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UPDATE 1/12/2015: UT System negotiations with Adobe have stalled & it does not appear that new pricing will be available any time soon.
This leaves us with the following options:
Option 1: Purchase a Creative Cloud subscription through the Campus Computer Store at the current (generic educational) pricing - 1 year for $238.99
Option 2: Purchase a Creative Cloud subscription direct from Adobe at www.adobe.com/creativecloud/buy/students.html for $19.99 per month.
Note: Option 1 ensures you keep the $19.99/month price, whereas there are unconfirmed reports from some students that choosing Option 2 results in being charges full price after one year. (29.99-49.99/month, depending on previous purchase).
ArcGIS
If you plan to use ArcGIS in conjunction with a class, the best option is to ask your faculty member to go to http://www.esri.com/industries/apps/education/offers/promo/ and request free 1-year student copies of ArcGIS for all the students in the class. However, if you need to purchase an individual license, ESRI offers students a one-year educational license for ArcView and extensions for $100 (price subject to change without notice). To obtain this license, email a scan of your course schedule that includes your full name, the name of the university, the term you're enrolled for, and the number of credits you're taking to academicsales@esri.com. Include a daytime contact number and a sales rep from ESRI will contact you to complete your order.
Autodesk
Autodesk is distributing free to students the latest educational versions of its CAD and parametric modeling software:
- Revit
- AutoCAD
- 3DS-Max.
In order to get your free download you must have a valid .edu email address and follow go to http://students.autodesk.com/ to get a license code. You can also save time by downloading the software from our mirror server on campus, directions can be found at https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/SOAdigitech/Software+Downloads.
Energy Plus, OpenStudio and OpenStudio Plugin for Sketchup
This suite of energy modeling applications for Windows or OS-X is available for download through the U.S. Department of Energy website at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/
eQUEST
This building energy simulation tool for Windows is available for download at: http://www.doe2.com/equest/
Google Earth Pro
Google Earth Pro is a free software, you can download it here: www.google.com/intl/en/earth/download/gep/agree.html
Although free, it still requires a license key. Use your email address and the key GEPFREE to sign in.
Grasshopper for Rhino
This plugin for Rhino 5 enables generative and parametric modeling in Rhino, the latest build is available for download here: http://www.grasshopper3d.com/page/download-1
Microsoft
The Campus Computer Store also offers a variety of Microsoft software at reduced prices. Any University of Texas System affiliate student, faculty, staff, or departmental entity may use the products covered by the Campus Agreement in campus offices, labs, and residence halls on all UT System campuses. Software packages include:
- Windows 7 Ultimate: $24.99
- Windows 8 Pro: $19.99
- Office Pro 2013 for Windows: $24.99
- Office Mac Standard 2011: $33.00
Revolution Analytics
This robust statistical and numerical analysis application is built on the renowned R Project for Statistical Computing (www.r-project.org). Free student licenses can be downloaded at: www.revolutionanalytics.com.
Rhino
Rhino 5.0 3D modeling and NURBS software can be purchased at the Technology Lab Service Desk for $95. The school has a limited number of licenses available.
SketchUp
SketchUp makes their cross-platform rapid modeling and sketching program available for free through their website: www.sketchup.com.
SPSS
The Campus Computer Store offers a one-year license of the SPSS Grad Pack for $99. This software will run on Windows and Mac OS-X. Due to licensing costs, there are 5 floating network licenses for SPSS available on the computers in the computer classrooms.
V-Ray for Rhino or SketchUp
A free (and supposedly non-expiring) trial version of V-Ray rendering software for Rhino or Sketchup can be downloaded from: http://www.vray.com/free_vray_demo/. Non-trial education versions can be purchased online for about $225, educational list price is $250.
Below is a list of applications that UTSOA students use. Some of these programs are supported or required for UTSOA courses, others aren't. For information about training, visit Software Training and Tutorials
Function | Name | UTSOA Labs | PC Only | How Students Use It | Strengths | Weaknesses | Cost Structure | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Non-Design | ArcGIS | Yes | Yes | Free | ArcGIS Online is free for UT students at UT. UT Libraries has a great wiki page with detailed instructions. They also have tutorials for research-related GIS tasks. Once you set up your ArcGIS Online account, you can install the ArcGIS Pro desktop applications. They can be downloaded here. | |||
ClimateStudio | Yes | Yes | Simulating daylight, electric lighting, and conceptual thermal loads | Free for Education | Rhino plugin. E-mail trig@utexas.edu for the license key. Licenses are valid for up to 7 days at a time. | |||
Google Earth Pro | Yes | No | Exploring site conditions and contexts | Download high-resolution satellite images | Free | https://www.google.com/earth/versions/#download-pro | ||
Microsoft o365 | Yes | No | Free | Log in with your EID credentials | ||||
Microsoft Windows 10 | Yes | Yes | $19.99 | https://store.hied.com/item/Microsoft/WAH+Windows+10/1605667 (requires a login in here first). We don't recommend running Boot Camp on a Mac to use Windows. Virtualizing Windows on a Mac is possible but requires the user to be technologically savvy enough to support it. | ||||
R | Yes | No | Statistical computing | Free | https://www.r-project.org/ | |||
SPSS | No | No | Statistical computing | $92.99/yr | https://store.hied.com/item/IBM+SPSS/IBM+SPSS+Statistics/1693258 | |||
