As a global community, we are facing unprecedented changes to our daily lives due to COVID-19. Lockdowns have taken away many of the things we take for granted—going to the cinema, restaurants, and sports centers—leaving many of us looking for new ways to spend our time.
Amid all the uncertainty, investing time in learning and development is one thing that can be controlled. Now is the time to expand your knowledge base, upskill or even reskill.
Here are some of the companies offering free ways to broaden your knowledge about immersive technology during these troubled times.
A Free VR Course from VRTL
If your work schedule or class schedule has been turned upside down because of the crisis, it might be the time to broaden your skill-set. VRTL—a VR learning platform— would like to help you with that. The team has made its “Introduction To 360 / VR course Package” free (usually $79.95) for everyone until the end of April 2020.
The course consists of six chapters, ranging from 65 minutes to 30 minutes, which will enable you to immerse yourself in the art and craftsmanship of VR storytelling and learn the basics of the production process.
Free Registration For RealTime Conference
Organizers of the inaugural RealTime conference, which was due to take place in Paris and New York on 6th and 7th April, have moved the conference online and in the spirit of community, all registration fees have been waived.
The online event on 6th and 7th April will offer an opportunity to connect, learn, and share with leaders and cutting-edge real-time innovators. Top-tier speakers from companies such as Intel, Epic Games, Google, Facebook, Adobe, Activision, Foundry, Weta Digital, Magnopus, Spatial, Daimler, Oculus VR, and Pixar will be sharing insight and present-day applications of real-time technologies on their own infrastructure, business, and resources. Topics will touch on everything from “Crafting Real and Virtual Architecture in Real-Time” and “Fostering Customers Engagement Through Real-Time Interactive Experiences” to “Bringing Real-Time Pipelines to Movie-Making” and “The Real in Real-Time Photoreal Digital Humans”.
Check out the website for registration details and updates.
A Free Learning Service from Unity
Unity is the game engine that powers big hits like Beat Saber, Superhot VR, and Job Simulator. Unity Learn is offering three months of free access to its Premium learning service which has a library of high-quality tutorials to teach you everything from coding to art and game design. The offer lasts until June 20th, and to access it all you need to do is register for a free account.
Also included in the offer is access to ‘Create with Code Live’, a virtual course for students, teachers, or anyone interested in learning to code. Each weekday at 9 am and 5 pm PT, Unity will host an hour-long virtual class with live Q&A, to help you develop foundational skills in Unity, C# computer programming, game design, and development.
A Free Crash Course in Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine, the game engine from Epic behind VR titles such as Robo Recall and Batman Arkham VR, offers free video courses and guided learning paths—not just during the coronavirus epidemic, but all the time!
Start at the very basics: walk through the initial steps of using Unreal Engine and how to build an interactive experience, learn the principles of the user interface and the essential features of the engine. Then, gradually work your way up to understand studio lighting, the fundamentals of real time rendering and how to launch your first Marketplace product.
The lessons vary in length from 30 minutes to two hours, so you can pick whatever fits your routine.
