Building Virtual Worlds and Simulated Environments

About This Course

This module equips students with the theoretical foundations and technical skills to design and construct immersive virtual worlds, integrating the core systems of geometry, light, physics, rendering, and interaction. Emphasising a synthesis of physical realism and interactive responsiveness, the course prepares students to build visually compelling, perceptually convincing, and functionally robust virtual worlds. Students will engage with topics including spatial modelling, coordinate transformations, lighting models, physical simulations, and real-time rendering pipelines, with practical implementation in professional XR development tools such as Unity. The course also addresses the optimisation of performance, balancing aesthetic fidelity with technical constraints across XR platforms. Project-based work encourages students to iteratively build, test, and refine virtual environments where users can move, see, and interact fluidly.

Learning Objectives

Apply core concepts of geometry, 3D transformations, and spatial layout to model and structure immersive environments.

Design and implement lighting and visual rendering systems informed by both perceptual psychology and real-time graphics principles.

Simulate physics-based interactions, including collisions, forces, particle systems, and environment-based motion, using tools such as Unity and C#.

Integrate interactive components such as locomotion, object manipulation, UI controls, and dynamic environmental responses.

Understand and optimize rendering pipelines and performance constraints for deployment on VR, AR, and MR platforms.

Evaluate the aesthetic, experiential, and computational quality of virtual worlds, ensuring alignment with user-centred design goals and immersive realism.

Study Programs

This course is mandatory for the following study programs.

M.Sc. Advanced Digital Reality

This course is offered as an elective for the following study programs.

MBA Digital Technologies

MBA Digital Transformation

M.Sc. Applied AI

M.Sc. Cybersecurity

M.Sc. Digital Leadership

Micro Degree

This course is offered as a micro degree.

German UDS Micro Degrees are compatible with the European MOOC Consortiums Common Micro Credentials Framework.

Micro Degrees will be rewarded with an equivalent of 5 ECTS.

Micro Degrees are offered to non-regular students and require a fee of €900.

General Information

Teaching Format: Experience

Total Workload Master: 125h (40h/85h) / 5 ECTS

Total Workload MBA: 100h (30h/70h) / 4 ECTS

Total Workload Micro Degree: 125h (40h/85h) / Equivalent to 5 ECTS

Module coordinator: Prof. Dr. Daniele Di Mitri

Examinations: Quizzes, presentation(s), essay(s)/paper(s), project report(s), written exam (tbd) - Details will be announced with course start.

Offered: Odd quarters

Course Staff

Prof. Dr. Daniele Di Mitri

Daniele Di Mitri is a professor of Multimodal Learning Technologies and leader of the "Augmented Feedback" research lab at the German University of Digital Science. He is an affiliate researcher at the DIPF - Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education and a lecturer at the Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany. Daniele Di Mitri received his PhD in Learning Analytics and wearable sensor support from the Open University of The Netherlands. His current research focuses on developing AI-driven, multimodal learning technologies to enhance digital education. It aims to create innovative and responsible solutions that improve learning experiences through advanced feedback systems and ethical technology integration. He is a "Johanna Quandt Young Academy" fellow and was elected "AI Newcomer 2021" at the KI Camp by the German Informatics Society. He is a member of the editorial board of Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence journal, a member of the CrossMMLA, a special interest group of the Society of Learning Analytics Research, and chair of the special interest group of AI for Education of the European Association of Technology-Enhanced Learning.