Virtual Reality Education In Malaysia

We attended an MSI launch recently and we were lucky enough to experience the Oculus Rift for the first time. The simulation was of a sci-fi battle in a metropolis area under an elevated railway and you are a character watching the scene on-rails. The scene was played in slow motion as debris from explosions flew across your face and bullets whizzed by around you. Looking around, you see soldiers advancing for a better position and looking ahead, you see a towering robot wreaking havoc. The scene ends as you come face to face with the mech and it attacks you.

The scene starts as you move slowly forward. (Image: Giochitech)

As you move past the soldiers this car explodes and flies into your face. (Image: Giochitech)

This is your stop. Prepare for annihilation by robot. (Image: Giochitech)

Learn VR Now

The brief demo was done by Giochitech, an education provider in Malaysia that’s the first to provide VR courses and employs the use of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive as educational tools in Malaysia. Certified by West College Scotland, the courses on offer are a Diploma in 3D Multimedia Game Art and Animation and Diploma in 3D Multimedia Interior Design. Both courses come with a virtual reality add-on subject. Course fees for the diploma is RM36,000 and it goes on for 12 months.

We asked them about some of the work that’s been done by students there and these are some of the examples:

Interior Design:

Game Environment Design:

Students who enroll will need to learn the Unity and Unreal game engines, 3D modelling, V-Ray, lighting and rendering, plus virtual reality skills. As the course is new, we won’t see the work of graduating students till later this year. The use of VR in the general populace is undoubtedly increasing and we’re at the tipping point. Already there are many industries that employ the use of VR that doesn’t involve games. With the release of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, Virtual Reality isn’t just for Hollywood action movies made in the 90s. In case you missed it, here’s a handy timeline on the evolution of VR.

VR in Manufacturing

Image: Press.BMWgroup.com

Outside of gaming, VR already has many uses in the market place. BMW is already using the technology in the development of new vehicles with the HTC Vive and have been using virtual reality since the 1990s. The only difference is, because VR headsets are cheaper and readily available now, BMW engineers can work remotely and designers from around the world can contribute wirelessly, instantly.

VR in Healthcare

Rehabilitation in progress. (Image: ivikas.com)

At the UC Davis Venter for Virtual Care, heart catherterisation is one of the many virtual simulations provided. VR can also be used to simulate rare procedures that surgeons may not have had any experience in. There are also breakthroughs in phantom limb treatment as a virtual ‘arm’ helps alleviate the pain of patients.

VR in Museums

Children with cancer see the world through 360-degree cameras displayed on four white walls. (Image: Expedia.com)

The British Museum in London launched its first virtual-reality weekend last year and the American Museum of Natural History in New York made some of its collections available virtually through Google Cardboard. This technology was taken further recently as Expedia allowed children with cancer at the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee to travel with virtual reality.

If you thought you were alone in 3D, think again

Van gogh Room by ruslans3d on Sketchfab

Like Flickr or 500px, Sketchfab is a sharing platform that features 3D objects and will soon support the HTC Vive, Gear VR and Oculus Rift so more people can create and inspire more 3D designs in the future. With the Oculus, it may be possible to walk around such a room in the future – imagine walking through a model of your dream home before you buy it! As you can tell by now, VR is gaining ground. Like DeviantArt before it, Sketchfab is proving to be the online exhibit modellers have been waiting for. Have a poke around, and see if it doesn't ignite a fire in you to pursue VR as a profession. Giochitech's own Sketchfab page can be found here.

Get Educated in VR

If you’re the forward-thinking type with a penchant for technology, head to www.gc.my to enroll for their virtual reality course today. Giochitech also provides training for staff and provides consulting services for VR game environments and VR interior design services. Look for Ms. Wang, tell her we sent you.

Giochitech L1-25 Cova Square, Jalan Teknologi Kota Damansara +603 6142 2282 +6018 919 1983 [email protected]