Dezeen Magazine

Virtual Designs at AUD Center for Research, Innovation and Design

The Virtual Designs course at the American University in Dubai enables designers to apply virtual reality technology to their work using Gravity Sketch and VR Sketch software.


School: The Center for Research, Innovation and Design (CRID), School of Architecture, Art and Design, American University in Dubai (AUD)
Course: Virtual Designs
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Course dates: January 2024 to April 2025
Application deadline: 19 January 2024

The Virtual Designs course at the American University in Dubai is a course that focuses on the development of virtual products and industrial designs within a virtual reality (VR) framework.

This course provides an opportunity for students to create VR designs, which can be integrated into metaverse platforms as assets.

A distinctive feature of this course is the opportunity for students to attain Gravity Sketch certification, contingent upon the completion of designated hours in VR design work.

This curriculum is tailored to cater to a range of disciplines including architecture, interior design, product and industrial design, and art.

It forms a part of the Immersive Design Courses offered by the CRID at AUD. These courses also encompass virtual environments and virtual arts, which are geared towards providing certifications to both students and professionals aiming to enhance their expertise in VR design.

CRID stands out as the premier institution in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for VR design training, being the only authorized VR Sketch training center, Gravity Sketch certified center and authorized Rhino training center in the region.

Additionally, Through Twinmotion, AUD has become the first university in the GCC to be the academic partner with Unreal Engine.

Furthermore, CRID is a Certiport authorized test center (CATC) for building information modeling (BIM) with Revit and is currently developing mixed reality courses for augmented reality applications.

Under the expert guidance of Dr Georges Kachaamy, a professor of architecture, a certified VR Sketch trainer and Gravity Sketch instructor, the courses at CRID are meticulously structured with more than 50 hours of intensive workflow inside VR.

The center includes associate professor Jose Carrillo, an authorized Rhino trainer, and professor Alex Albani, an Autodesk certified professional (ACP) in Revit for architectural design.

The emphasis of CRID and the School of Architecture, Art and Design at AUD on extended reality (XRs) technologies in their curriculum underscores their commitment to preparing students and professionals for a future that seamlessly integrates real, mixed and virtual environments.

This forward-thinking approach ensures graduates are well-equipped to navigate and contribute to the evolving landscape of architecture, art and design.

Applications to this course have now closed.

Top image is courtesy of the American University in Dubai.

Dezeen Courses

Dezeen Courses is a service from Dezeen that provides details of architecture, interiors and design courses around the world. Click here for more information.

Exterior of university building