College of Fine Arts Tech Recommendation

UPDATED: 04/25/2024

Please email: Bobcat Depot for additional questions.

Important Note: Microsoft 365 is required for all majors in College of Fine Arts. OHIO provides Microsoft 365 at no charge to our students.

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS	NOTES
School of Dance and School of Theater	These majors do not a have a specific laptop recommendation. Apple, Lenovo, Microsoft, etc. are all acceptable. A webcam enabled device or webcam accessory is recommended for all Fine Arts majors.
School of Music	The School of Music does not a have a specific laptop recommendation. Apple, Lenovo, Microsoft, etc. are all acceptable, however, Chromebooks are highly discouraged. Why are Chromebooks discouraged: Some students will be needing to use a more professional suite of digital tools. Most will not need a professional DAW or video editing software as a first year student. After a student progresses out of their first year, it becomes more evident on what software they will need (Ableton, Logic, etc.) Chromebooks are very limiting since not much can software can be installed on them which would then require a student to use the computer labs. A webcam enabled device or webcam accessory is recommended for all Fine Arts majors.
School of Film: Students should have a personal computer equipped with Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe Premiere Pro is purchased directly from Adobe (student discounts are available). Recommended specs for computer in order to handle Adobe Premiere Pro: Windows systems Windows 11 Processor: Intel i7 (7th Gen or later) / AMD Equivalent RAM: 16GB or higher Hard Drive space: 8GB (this space is for installing Premiere only) Graphics RAM: 2GB or higher Sound Card: ASIO compatible or Microsoft Windows Driver Model Monitor: 1920x1080 pixels (or higher) Mac systems MacOS 10.13 (or later) Processor: Intel i7 (or newer) / AMD Equivalent RAM: 16GB or higher Hard Drive space: 8GB (this space is for installing Premiere only) Graphics RAM: 2GB or higher Monitor: 1920x1080 pixels (or higher)	NOTES: Students need an additional external Hard Drive to store their media - preferably a SSD of 500GB or higher capacity. All the specs mentioned above are provided with the assumption that students will be working footage no higher in resolution than 1080p In the case that anyone already has a computer/laptop that does not meet the above mentioned specs, email (Anil Srivastha (instructor of FILM 2900: Intro to Postproduction) with specs and he can respond with whether it meets at least the minimum requirements or not. If for some reason, you cannot acquire a suitable computer, you should email, Steven Ross, Director of the School of Film. A webcam enabled device or webcam accessory is recommended for all Fine Arts majors.
School of Art + Design: Technology needs vary based on a student's chosen area of study. We strongly encourage students to perceive any purchase of the following recommended types of technology as a critical investment that will allow them to develop the skillsets and professional practices needed to foster their careers. Now more than ever, computers, digital cameras, software programs, and digital storage systems have become quintessential tools within the contemporary Art + Design practices. Technology Recommendations for the Following Areas of Study: Art History Art Therapy Graphic Design Studio Art The faculty recommend students choose a laptop computer that will best serve each student's ambitions based on personal interests within a field of study or an interdisciplinary approach. Please keep in mind, these recommendations are made with the realization that students may change their minds as they are introduced to new and different processes and media. We hope these recommendations will allow each student to assess which computer will best serve their needs as they develop the skills and knowledge required to engage with and respond to an ever-evolving creative field. Laptop Recommendation: MacBook Pro: System A thru System D Upgraded Laptop Recommendation: MacBook Pro: System E thru I Students who are considering film and video, motion and animation graphics, augmented reality environments, realistic 3D CAD renderings, and or other complex digital art processes and applications will require a laptop computer with increased memory storage, processing capabilities, and graphics cards. If a student feels they are planning to utilize any of these specific modalities of art + design production, we recommend they consider purchasing an upgraded model to increase their productivity and functionality.	Software Recommendation Microsoft 365 Adobe Creative Cloud: After Effects, Animate, Dimension, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Media Encoder, Photoshop, Premiere Pro Additional Software Recommendations for some 3000 and 4000 level Courses: Autodesk Fusion 360 Cura Meshmixer Rhinoceros Sculptris Digital Camera: We highly recommended that students utilize digital cameras within their art + design practices. Students will be using these devices to document their artwork, studio practice, designs, and collect visual images for research. We encourage the use of any device including; cell phones, digital cameras, and DSLRs. Students are not required to own or purchase a camera. Digital cameras are available through the College of Fine Art's CREATE_space + Central Checkout facility. Digital File Storage: We highly recommended that students utilize external hard-drives and cloud-based services to store and archive their digital files: research, portfolios, assignments, papers, and any other digital reference material that will be critical to each student and their professional ambitions. In addition to external hard-drives and cloud-based services, SD cards and flash drives can help to facilitate increased flexibility and production for those working on research, designs, and artwork in different labs or on multiple devices. Webcam: A webcam enabled device or webcam accessory is recommended for all Fine Arts majors.
Interior Architecture Majors: Digital design technologies are integral in design learning and practice. The following hardware, accessories and software are required for successful participation and completion of studio coursework in Ohio University’s Interior Architecture Program. Design professionals increasingly utilize technology to explore and create as part of the design process and as practicing professionals. The industry standard for interior design and architecture has traditionally been the PC (Windows). When acquiring your PC laptop, please note that the industry standard drafting and rendering software is Windows-based (no MACs!). With that, here are the minimum specifications to be able to capably run software for drafting (Revit) and rendering (TwinMotion)software. Minimum Operating Specs: Operating System: Windows 11 on PC (No Macs) Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or 3070 (or equivalent) Memory: 16 GB Storage: 512 GB Software Requirements: Microsoft 365 Adobe Creative Cloud Revit (current year version) TwinMotion (current year version) Peripherals: Mouse with scroll wheel Cloud-based storage is free to students via OneDrive once you have installed Microsoft Office 365 1TB External Hard Drive (Recommended but not required) Printer - Historically, students find it convenient to have a personal printer at their desk – (Recommended but not required) External Monitor – 27” w/necessary cables/adaptors) –(Recommended but not required)