ALIAS Virtual Production Studio offers a state-of-the-art filmmaking experience using Unreal Game Engine for 3D set designs. This technology allows on-air talent to immerse themselves in environments that would otherwise be impractical. Similar to the technology used in "The Mandalorian," this studio is the first of its kind at a Texas university and the first in the country for a university library. With 30-feet LED panels, a 6K camera, and cinema-quality audio and lighting, you can create your own 3D world or use our premade sets.
Alkek Laboratory for Immersive Arts and Sciences (ALIAS)
About ALIAS
Thanks to a grant from the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation, University Libraries has launched a 5-year project to create the Alkek Laboratory for Immersive Arts and Sciences (ALIAS). This initiative will feature high-tech suites for experiential learning and immersive storytelling. It will offer student-centered programming to foster ingenuity and creativity through project-based learning. Through ALIAS, students will research, curate, archive, and share immersive stories, especially those of historically underrepresented voices. ALIAS aims to capture and celebrate the stories of our students, communities, and world, preserving them for future generations.
Virtual Production Studio
Audio Production Studio
The ALIAS Audio Production Studio is being developed in the abandoned TV studios. Students, faculty, and staff will use the new space and equipment to create and research immersive audio, which uses multi-dimensional methods to place listeners in an expanded sonic field. Completion is expected during the 2025-26 academic year.
Immersive Gallery
The Immersive Gallery is being developed in the vacated studios, featuring five high-powered laser projectors and specialized lenses for augmented reality projection mapping. This will create fully immersive experiences, similar to the Van Gogh exhibit. The university’s theater department will build large-scale sets, while students, faculty, and staff from various disciplines will conduct research to bring stories to life. The goal is to create the largest repository of immersive stories in the world, with completion anticipated in 2027.