows
- Git Large File Storage-GitLFS
- GitHub Desktop Download
- After you provide your GitHub handle you will be able to join the Game Design GitHub
- Git Documentation Link
- VSCode
- Visual Studio Community 2022
- For Personal Windows PC: Enable Long File Paths
Below will be an evolving list of links for various mobile/PC based applications to help create content via modern technology.
- Reality Scan Only for iOS but Android is coming - one of the best mobile 3D capture applications on the market and it's 'Free'
- Luma AI can upload videos to their site and get 3D surface models, use your mobile phone to capture items/objects, similar to reality scan but uses a slightly different approach to capturing your item
- Unity AR Companion App Unity provides an AR tool that lets you capture content - works on both Android and iOS devices.
- Meshroom little more advanced PC software that is open source and free - creates impressive point cloud data files from multiple sensors/devices and reconstructs a surface mesh. Don't need a high end GPU - but you're going to want to use one. Supported on Windows/Linux
- Move.AI has a free/limited version. Be aware of these sorts of companies as this is where motion capture is going - any native crappy video camera will be able to work.