UDACITY VR JAM

Matt Sonic

Published in

Udacity VR

6 min readFeb 1, 2017

JOIN THE FIRST UDACITY VR JAM

Udacity is hosting our first online VR Jam during the month of February. This is a virtual reality software competition to win prizes, notoriety, and bragging rights. Entries are now closed. Follow our blog for new competitions! And if you are not enrolled in the VR Devloper Nanodegree Program, sign up for a free trial.

PRIZE

The top two US-based teams with the highest points will win! Each member of the team will win the associated prize below (worth up to $3,600 total)*:

GRAND PRIZE = HTC Vive Virtual Reality System
RUNNER-UP = 2 months free for any Nanodegree Program at Udacity

*see Official Rules for details

LEADERBOARD

All teams will be shown on the leaderboard below. As points are earned, different teams will rise to the top.

VR JAM #1 LEADERBOARD

RULES

You must submit an entry form to express your interest in the competition. Entrances are now closed.
You must work with at least one other student to be eligible for the competition. You do not need to have a fellow teammate(s) in mind. We will send out teams based on geographical location and skill level. Teams will be distributed on February 9, 2017.
International teams are not eligible to win prizes. However, they can compete to win bragging rights and high scores. International teams will be listed on the leaderboard with a special ‘international’ globe symbol next to their name. All prizes go to the US teams with the highest points.
Your entry must be playable on Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Gear VR, or Google Daydream.
You must submit a project idea between the time you receive your teammate on February 9, 2017, and February 13, 2017, 11:59pm PST, via a submission form which you will receive via email.
Final submissions must be submitted (submission instructions will be received via email) by February 28, 2017, 11:59pm PST.
Winners will be announced on March 6, 2017.
No experience required. Udacity will form balanced teams where everyone can contribute.

FAQ

Can international students participate? International teams are not eligible to win prizes. However, they can compete to win bragging rights and high scores. International teams will be listed on the leaderboard with a special ‘international’ globe symbol next to their name. All prizes go to the US teams with the highest points.
Can we use Unity Asset Store Assets? Feel free to use assets from the asset store. This competition is focused on the final product more than the process and ingredients. Although, all parts will be taken into consideration when judging. For example, if you modeled everything from scratch over the course of the project, then we will take that into consideration when comparing it to entries using only asset store assets. It’s important to keep track of which assets were created during the competition and which were acquired from external sources or other projects. One caveat: no copyrighted material. You must have the legal right to distribute the assets. This is always true of asset store content.
What is the best way to get updates about the VR Jam? Please join the Udacity VR Slack and also check the Udacity VR Forums. Additionally, we’ll post updates to Twitter from @udacityvr.
How do I talk with my teammates? You should use the Udacity VR Slack and join the #vrjam channel. You can get a Slack invite here.

JUDGING CRITERIA

This competition is based on POINTS. The prize goes to all members of the team that rank as the top three teams with the highest points. There are several awards and power-ups that earn points. See the full list below. There are several references to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
The competition will be judged by VR Udacity Course Developers.
In the event of a tie, all tied teams will compete in Joust for the highest score. Teams can start sending high scores to Udacity at 10 AM PST on Friday, March 3 and must submit their high scores to Udacity by 5:59 PM PST on Friday, March 3. As high scores are submitted, Udacity will update the VR Jam Leaderboard to reflect the rankings. At 6 PM PST, the competition will close and winners will be shown on the VR Jam Leaderboard. In the event of Joust high score tie, subsequent competitions will take place until a winner is chosen. The dates and times of those competitions will be determined by Udacity.

THEME

The VR Jam theme is: The Future. We ask that you submit any VR project with this theme in mind.

AWARDS

The VRND instructors will review each app and give awards best on the following categories:

BEST OVERALL VR APPLICATION — 25,000 points

This entry will showcase nearly flawless performance, impressive graphics and sound, and demonstrate an exceptional understanding of VR design principles.

BEST USE OF THEME — 25,000 points

This entry integrates the competition theme deeply throughout the experience. Bonus points for using the theme in funny or unexpected ways.

EXCITING CONCEPT —10,000 points

This entry has an exceptionally cool VR concept. Bonus points for originality, forward-thinking, and applications for the future.

MASTERFUL ART & DESIGN — 10,000 points

This entry has an extremely high level of graphical and acoustic polish. Models, textures, and shaders are used to create a visual masterpiece. Immersive audio transports you to a different place.

PROGRAMMING ACHIEVEMENT — 10,000 points

This entry demonstrates top programming ability. Bonus points for advanced shader programming, custom physics and interesting algorithms.

POWER-UPS

JOURNAL POWER-UP — 10,000 points. Due Feb 21.

Make a developer log with three or more pictures of your project and post it to Medium. Send the link in an email titled Journal Power-Up Link to vrjam@mail.udacity.com by Feb 21. Your team will earn 10,000 points. You’ll also get a journal icon next to your team name on the leaderboard. You MUST send us the link by Feb 21 to win.

EASTER EGGS — 10,000 each

On February 9th, we will release three Easter Eggs worth 10,000 points each hidden in the “Hello VR World” course in your VR Nanodegree Program. Search the pages within course one for the easter egg icons below. Click them to discover a hidden challenge worth 10,000 points each. We will release additional details about the Easter Eggs on this page on February 9th.

UPDATE: The icons below are now hidden in the classroom! Happy hunting!