CAD Modeling | Rhino 3D | Yes | No | Iterative massing models Model complex geometry, like curved surfaces Easily create 2D drawings | Highly Accurate, versatile, includes parametric functionality | Somewhat difficult to learn | Perpetual Education/Commercial* License - $195 (per version) * There are no usage limitations on this license. It is the same as the full commercial version and never expires. | If you would like to upgrade a previous license earlier than this, you can do it directly through McNeel for $95 through this link. For proof of eligibility, you can access and save your tuition bill receipt from this link. |
Sketchup | No | No | Quickly model Share models with students in other disciplines/students without subscriptions to paid software | Easy to Learn, quick Entourage from 3D Warehouse easily enlivens models Files can be accessed online with any computer with a free web-only version | Imprecise, slow when files get large | Yearly Ed. Subscription - $55 Free web-only version (limited functionality) | https://www.sketchup.com/plans-and-pricing/sketchup-studio-for-higher-education | |
AutoCAD | Yes | No | Create 2D drawings Import and export to a variety of other software | Closest to drawing lines on paper, industry standard for 2D | Somewhat difficult to learn | Free with Ed. Account | https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software | |
Fusion 360 | Yes | No | Mostly used to model for industrial manufacturing processes like CNC or 3D Printing | Easy to create models using variables | Hard to make non-industrial looking products | Free with Ed. Account | https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/students-teachers-educators?mktvar004=668081&internalc=true | |
3DS Max | Yes | Yes | Rendering and animation | Robust material editing ability Integrates with other Autodesk Applications | Difficult to learn | Free with Ed. Account | https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software | |
Netfabb | No | Yes | Testing and repairing 3D CAD files | Free with Ed. Account | https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software | |||
BIM | Revit | Yes | Yes | Model at a greater technical resolution than Rhino, with embedded materials and thicknesses Automatic generation of organized 2D drawings | Industry-standard Large library of standard building components Manages collaboration on a single model | Not conducive to loose massing modeling | Free with Ed. Account | https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software |
Rendering | V-Ray | Yes | Yes | Render light, and sometimes materials, for perspectives and 2d drawings | Good initial results only get better with additional adjustments Ample materials included Available online | Requires a lot of computer power | Yearly Ed. License - $99 | https://www.chaosgroup.com/education/students |
Enscape | Yes | Yes | Instant rendering plugin for Rhino, Revit, and SketchUp | Fast, real-time rendering will good initial results | Oversaturated at times | Yearly Ed. License - $149 | https://enscape3d.com/educational-license/ | |
Lumion | No | Yes | This software has never been required in any UTSOA courses and it isn't installed on any UTSOA computers | Vast compatibility with modeling software | Requires a lot of CPU & GPU power | Free with Ed. Account | https://lumion.com/students.html GPU scoring a G3DMark of 7,000 or higher with up-to-date drivers. (Such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Quadro K6000, AMD Radeon RX 470 or better) | |
Blender | No | No | Professional grade, open-source 3D modeling for free | Difficult to learn | Open Source | https://www.blender.org/ | ||
ArchVision RPC | No | Yes | Populate your renderings with entourage | Yearly Ed. License - $99 | https://archvision.com/shop/archvision-rpc-software-edu/ | |||
Raster Graphic Editing | Adobe Photoshop | Yes | No | Powerful functionality, from quick touch-ups on drawings to adding layers of depth to renders Link to other Adobe programs for seamless editing | Industry-standard Lots of educational material is available | Expensive | Yearly Creative Cloud Subscription - $199.95 | https://campuscomputer.com/campuscomputer/ |
Affinity Photo | Yes | No | Alternative to Adobe Photoshop | Similar to Photoshop Often on sale Perpetual license | Missing some of the "smart" features of Photoshop | Perpetual License - $25-50 | https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/ | |
GIMP | No | No | Free, open-source | Significantly different than the industry standard | Open Source | https://www.gimp.org/ | ||
Procreate (iPad) | No | No | Intuitive, mobile, able to edit .PSD | Apple Specific | App Store - $9.99 | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/procreate/id425073498 | ||
Vector Graphic Editing | Adobe Illustrator | Yes | No | Assign lineweight to drawings exported from Rhino, Revit, AutoCAD, etc. Link to other Adobe programs for seamless editing | Industry-standard Lots of educational material is available | Expensive | Yearly Creative Cloud Subscription - $199.95 | https://store.hied.com/item/Adobe/Creative+Cloud+for+Education/1880707 (requires a login in here first) |
Affinity Designer | Yes | No | Alternative to Adobe Illustrator | Similar to Illustrator Often on sale Perpetual license | Perpetual License - $25-50 | https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/ | ||
GIMP | No | No | Free, open-source | Significantly different than the industry standard | Open Source | https://www.gimp.org/ | ||
Inkscape | No | No | Free, open-source | Significantly different than the industry standard | Open Source | https://inkscape.org/ | ||
Document Layout Editing | Adobe InDesign | Yes | No | Combine drawings into boards for reviews Portfolio design Link to other Adobe programs for seamless editing | Industry-standard Lots of educational material is available | Expensive | Yearly Creative Cloud Subscription - $199.95 | https://campuscomputer.com/campuscomputer/ Sign in with UT ID and search for adobe |
Affinity Publisher | Yes | No | Alternative to Adobe InDesign | Similar to InDesign Often on sale Perpetual license | Perpetual License - $25-50 | https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/publisher/ | ||
Microsoft Publisher | No | No | Included with Microsoft o365, simple | Somewhat clunky interface | Free through UT o365 Access |
Updated August 2020
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