Frequently requested and useful information
Academic Year 2026/2027
Term Time Opening Hours:
- Monday – Friday : 8AM – Midnight
- Weekends / BH : 9AM – 9PM
Click to watch the Technical Team Induction Video
Studio Code of Conduct
The studio walls / tables will be reset to this default layout each weekday morning. Classes have priority for use of walls and furniture – only take tables and chairs after classes have started and only if they are not being used by those classes.
Exercise caution when moving any large walls/dividers/tables; check for obstructions, open floor boxes, etc. in the path of moving furniture.
No spray mounting / spray painting / soldering anywhere in the studio – this can be done in the workshop or rear courtyard; there are dedicated spray booths there.
Do not stand on tables or chairs to reach higher places – use only the kicker stools or step ladders provided. Studio furniture must not be taken away from the first floor.
Do not disturb other tutorials / classes / crits by walking through them or being unduly loud near them.
Portfolios and models should be left tidily in the racks / shelves / cages provided – with your name attached. Items left lying around will be moved to the portfolio racks or CritPit portfolio shelves. Long-term unclaimed items will be disposed of.
No small electrical items such as KETTLES, TOASTERS, MICROWAVE OVENS, HEATERS – these will be confiscated by security.
Hot food should NOT to be consumed at the computers or within the computing areas. Smelly food is also NOT acceptable in the studio when it affects those around you.
Please report building issues such as leaks, power problems, suspicious behaviour and other hazards to a member of staff or FM helpdesk
Stockwell Street Reception security personnel are First Aid trained; in the event that such attention is needed contact / inform front desk reception.
Take responsibility for YOUR studio by clearing up after yourselves; the cleaners can’t clean the floor if they can’t see it. There are bins and brooms around the studio – please use them.
Please ensure to maintain a respectful and professional work culture in line with the University of Greenwich’s ethos of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity. As a student of the University of Greenwich you have all committed to the Students’ Charter a community founded on mutual tolerance and respect.
V-Ray and Enscape for Students’ Own Machines
[Note friday 30th October 2026: this product is currently being rolled out to certain programmes one at a time. At this point it is available to MAArch students]
Chaos V-Ray is a powerful rendering plugin for a number of applications including Rhino, 3D Studio Max, Sketchup, Blender, etc. It can transform 3D models into high-quality images and animations, simulating realistic lighting, materials, reflections and environments.
Enscape is a similar but runs as a real time visualiser and is more tuned to architecture / landscape architecture projects.
This software is available on all the Design School workstations and is also available for students to download on their own machines. Note that it is quite demanding software and needs a decent specification PC or Mac – though for final renders you also now have the option to submit jobs to the Chaos Cloud remote rendering service.
To install the software sign in with your short user ID – e.g. ab123 – at the Chaos Website and choose Continue with Corporate email then authenticate via the Uni MFA system
Once logged in:
- Click your icon in the top right hand corner a
- choose My Products
- Select Show Individual Products
- select Download beside 1Year V-Ray Education – University
For either Enscape or V-Ray choose from the dropdown which application you want it for. Note not all the software works on both Mac and PC, for instance there is no Vray for Rhino on a Mac, but Enscape for Rhino Mac is available.
Once downloaded then follow the install process for your machines / software. Choose cloud licensing when prompted – and if prompted then login with short userID and password / continue with corporate account again.
Once the software is installed then launch your modelling software again – you may be warned that there is a new plugin installed – then invoke it according to your software. e,g
- Rhino:
Render – Current Renderer – V-Ray for Rhino
V-Ray – Asset Editor
- Sketchup
On launching Sketchup you will see a new V-Ray toolbar
Or Extensions – V-Ray to go straight to the commands
- Blender
Edit – Preferences – Addons: click to Enable V-Ray for Blender
In Render properties – select the Render Engine dropdown and choose V-Ray
Chaos Cloud for V-Ray [Rhino]
It is now possible to use the Chaos Cloud feature to submit V-Ray renders to their servers for rendering. This is a really useful feature which means V-Ray scenes created in Rhino / 3DS Max / Blender / Sketchup etc. can be remotely rendered, freeing up your machine to carry on working – and processing renders more quickly due to their powerful rendering hardware. Also you can queue up a series of renders to send off one after the other.
This guide describes the process for Rhino – but the different softwares work in fairly similar ways
Please Bear in Mind:
Cloud credits are shared. At present, all students draw from a single pooled allocation of Chaos Cloud credits. Everyone is therefore sharing the same resource, so please be considerate of other users.
