Previsualization | April 28, 2021

Environments | May 26, 2021

Look Development | June 30, 2021

Animation | July 28, 2021

Layout | August 25, 2021

Lighting | Sept 29, 2021

FX | October 27, 2021

October 19: Post Processing

Road to Realtime

Install the Unity Hub and Editor

2022.3

2021.3

2020.3

2019.4

Introduction to the Unity Hub

2020.2

2020.1

Organize projects in the Unity Hub

Work with GameObjects in a 3D Scene

Create a structure with primitives

Add components to 3D GameObjects

Add physical properties to 3D GameObjects

Manage GameObjects with prefabs

2021.2

2021.1

2019.3

2019.2

2019.1

2018.4

Get 3D assets

Challenge: The floor is lava!

2018.3

2018.2

2018.1

2017.4

2017.3

2017.2

2017.1

2022.1

Get started with cameras

Select your camera projection type

Control what your camera sees

Explore camera views

Explore camera shot types

Challenge: Recreate the scene

Apply cameras to your guided project

Get started with animation

Create your first 3D animations

Refine your animation

Control animation with an Animator

Import animation

Challenge: Bring the scene to life

Get started with audio

Create dynamic sound effects

Create 3D sound effects

Add special effects to existing audio

Accessibility considerations for audio

Challenge: Your own soundscape

Get started with post-processing

Create your own post-processing profile

Challenge: Create a local volume

Get started with shaders and materials

Explore meshes and rendering

Explore shaders

Manage materials in a project

Simulate solid surfaces

Map materials with textures

Create translucent and transparent effects

Add physical texture with bump mapping

Refine surfaces with more texture maps

Get started with Shader Graph

Challenge: Create your still life composition

Get started with VFX

Play around with a Particle System

Create an environmental Particle System

Create a burst particle

Experiment with VFX Graph

Challenge: Add some magic to your scene

Introduction to HDRP

2022.2

Challenge: Convert your project to use HDRP

Volume Overrides: Visual Environment

Challenge: Configure a Skybox and Fog in the scene using HDRP

HDRP Material Properties

HDRP Area Lights

Challenge: Configure Lights, Materials, and Post Processing to your project

Learn Live Submissions - Up and Running with HDRP

Recorded Live Session - Up and Running with HDRP

March 23: Prototyping & Worldbuilding

April 20: Intro to Visual Scripting

May 18: Animation

June 22: Intro to URP

July 20: Intro to HDRP

August 17: Shader Graph

September 21: VFX Graph

November 16: UI Building

December 21: Intro to VR

January 18: Intro to AR

February 24: Intro to Spatial Audio

Unity x FTW Webinar: Real-Time Animated Storytelling

Creative Core: Camera Quiz

Creative Core: Animation Quiz

Creative Core: Audio Quiz

Creative Core: Post-processing Quiz

Creative Core: Shaders and materials quiz

Creative Core: VFX Quiz

Unity Essentials

Cameras are your eyes into an interactive experience. They can be fully dynamic, fixed, or tied to a character. In this mission, you’ll explore the different camera types common to interactive experiences. You’ll also learn some basic camera shot terminology and practice recreating iconic scenes from popular media.

By the end of this mission, you’ll be able to:

Decide which Camera setup to use, given a project’s requirements.

Configure a single Unity Camera in a 2D or 3D scene.



This project is a standalone learning experience which uses content developed for the 

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with cameras in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

If you decide that you’d like to complete the whole 

, you can start at any time. You’ll receive credit for any tutorials that you have already completed when you do. 

Creative Core: Cameras

The world around you is in constant motion. The same is true for digital worlds. A static environment tends to appear unfinished, or cold and unfeeling; animation is all about creating the illusion of life.

In this mission, you will learn how to create animations in the Unity editor and how to configure animations imported from an external program. You’ll apply these concepts to add animation to objects and characters in your scenes, and even control when the animation gets played.

Describe the relationship between different animation components.

Create simple keyframed 3D animation sequences.

Describe key components of an animator controller.

Configure Animation Clips imported from digital content creation (DCC) software or the Asset Store for use in a project.

Configure a humanoid rig for use with the Humanoid Animation system.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with animation in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

, you can start at any time. You’ll receive credit for any tutorials that you have already completed when you do.

Creative Core: Animation

Audio is one of the most overlooked aspects of interactive development, but it’s also one of the first things that can disrupt a user’s immersion if it’s done poorly — or worse, completely forgotten about. 

In this mission, you will learn how to implement audio effects in Unity by creating a soundscape for an outdoor scene. You’ll create ambient audio effects, trigger sounds with events, and modify sounds with special effects.

Produce customized results by correctly configuring audio in a scene.

Create interactive experiences by synthesizing audio experience design principles.

Refine existing audio in a Unity project.

Solve accessibility challenges in an audio design.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with audio in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: Audio

Post-processing is just like applying filters to a photo you take with your phone. This can make your scene look more beautiful and interesting. 

In this mission, you will use post-processing to achieve a particular look and feel in a scene.

By the time you complete this learning experience, you will be able to:

Evaluate whether post-processing is an appropriate tool for a given goal.

Implement a particular visual style in a project by configuring a post-processing profile.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with post-processing in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: Post-processing

Shaders and materials let you define how your 3D objects look: their colors, reflectivity, and physical texture. With shaders and materials, you can bring realism into your projects or express your own artistic style.  

In this mission, you will explore concepts of light and reflection, including common terms that many 3D artists use every day. You’ll apply these concepts to create your own materials and shaders that simulate real-world objects — and even some other-worldly objects. You’ll complete this mission by creating a still life composition in which you can demonstrate a variety of shaders and materials.  

Explain how surfaces in Unity are defined and rendered.

Select a type of shader for your own project.

Create materials for a common shader, using a wide variety of properties.

Create your own simple shader using Shader Graph.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with shaders and materials in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: Shaders and materials

Visual effects, or VFX, are simulated motion effects added to enhance a scene, ranging from a subtle splash of water to a massive fiery explosion.

In this mission, you will learn to create your own visual effects, including fire, weather effects, and a puff of smoke.  

Decide whether to use Unity's Particle Systems or VFX Graph in order to produce an effect in your scene.

Produce environmental and burst effects by configuring Unity's Particle System object.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with VFX in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: VFX

HDRP_Assets.zip

In this project, you will be using the Spotlight Tunnel project. It features high quality realistic assets that serve as a perfect example of the types of rendering capabilities that are possible with the HDRP. The techniques learned in the project can be applied to any HDRP project and this project should be used as a reference for your high fidelity needs. 

 Suggested Skill Level & Prerequisite Knowledge  

Comfort Level with Tool/Feature: Foundational

Up and Running with HDRP

The road to the metaverse is paved in real-time 3D. But the challenges for creators are plenty – from capturing, transforming, visualizing and optimizing right-time data to creating, distributing and operating rich, interactive, immersive experiences that will engage stakeholders anywhere. Get ready to start your journey and learn the skills to thrive in the next era of computing. 

Live Learn: Road to the Metaverse

This content is aggregated to support students in USC's Virtual Production course. Follow these at your own pace and use them as reference while you work on your projects.