Computer games are currently played by more than 3-6 billion people worldwide, making this cultural technique a central phenomenon of mass culture and, consequently, of visual arts as well. The spectrum ranges from modifications, kit-bashing, appropriation, and subversion of existing games to the creation of alternative worlds for real-time applications.

During the seminar, we will explore the possibilities of real-time 3D using the free game engine Unity in conjunction with 3D animation and texturing software like Blender and Substance Painter.

Topics covered in the seminar include:

- Game asset and level creation, involving modular low-poly-count modeling, composite texture maps, and modular animations.

- Character creation, including avatars and non-player characters, motion capture import, and motion blending.

- Terrain creation, vegetation concepts, and non-realistic yet consistent abstraction.

- User interaction through first-person and third-person character controllers.

- Scripting in C#, such as modifying input systems and character controllers, triggering animations, scripting projectiles, handling impacts and collisions, object destruction, timers, object spawning, and object tracking and movement.

- Game physics, involving rigid bodies, collider components, and other magical elements.

- Audio aspects, including audio sources, reverb zones, and audio mixing.

- Concepts of direct and indirect lighting.

- Animation editing, utilizing Cinemachine camera rigging and animation, animation blending, timelines, timed behaviors, finite state machines, and asset collection.

- Implementing particle effects, environment effects, and post-processing effects.

- Creating user interfaces for the game.

- Game optimization techniques and build compiling.

Regular attendance and submission of an artistic project.

The course is intended for students with no prior experience in Unity 3D. Previous knowledge of 3D animation is beneficial but not required.

The course will be continued in the Summer Semester 2027.

The exact content interpretation of the seminar will be determined during the first class session on Dec. 14th 2026.

Please bring your own laptop with pre-installed and updated software (current LTS release: Unity 6-3 LTS or newer).

https://unity.com/de/download