Design in the Age of Metaverse and Extended Reality

ARCH 7036-004 (51920)  / ARCH5051-004 (51921). Elective Arch Theory Seminar.  Spring semester. DAAP, UC.

Class time: Tuesdays and Thursdays. 12:30 pm-1:50 pm

Location:  Hybrid with online; CGC Lab @ DAAP; XR-Lab @ Digital Future Building.

Instructor: Ming Tang.  Director, Extended Reality Lab. XR-Lab, Associate Professor, SAID, DAAP, University of Cincinnati

The course is open to all UC students of any major. The course is open to both undergraduate (ARCH5051)  and graduate students (ARCH 7036). Please contact Prof. Ming Tang if you have issues registering for the course as a student from another major.

• For SAID graduate student who has previously taken the VIZ-3 course, this advanced-level course will allow you to develop your XR-based presentations for thesis exhibition or propose your XR-related topics.
• For students with general design backgrounds ( architecture, interior design, urban planning, landscape, industrial design, art, game, film, and digital media), this course will allow you to extend your creativity into XR and create an immersive experience.
• For students without previous experience in design fields (engineering, art & science, CCM, medicine, etc.) this course will be an excellent introduction to the realm of XR.

This seminar course focuses on the intersection of traditional design with immersive visualization technologies, including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Digital Twin, and Metaverse. The class will explore the new spatial experience in the virtual realm and analyze human perceptions, interactions, and behavior in the virtual world. Students will learn both the theoretical framework and hands-on skills on XR development. The course will provide students exposure to the XR technologies, supported by the new XR-Lab at the UC digital future building. Students are encouraged to propose their own or group research on future design with XR.

Hardware: VR headsets and glasses are available at the XR-Lab at DF.

Software: Unreal Engine 5. . available at DAAP CGC Lab.

Course Goals and Outcome

Students are encouraged to look at architecture, motion pictures, game design, 3D design, and other digital art media. As students develop their research, these fields become invaluable in inspiration and motivation. The instructor supports all attempts by students to experiment with techniques that interest and challenge them above and beyond what is taught in the classroom.

Students completing this course will be able to identify theories and research methods related to eXtended Reality (XR), including (1) History and theory related to XR (VR+AR+MR); (2) Emerging trend related to the Metaverse and its impact on design.

The course focus on hands-on skills in XR development through Unreal Engine 5. Students will propose their XR projects and develop them over the semester. 

This course will be offered as a hybrid of online and in-person at CGC/Digital Future building based on the project’s progress. The student will propose their projects and use 15 weeks to complete the development.

Prerequisite: There are no skills needed as prerequisites. However, Basic 3D modeling skills are preferred.

Schedule for each week.

1. History and the workflow of metaverse development 
2. project management at GitHub (Inspiration from the film due) 
3. Modeling ( XR vignette proposal due)
4. Material & Lighting (Project development start) 
5. Blue Print, node-based programming 
6. Character and Animation
7. Interaction and UX @ deploy to XR
8. Project development time
9. Project development time
10. Project development time
11. Project development time
12. Project development time
13. Project development time
14. Project development time
15. Project development time
16. End-of-semester gallery show at DF building

Examples of student projects on XR development

• Future Retail
• Burning man
• Seminar: XR
• Driving simulation
• Bus stop design in Metaverse
• Price Hill
• rural-mobile-living
• Future uptown Cincinnati
• Train station in Beijing
• Transitehub at Cincinnati
• Thesis: Layered space.
• Thesis: Cyber-Physical Experiences: Architecture as Interface
• Thesis: Virtually Interactive DAAP

Recommended podcast on Metaverse

our EVRTalk story goes live on Cincinnati Public Radio!

Ming Tang (UC) and Jai’La Nored, Anna Goubeaux, and Antoinette Moore (Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio) were interviewed by Ann Thompson. WVXU, Cincinnati Public Radio.

VR headsets put caregivers in the shoes of those they are assisting. By Ann Thompson. WVXU, Cincinnati Public Radio. 01.02.2023.

Live on Cincinnati Public Radio on January 2^nd at 6:44 am. 8:44 am and 5:44 pm

(from left) Jai’La Nored, Anna Goubeaux, UC’s Ming Tang and Antoinette Moore.

Thanks for the support from COA, Live Well Collaborative, and the University of Cincinnati Urban Health Pathway grant.

Check more information on the EVRTalk  program.

Design for Future Service, Metaverse, and Robotics

Thanks to all students from SOD and SAID who have participated in the projects. We also want to thank the help from Kroger and UC Digital Future.

Redesign retail and other service experiences (retail space, in-person service, digital service, technology) and rethink customer/business needs. Envision the future service experience of retail, hospitality, and delivery: 1) physical, 2) digital, and 3) a combination of both. Research questions include:  What does the “future retail store” look like? How the online shopping and local stores pick up change the architecture of a store? How the metaverse and immersive experience can be integrated with retail? Can public and recreational programs be introduced into stores to enhance customers’ experience? How can robots assist employees and businesses in providing better service to customers? When robots coexist with people, how can we make robots more understandable and usable?

Collaborative design work from the College of DAAP.

Students: SAID, SOD

Faculty: Ming Tang, Yong-Gyun Ghim, College of DAAP, UC

SAID course description

This four-credit workshop course includes both a seminar and project development format, and develops techniques for digital modeling as they influence the process of viewing, visualizing, and forming spatial and formal relationships. The course encourages operational connections among different techniques for inquiry and visualization as a critical methodology in the design process.

Students: Ryan Adams, Varun Bhimanpally, Ryan Carlson, Brianna Castner, Matthew Davis, John Duke, Prajakta Sanjay Gangapurkar, Jordan Gantz, Alissa Gonda, Justin Hamilton, Emma Hill, Anneke Hoskins, Philip Hummel, Jahnavi Joshi, Patrick Leesman, Tommy Lindenschmidt, Peter Loayza, Jacob Mackin, Jordan Major, Julio Martinez, Jacob McGowan, Simon Needham, Hilda Rivera, Juvita Sajan, Gavin Sharp, Hannah Webster, Megan Welch, Meghana Yelagandula, Isaiah Zuercher.

SOD Studio description

Mobile Robotics Studio envisions how robotic technology can better assist people in service environments benefiting both customers and employees. Based on human-centered design and systems thinking approaches, cross-disciplinary teams of industrial, communication, and fashion design students created design solutions for product-service systems of mobile robots in retail, air travel, sports, delivery, and emergency services. 

Students: Noon Akathapon, Kai Bettermann, Cy Burkhart, Jian Cui, Joe Curtsinger, Emmy Gentile, Bradley Hickman, Quinn Matava, Colin McGrail, James McKenzie, Alex Mueller, John Pappalardo, Kurtis Rogers, Connor Rusnak, Jimmy Tran, Franklin Vallant, Leo von Boetticher