- Credits renew periodically. The available credit allocation is replenished periodically. Please don’t assume there is an unlimited supply available at any given time.
- Choose your resolution carefully. Higher-resolution renders consume more resources and credits. As a general guide:
- 1280 × 720 – Drafts and previews.
- 1920 × 1080 – Standard final renders.
- 2560 × 1440 – Higher-quality presentation renders.
- Don’t render bigger than you need. A 4K or exceptionally large image isn’t automatically a better image. Consider where and how your work will be presented before choosing your output resolution.
- Use local rendering for smaller tests. There’s little benefit in using cloud credits for small test renders while you’re experimenting with lighting, materials, cameras and composition. Your local workstation is perfectly suitable for this.
- Save cloud rendering for the bigger jobs. Chaos Cloud is particularly useful for larger, more demanding final renders, where you want to free up your workstation or render at higher quality without tying up your machine.
- Think before submitting. Check your camera, materials, lighting, output dimensions and render settings before committing credits. An unnecessary re-render uses resources that could be better spent elsewhere.
Custom materials and external assets: Some custom, procedural or third-party materials may not be supported by Chaos Cloud, even if they work perfectly on your local machine. External textures and image files must also be included with the scene. In some cases, materials may need to be converted or baked into bitmap textures before they can be rendered successfully in the cloud. If materials are not rendering correctly it can be quite difficult to trace the problem.
1. Chaos Cloud
As well as V-Ray itself being installed you also need have Chaos Cloud installed.
On your own PC it will likely have been installed on first run – if not then download and install from the Chaos Cloud Site
On a Uni PC: you need to install it via Software Centre before you start Rhino. Click to install Vray Chaos Cloud from Software Centre
note: this installs it for your session, you may have to install it again if you log out and log in again
2. In Rhino
When you have your scene ready to render in Rhino select V-Ray – Rendering – Chaos Cloud render / upload
If you get this message saying Chaos Cloud failed to load then go back to [1] and reinstall the Chaos Cloud App
If you have not already logged into the Chaos website then you will be prompted to do so – submit your short user ID credentials; e.g. ab123@gre.ac.uk the choose the option Continue with corporate email. You may also have to do the MFA authentication at this point.
3. Submit Job
The Chaos Cloud dialogue box will list the properties of your render – these defined by the render settings in the V-Ray asset viewer. The Credits section indicates remaining credit which – currently – is shared between all users; this may change to an individual allocation to each student.
Since all the assets are being transmitted to the remote server a large job may take some time to upload.
Clicking View Job / Open in Cloud will open the web view into your renders – you can monitor the progress of renders and once they have finished you can download for post processing in Photoshop etc. You will also get email notifications of job submissions and completions.
You have the option to organise / view all the jobs you have sent. Also note the CLONE option – this allows you to resubmit previous jobs with different render settings.
Building Arrangements May / June
These are arrangements around end of year show preparations (the show itself opens on Wednesday 17th June).
Clearage of spaces to allow contractors to fit out spaces will be done in two x 5 day chunks –
- May 11 – 15 : Graphics / Media / Animation: Studios 1001 – 1006 (marked in blue on the plan)
- June 01 – 05 : Architecture / Landscape Architecture 1010/1019/1020/1024 (marked green on the plan)
During these times we would ask that you move to other areas if you need to work – and take work away or dispose work you no longer need. An area for larger items to be disposed is marked yellow on the plan – items here will be periodically moved out by FM.
A few days before each of these weeks we will move any work still in these studios to a safe storage area (marked red on the plan). Then any items still in these spaces will be disposed / recycled week commencing June 8.
Note this includes items in the wall storage shelves and cupboards – please move anything out of these if you want to keep them.
For items you need to keep for use in the show itself we will mark out an area up on the second floor.
Items in the computer areas can stay – but these will be cleared post-show.
