Fundamental Physics in the Virtual World | Introductory course to Unity

Unity is one of the world’s leading platforms for creating interactive 3D environments, powering everything from games and mobile apps to scientific visualizations and immersive virtual reality experiences. While widely known in the entertainment industry, Unity has become an increasingly powerful tool in scientific research, communication, and education.

This course introduces Unity as a versatile platform for simulating and visualizing physical phenomena. Over the span of five hours, participants will learn to build interactive 3D scenes that bring physics to life, using Unity’s built-in physics engine and custom scripts to model dynamic systems.

Participants will:

• - Gain hands-on experience in Unity’s 3D environment and physics engine
• - Learn to simulate classical mechanics and physical interactions
• - Create visual representations of abstract or large-scale phenomena (e.g. motion, forces, collisions, or energy)
• - Develop skills to port simulations to desktop, mobile, or immersive platforms (VR/AR)

By this course, students are encouraged to push the boundaries of traditional science communication by designing novel ways to represent and explore the core ideas of fundamental physics. The tools and concepts learned here can serve as a launchpad for creative projects in astrophysics, cosmology, particle physics, nuclear physics and medical physics — making the most complex and abstract phenomena more accessible, intuitive, and interactive.

Expected schedule:

• - Morning: 10.00 - 12.30
• - Afternoon: 15.00 - 17.00

Registration form: https://forms.office.com/e/tFRKwFGjDK?origin=lprLink

This course is free of charge and open to the general public. It is also included in the Academic Training Programme for IGFAE staff (more info here).