Axon Park To Offer Expert Level In-Headset VR Design Course
Survios CTO Alex Silkin will teach a semester-long course called Unreal Engine VR Master Class.
Have you ever wanted to attend a course on VR software design from the comfort of your own headset? Your wish is about to come true. Courtesy of VR education startup Axon Park, the ‘Unreal Engine VR Master Class’ will debut in VR this autumn. Notably, Survios CTO and co-founder Alex Silkin will take on the role of professor and mentor. If you’re just hearing his name for the first time, Silkin is largely responsible for coming up with much of the technology that lives in games like Sprint Vector and Creed: Rise to Glory.
Axon Park holds that there are some prerequisites to consider when applying for the Unreal Engine VR Master Class. The company wants applicants to have experience in game development, particularly in Unity. On top of that, it’s asking for knowledge in “3D linear algebra, C++, visual studio (or similar), and Github (or similar).” You don’t have to be a college graduate, but it’s safe to say that you should definitely know your stuff.
“The course is project-based and designed to help you build a stellar portfolio piece from scratch,” the official press release states. “Classes are designed to help you learn the core concepts, while providing ample time for project work and support from your instructor and mentors.”
Despite language that appears directed at beginners (specifically where it comes to “learning core concepts”), it seems like the course is primarily aiming to cross-train Unity developers in Unreal Engine 4. Students do need to own an Oculus Rift or Rift S headset in order to attend the course, and there’s a tuition of $2,495 to consider. But that’s the price to pay for an entire semester underneath the likes of Alex Silkin.
Not only will students get opportunities to learn from Silkin; there will be other industry greats offering mentorship during the course, including Nick Whiting, Ray Davis, Jacki Morie, Ron Millar, as of yet unnamed “Oculus founders”, and “numerous other industry professionals”.
For those who struggle with the price of tuition or an Oculus Rift or Rift S headset, Axon Park is partnering with VR First to offer a “needs-based” scholarship program. Through a partnership with LBE content accelerator/curator Springboard VR, students who thrive in the class have a very real opportunity to see their work distributed (read: sold) to real consumers around the world. Students who develop professional-level portfolio work may see actual profits if Springboard chooses to distribute their content.
“This is not just a simple online class,” commented Silkin. “This is the first class of its kind. We’ll meet twice a week in virtual classrooms and build amazing virtual reality content together. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with VR since 2012 and contribute to the development of many innovative VR systems over these years. I want to share my experience with the community to make it easier for newcomers to break into the VR industry. I am beyond excited to help students invent their solutions for the still relatively untamed landscape of VR development.”
The Unreal Engine VR Master Class will begin on September 4. Students will meet twice per week for 14 weeks, and the course will ultimately conclude on December 11.
Featured Image Credit: Axon Park
https://vrscout.com/news/axon-park-expert-level-vr-course/