Overnight Access
We will keep building 11 open overnight on times before the big submissions:
- Night of Monday 11th May
- Night of Wednesday 13th May (for submission on Thursday 14th May)
- Night of Tuesday 19th May (for submissions on Wednesday 20th May)
Graduate Show
- 11th – 15 May : Graphics / Media / Animation: CONTRACTOR SETUP
- 25th – 29th May: Graphics / Media / Animation STUDENT SETUP
- Mon 1st / Tue 2nd / Wed June Graphics / Animation / Media: ASSESSMENT
- June 01 – 05 : Architecture / Landscape Architecture: CONTRACTOR SETUP
- June 08 – 16 : Architecture / Landscape Architecture: STUDENT SETUP
NO ACCESS TO STUDIOS ON 17TH UNTIL OPENING TIME
WEDNESDAY June 17th GRAD SHOW OPENING / 6PM
TUESDAY 30 June SHOW CLOSES
- Wednesday 1st July: Students start to take down / collect exhibits
- Monday 8th July: Any work remaining in 1010 & Crit Pit taken down by tech staff and stored in 1020
- Monday 13th July: Contractors commence work in studio floor
- Monday 13th July: Any work remaining in 1003/1004 taken down by tech staff and stored in 1002
- Friday 3rd August: Any work still remaining unclaimed in studios to be recycled disposed (excluding portfolios)
- Monday 21st September: Any portfolios still remaining in studios to be recycled / disposed.
No comments
Stockwell Street Easter 2026
Here are the Stockwell Street, Building 11 arrangements running over the easter break and into next term for show preparations (term ends 2nd April, and recommences 20th April).
The studio opening will remain the same:
- Monday to Friday : 8AM to Midnight
- Weekends : 9AM to 9PM
- With the exception of Good Friday / April 3rd which is11am – 7pm
The workshop will be closed on the following days:
- Friday 3rd April
- Monday 6th April
- Tuesday 7th April
The library will run a 24/4 opening model from Monday 6 April to Friday 15 May 2026, meaning it will remain open 24 hours from Monday 08:00 through to Friday midnight each week – ground floor only. See https://libcal.gre.ac.uk/hours/
Building 11 will operate some 24 opening – but just on particular days before big submissions (dates to be confirmed).
Some other key dates for your diaries are these:
- THURSDAY 30th April 2nd Year Graphics Show: Opening (Greenwich Borough Hall).
- w/c Monday 11th MAY Graphics / Media / Animation CONTRACTOR install
- Mon 1st / Tue 2nd / Wed June 3rd Graphics / Animation / Media: SHOW ASSESSMENT
- w/c Monday 1st June Architecture / Landscape CONTRACTOR install
- WEDNESDAY June 17th GRAD SHOW OPENING / 6PM
- TUESDAY 30 June SHOW CLOSES
Please note also that this summer we will be undertaking major building alterations meaning we need to accelerate the process of taking down and removing work coming out of the exhibition, we STRONGLY recommend taking away work as soon as possible to prevent it being damaged. Any exhibition work still remaining in studios by 14th August will ned to be recycled / disposed.
- Wedesday 1st July Students to take down / collect exhibits
- Monday 8th July Any work remaining in 1010 & Crit Pit taken down by tech staff and stored in 1020
- Monday 13th July Contractors commence work in studio floor
- Monday 13th July Any work remaining in 1003/1004 taken down by tech staff and stored in 1002
- Friday 3rd August Any work still remaining unclaimed in studios to be recycled disposed (excluding portfolios)
- Monday 21st September Any portfolios still remaining in studios to be recycled / disposed.
Dates subject to changes, please check comms and this tech blog for the latest updates on these.
Stockwell Street Design Studios 2025/2026
Academic Year 2025 / 2026
- Monday – Friday : 8AM – Midnight
- Weekends / BH : 9AM – 9PM
Please Note:
The studio walls / tables will be reset to this default layout each weekday morning. Classes have priority for use of walls and furniture – only take tables and chairs after classes have started and only if they are not being used by those classes.
Exercise caution when moving any large walls/dividers/tables; check for obstructions, open floor boxes, etc. in the path of moving furniture.
No spray mounting / spray painting / soldering anywhere in the studio – this can be done in the workshop; there are dedicated spray booths there.
Do not stand on tables or chairs to reach higher places – use only the kicker stools or step ladders provided. Studio furniture must not be taken away from the first floor.
Do not disturb other tutorials / classes / crits by walking through them or being unduly loud near them.
Portfolios and models should be left tidily in the racks / shelves / cages provided – with your name attached. Items left lying around will be moved to the portfolio racks or CritPit portfolio shelves. Long-term unclaimed items will be disposed of.
No small electrical items such as KETTLES, TOASTERS, MICROWAVE OVENS, HEATERS – these will be confiscated by security.
Hot food should NOT to be consumed at the computers or within the computing areas. Smelly food is also NOT acceptable in the studio when it affects those around you.
Please report building issues such as leaks, power problems, suspicious behaviour and other hazards to a member of staff or FM helpdesk
Student Studio Assistants – identified by “SUPPORT STAFF” shirts – are on duty to offer assistance with computing / printing / studio activities during core hours.
