PSAM
3274

Digital Development

Parsons School of Design: School of Art, Media, and Tech

Non-Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Course
Degree Students
Digital Dev: Touch Designer
Spring 2025
Taught By: Torin Blankensmith
Section: C

CRN: 13865

Credits: 3

How do we design interactions, installations, and experiences around the constrains of the new world? How do we create environments that provide refuge and healing during crisis? This class will focus on the fundamentals and advanced techniques of real-time graphics programming, interaction design, networking, midi integration and projection mapping, to create immersive environments that can have technical and social impact for communities in need in a socially distanced era. Students will learn these techniques using a tool called TouchDesigner, which is a node-based visual programming language for real-time interactive multimedia content. It's been used by artists, programmers, creative coders and software designers to create performances, installations, and mixed media works. The course will consider technical skills, methods and aesthetics in the context of case studies that include large scale environments for medical professionals to alleviate stress/burnout, for patients in clinical studies aiding in neuroscience research on brain recovery, and for commercial spaces bringing sanctuary to the urban landscape.

Open to: All university undergraduate degree students. Some seats reserved for Bachelors degree in Design and Technology students.

College: Parsons School of Design (PS)

Department: School of Art, Media, and Tech (AMT)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 15

Repeat Limit: N/A

Add/Drop Deadline: February 3, 2025 (Monday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: April 15, 2025 (Tuesday)

Seats Available: Yes

* Seats available but reserved for a specific population.

Status: Waitlist*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 3:32am EST 11/5/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Monday
Times: 7:00pm - 9:40pm
Building: TBD
Room: TBD
Date Range: 1/27/2025 - 5/12/2025
Digital Dev: Data Viz Stories
Spring 2025
Taught By: Debra McGrory
Section: A

CRN: 14050

Credits: 3

This online course will provide an introduction to data visualization tools and will also move beyond visuals to include audio techniques such as sonification and narration to create compelling audiovisual data-driven stories. Students will examine principles of accessible design to provide access to data for people who are blind or visually impaired and will explore new developments in augmented analytics. The course will focus on design strategies to extend the impact, reach and engagement of critical information with non-technical audiences.

Open to: All university undergraduate degree students.

College: Parsons School of Design (PS)

Department: School of Art, Media, and Tech (AMT)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: Online - Synchronous

Max Enrollment: 15

Repeat Limit: N/A

Add/Drop Deadline: February 3, 2025 (Monday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: April 15, 2025 (Tuesday)

Seats Available: No

Status: Waitlist*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 3:32am EST 11/5/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Tuesday
Times: 7:00pm - 9:40pm
Building: Online Course
Room: 999
Date Range: 1/21/2025 - 5/6/2025
Digital Dev: Extended Reality
Fall 2024
Taught By: Donald Hanson
Section: A

CRN: 12516

Credits: 3

This course will present an introduction to creating VR experiences in a browser, exploring the basics of WebVR, a JavaScript API that provides access to a variety of Virtual Reality devices in your browser. The class will feature an overview of A-Frame, and rapid prototyping VR in the browser using A-Frame and other open-source frameworks. In addition, the course will provide an introduction to motion capture and rigging for students to explore motion and movement in XR environments. The class explains the building blocks of the Immersive Web providing support for virtual-reality devices to web apps, enabling developers to create immersive experiences that run on any WebGL-enabled browser. Tools and methods will be discussed through a critical lens that interrogate power structures embedded in these technologies, with readings and discussions that question access, control and representation.

Open to: All university undergraduate degree students.

College: Parsons School of Design (PS)

Department: School of Art, Media, and Tech (AMT)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 16

Repeat Limit: N/A

Add/Drop Deadline: September 9, 2024 (Monday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: November 17, 2024 (Sunday)

Seats Available: Yes

Status: Closed*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 3:34am EST 11/5/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Thursday
Times: 7:00pm - 9:40pm
Building: Academic Entrance 63 Fifth Ave
Room: L107
Date Range: 8/29/2024 - 12/12/2024
Digital Dev: Game Prototyping
Fall 2024
Taught By: Danny Hawk
Section: C

CRN: 16286

Credits: 3

In this course students are tasked with individually creating a digital game every week to be presented and played in class by their peers. Each week a theme will be presented that games must follow, alternating between structural constraints and thematic ones. Students will build their ability to properly scope and prototype a game, testing ideas that can succeed or fail as prototypes. Creating a game every week also provides the opportunity to hone a creative practice, exploring and fine tuning one's own taste and voice. Through creating a portfolio of prototypes students can engage with their own personal joy and process for creating games in a context separate from structured assignments, and begin to engage with the industry as peers and creative professionals. A foundation in Unity is required.

Open to: Bachelors degree in Design and Technology majors, others by permission of the program. Pre-requisite PUDT 2201 Core Lab Environments or equivalent experience.

College: Parsons School of Design (PS)

Department: School of Art, Media, and Tech (AMT)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 16

Repeat Limit: N/A

Add/Drop Deadline: September 9, 2024 (Monday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: November 17, 2024 (Sunday)

Seats Available: Yes

Status: Closed*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 3:34am EST 11/5/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Wednesday
Times: 7:00pm - 9:40pm
Building: 6 East 16th Street
Room: 1205
Date Range: 8/28/2024 - 12/4/2024
Digital Dev: Real-Time Design
Fall 2024
Taught By: Matthew Ross
Section: B

CRN: 15896

Credits: 3

This course is an overview on building interactive, generative, and real time systems using TouchDesigner. We will cover how Touchdesigner can be used for everything from Interactive Installations, live concert visuals, motion graphics, museum exhibits, kinetic sculptures, and much much more. Students will explore the power of real time systems, with randomness, modularity and interactivity as our core tenets. There will be a strong focus on experience design, where we will challenge students to use real time software as a platform to unlock new possibilities in aesthetics, narrative and form. We will establish the context of what we are making by drawing a line from early experimental film, computer art, and design, to our present of immersive spaces, live events, and technology laden museums, and into our artificial intelligence centered future. This is a technical class where students will immerse themselves in developing applications in TouchDesigner: playing with depth sensors, DMX lighting, connecting with protocols like Midi/OSC, projection mapping, and developing software for real time performance. Additionally, with the advent of new machine learning and LLM tools, we will explore how TouchDesigner can be used as a platform for developing experiences centered around artificial intelligence. There will be frequent guest speakers, field trips, and a focus on applying classroom skills to the real world. Students will come away with a strong foundation of building software with Touchdesigner, a better understanding of the possibilities of interactive installations, and a design toolkit to understand how to build engaging experiences. There is no prerequisite class required for this, but an introductory knowledge of coding is strongly suggested.

Open to: All university undergraduate degree students.

College: Parsons School of Design (PS)

Department: School of Art, Media, and Tech (AMT)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 16

Repeat Limit: N/A

Add/Drop Deadline: September 9, 2024 (Monday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: November 17, 2024 (Sunday)

Seats Available: No

Status: Closed*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 3:34am EST 11/5/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Monday
Times: 7:00pm - 9:40pm
Building: 6 East 16th Street
Room: 1206
Date Range: 8/26/2024 - 12/9/2024