The Reactive Miniverse studio questions the future of digital spaces as spatial, cultural, entertaining, and educational experiences. We will be generating complex architectural geometries and implementing and exploring them within game engines to create interactive and kinetic environments. This playful process aims to develop design and software skills, notably in Unreal Engine 5, Rhino3D, and Grasshopper.

What is Metaverse?

Metaverse is an online virtual world that incorporates augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, video, and other forms of communication. Users in the metaverse “live” in a digital realm, engaging with one another using avatars and virtual reality technologies. This technology enables people to live parallel lives by adopting unique digitalized avatars. Read more about the Metaverse in our article “Metaverse, The Upcoming Realm of Architects.”

Students will explore the design of different typologies of digital space by creating unique assets for implementation in Unreal Engine using Rhinoceros 7 and Grasshopper. Specifically, we will look at SubD modeling in Rhino 7, cover Grasshopper fundamentals, and make more complex geometries using additional plugins like Kangaroo for form-finding and Dendro for more organic geometries.

Because of its prominence in recent years with games like Fortnite and use in the film industry, Unreal Engine will serve as the “Miniverse” platform. The fusion of architecture and design with this open-world software was inevitable, and it has gone well beyond visualization. It may be used as a design tool with many stakeholders and a tool for client discussions and an experience environment.

• Rhinoceros 7.0. The 90-day trial version can download from the website.
• Grasshopper 3D: For Rhino 6 and 7 are embedded. For Rhino 5 and below, you need to download them separately.
• Unreal Engine + Blueprints (UX/UI – Unreal Widget UMG)
• Blender (for additional modeling)

Week 1 :

Studio Intro – 30minLecture –

Architects and game engines – 30min

Geometry Tutorial – 1hr

Unreal Tutorial – 1hr

Assignment (Environment creation) – 30min

Week 2 :

Guest Lecture – 1hr

Geometry Tutorial – 1hr

Unreal Tutorial – 1.5hr

Assignment (Geometry exploration) – 30min

Students will have to develop the first iteration of their assets.

Week 3 :

Tutorial/Lecture – 3hr

Review – 1hr

Week 4 :

Tutorial/Lecture – 2hr

Review – 2hr

Week 5 :

Tutorial/Lecture – 2hr

Review – 2hr

Week 6 :

Tutorial/Lecture – 2hr

Review – 2hr

Week 7 :

Final Presentation (special guests might join as a jury)