COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS
Windows laptop recommendation:
The department of Interior Architecture recommends that students purchase the Lenovo performance T520 2011 model (Intel i7, 2620 2.7 GHz) through the UNCG Laptop Program.
Apple laptop recommendation:
The department of Interior Architecture recommends that students purchase the MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.5 GHz i7laptop through the UNCG Laptop Program.
Purchasing Options:
For more information, visit: http://its.uncg.edu/Laptop/About/
Laptop purchase website for UNCG is: http://its.uncg.edu/Laptop/Purchase/
Benefits of purchasing a laptop through the UNCG program:
The advantage to purchasing a laptop through the UNCG Student Laptop Program is that you are provided service for the laptop here at UNCG’s Information Technology Support Center. The laptops come with a software bundle that includes the operating system, Microsoft Office, and Symantec Antivirus. The laptops come with three year warranty, but this does not include accidental damage or neglect. The battery is under a one year warranty. If you purchase a UNCG Student Laptop Program laptop, it is eligible for reimage (reformats) while you are a student at UNCG. A reimage is a wipe of the laptop, and the laptop is restored to its original state with the Program’s software bundle. The Technology Support Center also offers the service of providing loaner laptops for students who purchased UNCG Program laptops that are experiencing hardware issues; this does not include software issues.
Interior Architecture Software Recommendations:
The following software programs are recommended for the interior architecture students in their first year:
1. Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Standard. The website http://www.journeyed.com/ offers student discounts on software.
2. Microsoft Windows 7 if you are using a Mac. This can be purchased for a nominal price from the Technology Support Center at UNCG. You will be eligible to buy the software at this price only if you buy a Mac through the UNCG Student Laptop Program.
If you have questions, please contact our Digital Director, Dickie Cox at: rccox3@uncg.edu
SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS
This is an outline of software and can quickly become out of date. Please consult Tina Sarawgi, chair of IAR Digital Design Curriculum Committee, if you have any questions or concerns about software at tina_sarawgi@uncg.edu
List of Yearly Requirements of Software Programs at IARC
| Year | Software Programs Required | Software Programs Recommended |
| First Year, Fall Semester |
MS Word, MS Powerpoint, MS Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator | Imovie or equivalent |
| First Year, Spring Semester |
SketchUp | |
| Second Year, Fall Semester |
Rhino*, SketchUp Podium(plug in), AutoCAD* | |
| Second Year, Spring Semester |
Adobe Dreamweaver | |
| Third Year, Fourth Year, Graduate Level | 3ds Max*, Revit*, Macromedia Flash, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Director, AGI32* |
• Programs marked with a * run only on Windows.
• Please ask your instructor before purchasing any of the recommended software programs.
List of Required Software and Related Expenditure:
| Vendor | Software Program | Full Purchase | Yearly Subscription |
| Adobe | CS4 (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign) | 299.98 [2] | |
| Microsoft | MS Office (Word, Excel , Powerpoint, Outlook) | 149.98 [3] | |
| Autodesk | AutoCAD | - | Free (students.autodesk.com) |
| SketchUp | - | Free (ask your instructor) | |
| McNeel | Rhino | 195.00 | |
| Podium | Podium | 79.00 |
1. All the quoted software prices are as of May 2009 and before taxes.
2. We highly recommend that the students purchase the Adobe Creative Suite. This includes a unified collection of software programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Acrobat Professional and GoLive and costs $399.98. The total cost is more if you buy these programs separately.
3. Microsoft Office Professional package comes bundled with the hardware if you make your purchase through UNCG Laptop Initiative.