Stockwell Street Reception security personnel are First Aid trained; in the event that such attention is needed contact / inform front desk reception.
Take responsibility for YOUR studio by clearing up after yourselves; the cleaners can’t clean the floor if they can’t see it. There are bins and brooms around the studio – please use them.
Please ensure to maintain a respectful and professional work culture in line with the University of Greenwich’s ethos of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity. As a student of the University of Greenwich you have all committed to the Students’ Charter a community founded on mutual tolerance and respect.
Summer Opening : Building 11
During the summer break Building 11 studios and computer spaces remain open
- Monday – Friday: 8am – 9pm
- Weekends : 9am – 7pm
Please note that upgrade / replacement work will be taking place in first floor computer areas so banks of machines may be unavailable at certain times
Lab 2001 is reserved for clearing so will be unavailable for use in August.
Workshop Access: by Arrangement
- For continuing students / resubmissions, please email s.a.sheard@gre.ac.uk
Exhibition 2025 Arrangements: STUDIOS
General Points
Plinths / frames / benches / tables:
We have a large number of items available for use in the show – please check / ask in studios first before commissioning or buying new. Some of it may need painting / sanding / fixing or otherwise repurposing but it is certainly usable.
Safe and sensible working practices
When working on your installations for the exhibition please observer and follow these rules and guidelines:
Be mindful of the works and students around you.
- Use ladders and steps to reach high points
- Use appropriate footwear when working in the studio
- Seek support from students or technicians to assist you with heavy work.
- Be aware of trip hazards (extension wires, tools)
Only use water based matte paints on walls and plinths.
Thoroughly wash rollers and brushes in the sink in studio 1010 after use (cling film can be used to wrap up brushes, rollers and trays when inbetween coats). Do not use the sinks in the toilets for cleaning brushes – or the drinking fountain.
No disposing of materials or liquids into bathroom sinks or toilets.
No painting on the cement walls
All spray painting to be done outside in courtyard or in the spray booths inside the workshop.
Put down dust sheets, plastic sheeting or newspapers onto the floor to protect from spills and marks
No double sided tape to be used on the cement walls – use masking tape or wallpaper paste for large installs.
Use laser guides and spirit levels to hang your work accurately
TV monitors to be installed by technicians
Exhibition 2025 Arrangements: WORKSHOP
Access
If you plan to use the Workshop and haven’t already done so, complete the online H&S induction: https://moodlecurrent.gre.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=31148
Otherwise nominate 1 or 2 people from your unit who are experienced in the Workshop to lead any making
Displaying physical models
Look through what we already have, if possible, use these before making anything new. Sand and paint these to make good – sanding outside only, painting outside or inside with protective dust sheet.
Consider using and modifying existing furniture for large surfaces – check existing stock of plinths / tables / benches in studios
Submit any new requests to the Workshop with a drawing/sketch – all sizes in mm. The Workshop will cut and glue these, units/students to paint
CNC or Laser Cutting must have a correctly formatted drawing at the right scale. Refer to the Design Support Blog https://blogs.gre.ac.uk/designsupport/model-workshop/laser-cutters/
Materials
For plints/display stands/shelves we have a limited amount of 12mm/18mm MDF & 2×2 Softwood
We have some blue, black, green and grey through coloured MDF available. This is only for details like Unit titles and must be agreed before use
If you would like the Workshop to source any other material, please submit requests via email before 12pm Monday 2nd June. *Agreed with unit tutor first to come from Unit / group budget
Acrylic boxes
Cases up to 350mm3 can be Laser Cut and glued in the Workshop by students. Anything larger will need to be made externally – suggested local fabricator http://hamaracrylic.com/
The Workshop does not stock Acrylic, this will need to be sourced from SBS, Hamar, online or requested before Monday 2ndJune
Displaying books
If you need to display books a simple wooden shelf is a lot easier to make and install than plastic stand
Submit any requests with a drawing. All sizes in mm
We can also print 3DP business/postcard holders if needed
Signage
We have some thin laminated plastic that can be engraved and used for titles, descriptions, and name tags.
Correctly format artwork for the Laser Cutter. Double check spelling, we can only cut these once. Expand font as an Object
Tools
There will be a Tool Table at each end of the Crit Pit. These will be available to use between 09.30 – 17.30, use the table closest to your exhibition area and return items after using
Budget
Any material, laser cutting, CNC and 3DP must fit within the allocated exhibition budget for each unit