Udacity Launches VR Developer Nanodegree In Partnership With Google VR And HTC Vive
Learn how to build VR experiences in a range of VR headsets, and from the co-founder of Google VR.
Last week we told you how you can get a front row seat in Harvard’s largest class using virtual reality. But how about creating your own VR experiences?
Udacity just launched a Nanodegree that will teach you how to do so. For this Nanodegree, Udacity is partnering with Google VR and HTC Vive to create the curriculum. Christian Plagemann, who was co-founder of the Google VR team and Google Cardboard, has joined Udacity as a director to help create the Nanodegree.
Udacity’s VR Developer Nanodegree program.
The program will teach you the following skills:
- mobile phone-based VR and desktop VR;
- game engines;
- VR design and user interaction;
- 360 media, including immersive imagery, 360 video, and spatial sound;
- performance and ergonomics; and
- VR platforms, including HTC Vive, Google Cardboard, Daydream, and Oculus Rift.
The VR Developer Nanodegree program costs $199 per month, and you will receive half the money back on graduating. Every registered student will receive a limited-edition mobile virtual reality viewer to be used with their mobile phone (Android or iPhone). Students with access to a high-immersion VR set-up such as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift will be able to take advantage of an optional concentration track on “High Immersion VR,” which covers advanced design and engineering topics.
Udacity seems to be in a rush to create Nanodegrees for the jobs of the future. A couple of weeks ago, Udacity opened up applications for their self-driving car engineer Nanodegree. At the time of writing, around 11,000 people have applied for 250 seats in that Nanodegree. Due to high interest, Udacity doubled the available seats to 500.
Udacity isn’t the only one to rushing to build a VR curriculum. Last week, Treehouse also announced a VR Techdegree, which will be launched in January 2017.