Basic computer literacy (PC use, file management). Students are expected to have prior exposure to 3D digitization and 3D modeling, acquired in the second-year, first-semester course “Virtual and Augmented Reality Applications”. These skills are helpful to work with cultural assets, but the lab will also provide practical scaffolding for importing and managing existing 3D models.

No prior experience with Unity is required. Programming is not a strict prerequisite, but basic programming foundations (variables, conditions, simple logic) are recommended, as introduced in the 1st-year course “Computer Science for Cultural Heritage.”

The course combines a compact framing on interactive digital heritage with a scaffolded Unity lab aimed at building small, usable heritage experiences. Main topics include:

• Interpretive design and storytelling for cultural heritage (goals, audiences, content strategies)
• Serious games and light gamification for learning/engagement
• Unity foundations: Editor workflow, scenes, GameObjects, components, prefabs
• Heritage asset pipeline: import, scale, materials/textures, scene organization
• Lighting and environment setup (practical production choices)
• Navigation and wayfinding in 3D (desktop-first)
• Interpretive UI: panels, labels, hotspot conventions, readability
• Interaction basics: triggers and raycast/selection
• Essential C# scripting for interaction and UI logic
• Audio cues for narrative support (ambient + interpretive audio)
• Build & deployment (Desktop and/or WebGL), testing and packaging
• Basic UX/accessibility and evaluation; ethics, licensing, and attribution for assets

The course aims to enable students to design and prototype a small but meaningful interactive heritage experience in Unity. By the end of the lab, students can produce a navigable 3D scene (museum/site/object), integrate interpretive content through clear UI, and implement at least one meaningful interaction supported by simple scripts. The course also aims to connect technical choices to heritage outcomes: interpretive clarity, visitor engagement, accessibility, and basic user-centred evaluation, including responsible use of cultural assets (licensing and attribution).

Teaching is predominantly hands-on. Each topic is introduced through short theory inputs and live demonstrations, immediately followed by guided lab work. The course uses scaffolded progression: from structured exercises to increasing autonomy on a course project. Short critique and troubleshooting moments support iteration on both the heritage interpretation and the technical implementation, grounded in selected case studies from digital heritage and serious games.

Project-based assessment + oral discussion.
No written exam. Students submit a Unity project and discuss it orally through a live demonstration.

Assessment takes place during official exam sessions through: (1) project submission (Unity project folder or repository + runnable build + short README), and (2) an oral discussion with a live demo. Optional in-course checkpoints may be used for formative feedback, but there are no written tests.

The course starts with a brief framing of interactive digital heritage (interpretive design, storytelling, serious games/gamification, UX/accessibility, evaluation basics, ethics/licensing). The lab then develops Unity skills progressively through a project-oriented workflow:

• Unity setup and editor workflow; scenes and project structure
• GameObjects/components; prefabs and reusable exhibit elements
• Import and management of cultural 3D assets; materials/textures
• Lighting and environment composition for heritage scenes
• Navigation and wayfinding cues (desktop-first)
• Interpretive UI patterns: information panels, labels, hotspot design
• Interaction patterns: triggers and raycast/selection
• Essential C# scripting for event-driven interaction and UI state
• Audio integration for narrative support and ambience
• Build, deployment, and testing (Desktop and/or WebGL)
• Basic optimization for stable performance and clean builds
• Finalization: QA, documentation, licensing/attribution checks

Primary (Unity learning). Unity Documentation (Manual and Scripting API) and Unity Learn “Unity Essentials” pathway.
Suggested book. Hocking, J., Unity in Action (Third Edition), Manning, 2022.

Key scientific references (Digital Heritage / Serious Games).

• Bekele, M.K. et al., “A Survey of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality for Cultural Heritage”, ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 2018.
• Mortara, M. et al., “Learning cultural heritage by serious games”, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2014.
• Rizvic, S. et al., “Advanced interactive digital storytelling in digital heritage applications”, Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2024.
• Rizvić, S., “How to Breathe Life into Cultural Heritage 3D Reconstructions”, European Review, 2017.