Classroom use of UC’s virtual campuses is provided by UCIT at no cost to departments or faculty.
Adjunct Professor Ria Schalnat teaching Computer & Cyberspace Law in the virtual McMicken Hall.
The UC Office of Information Technology (UCIT) and the Center for Simulations & Virtual Environments Research (UCSIM) provide virtual facilities and classroom spaces on UC’s virtual campuses in Second Life and Opensim at no cost for classroom use. These facilities include traditional and non-traditional classroom spaces, a sandbox area for practicing virtual creation skills, and small areas for student projects and displays. Included in these services is basic user support and training workshops for faculty and instructors.
For more information about using one of UC’s virtual campus facilities or reserving a virtual classroom space, see the Second Life and Opensim pages on this site.
For all other uses, the Center for Simulations & Virtual Environments Research (UCSIM) is a cost-recovery unit and must cover the fees and costs associated with providing research support and development services to the university community, partner institutions, and industry. A general breakdown of estimated costs for each platform or service is provided below, but please note these are estimates based on past projects and may vary depending upon your specific needs.
For research projects, be sure to contact UCSIM staff prior to submitting grant proposals for an accurate estimate of costs. Investigators wishing to develop prototypes or models for a research proposal that has not yet been funded can request assistance for pilot work that is intended to support grant applications. Please contact Chris Collins at 556-3018 for more information.
General costs for staff time are determined by rates approved by the University of Cincinnati Recharge Council. Internal rates apply to University of Cincinnati faculty and staff, for NIH funded projects, and for investigators from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). External rates apply to all other institutions and industry partners.
Fees for Second Life development are based on the time required for creation of virtual models and custom programming (development hours) + the time needed to train you and your staff on using the platform (training hours) + the annual fees charged by Linden Lab, the company who runs Second Life, to lease space on their servers (annual fee). Additional development time or staff training hours will be charged at the standard staff recharge rates listed above.
Not sure what size land parcel is appropriate for your project? Visit the Selecting Land Size Guide for more information.
Fees for Opensim development are based on the time required for creation of virtual models and custom programming (development hours) + the time needed to train you and your staff on using the platform (training hours) + the amortized cost of the hardware and maintenance required to keep the simulator servers running (annual fee). Additional development time or staff training hours will be charged at the standard staff recharge rates listed above.
Not sure what size land parcel is appropriate for your project? Visit the Selecting Land Size Guide for more information.
We are currently in the process of evaluating this platform’s capabilities in simulation and game development and anticipate availability in Spring Quarter 2012. For more information about Unity3D/JIBE, please contact our team.
The time it requires to develop custom animations and assets varies depending upon the specifics of your project, requirements and needs, so cost estimates are generally determined after discussing your project with UCSIM staff and based upon our best estimate of the staff/student hours needed to complete the work. Please contact our team for more information or assistance with your motion capture and asset development needs.