Author: Phil Hudson

New in the Studios for the Academic year 2017/2018

PC Workstations

• Windows 10 is now on all of the PCS (please report any odd issues to tech staff)
• 10 new Dell Worksation machines; Xeon E5-1650 CPU / 32GB Ram / 512GB SSD / NVIDIA Quadro M4000 graphics. (Second bank back from the wall to 1014)
• Autodesk 2018 suite; latest versions of Autocad / 3DS / Maya / Mudbox.
• Adobe 2017 Suite; the latest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.
• Vray 3.4 this is a much improved version of Vray for Rhino, Sketchup and 3DS – the Rhino and Sketchup version feature Vray Swarm which allows all machines (even logged out) to participate in shared rendering
• Cinema 4D. New software for 3d modelling, animation and motion graphics
• FARO Scene 7 on the new Dell Workstations for processing data from the Laser Scanner
• Unity 2017 and Autodesk Stingray 3d games engine editor

iMac Computers

• Mac OSX Sierra is now installed on all iMacs in the studio
• 5 new 27 inch / 32GB Machines
• Adobe 2017 Suite; the latest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.

HTV Vive VR Headset

With location awareness as well as motion tracked hand controllers to allow 3ds files etc. to be taken into Unity or Stingray and so enable 3d models to be explored and interacted with in VR.

Workshop

The workshop will open later on a Monday – 11 o’clock – this is to allow regular maintenance and cleaning to be carried out.

A new pricing system for the laser cutters – and now the CNC machine – is in place.  Full details are here

Studio Layout

The final layout of the studio – to be undertaken on the weekend of the 7th October – is a less cluttered layout with the two tall key clamp towers being removed and the smaller ones being moved to the rear studio S11-1010.

Online Print Credit

This planned to roll out in the next few weeks and will mean you can top up your print accounts via a website rather than visiting a print credit machine.

Please note that the workshop will implement weekly maintenance and cleaning sessions on Monday mornings so will open at 11.00 on Mondays.  Opening times are as follows

Monday: 11.00 – 4.30

Tue – Fri : 9.30 – 4.30

Model Workshop

From Monday 24th July the studios will be open:

• Monday – Friday : 8.30AM  – 8.30PM
• Saturday / Sunday 8.30 AM – 6.00PM

The Travel Photographer of the Year Exhibition will be running from 4th of August until the 3rd September.  During this time most of the studio floor will be given over to that.  Studio 1019 will be available for general studio use and the computer areas will be open – however you will need to access these areas via the rear fire stairs (near the workshop).

Architecture work left over from the End of Year Show will be stored in the racks in 1010 and shelves beside 1015.  Landscape work will be on the shelves in 1019.  Please note that any work or portfolios still here in October will be recycled / disposed of.

Please note also that there will be computer software and upgrades taking place so possibility of disruption durning these months.

The End of Year Summer Exhibition will now run until Tuesday 18th July.  Please start removing work on Wednesday 19th onwards.

The computer spaces will be available from 9.30 – 4.30 Monday – Friday – but only the first three banks of machines (machines past the plotters are being reconfigured).

The Oce Colourwave Plotter is available but for small format printing you will need to swipe and pick up prints from the library MFDs.

Portfolios and models are sill in this space – please collect any of these you need to keep, as well as contents of lockers and cupboards.  Eventually items left will need to be disposed of.

RIBA portfolios are available for collection from the third floor.

For the duration of the End of Year Exhibition there will be restricted access to the studio spaces. The exhibition runs from Thursday 15th June – Monday 2nd July. There is no access for studio activities in the open studios. There is restricted access to the computer spaces between 9.30 – 4.30 Monday – Friday.  Please note there will be machine upgrading taking place so there is likely to be disruption.  The library computing facilities are available throughout there summer.