For my independent learning requirement, I took the Unity3D Essential Training Course on Lynda.com. The course gives you the basics on using the Unity software. It also goes into greater depth on the fundamentals than what I initially learned in class.

The course is largely a review of what I learned in class. However, there are a few tips that come in handy. First, it teaches you how to organize your assets. Before I took this course, when I uploaded assets to Unity, I would just stuff them into the bin without any regard for whether they are textures, audio, or models. As a result, I would have to dig through a disorganized pile of assets. The course teaches you to organize your assets into different folders based on whether it’s a model, texture, scene, script, etc. This makes it much easier to find what you are looking for. Soon after finishing this section, I went back into my scene and took the time to organize my assets. Afterward, I found that it was easier to find different models.

The Lynda.com course also taught me advanced information on materials. The aspect that I got the most out of was the details on shaders. Certain shaders are best for different objects.  For example, the standard shader is best for metallic objects, while the specular shader is ideal for plastic or rubber assets. After watching this section, I went back through my assets and changed the shaders. Many of them were on shaders that weren’t covered in the lesson. As a result, I didn’t want to change those as I didn’t know enough about them. The lesson also said there’s a shader for objects in virtual reality videos. However, when I tried it, it made the asset disappear. I found this to be quite disappointing. Overall, though, the Lynda.com course ended up teaching me skills that I wish I’d learned earlier. I should have started the course several weeks ago.