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California State University, Chico

Hardware and Software Requirements

Hardware Requirements

The specifications listed below should sustain a student for the duration of their time in our program and beyond.

Laptop Requirements

Component

Recommendation

CPU (no Celeron)

Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7

RAM

32GB

Hard Disk

2TB or higher SSD

Display

15.6" - 17"

Video RAM

NVIDIA GeForce RTX

Operating System

Windows 11

Accessories

3-button Mouse (Left, Right, and Scroll)

Wacom Intuos Drawing Tablet (for CGI and Animation students only)

32GB (or more) Flashdrive

*We recommend Acer, ASUS, and MSi laptops to meet these requirements and do not recommend Alienware laptops at this time.

**When purchasing a laptop, ensure that is does not run on a Snapdragon processor.

Software Requirements

Students will be required to work in many of the following software programs. Most are free for enrolled students or available at a discount. They are all free to use in CAGD labs.

Do not purchase any software or licenses prior to the start of class. More often than not, it will be available in lab or provided by the university for free.

  • Atlassian - project management SaaS, specifically Jira and Confluence, integral in simulated studio classes.
  • Autodesk Maya & MotionBuilder- 3D modeling and animation software.
  • Adobe Creative Suite - Photoshop, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Illustrator, and Premiere are among the many assets of the Adobe Suite students will utilize. 
  • Handbrake - video compressor to downsize video files.
  • Marmoset Toolbag - rendering software for 3D models and environments.
  • Open Broadcasting Software (OBS) - screen recording and streaming.
  • Unity - development platform for games.
  • Unreal Engine - development platform for games.
  • ZBrush - digitial sculpting and modeling program.
Student leaning on a computer monitor in the animation department

Worried about the cost?

90% of Computer Animation and Game Development classes are ZCCM (zero-cost course materials). All classes requiring textbooks are low-cost, and rarely will students need to purchase software. Laptop costs can also be offset by your financial aid package.

Computer Requirements FAQ

Frequently asked questions about workarounds for recommended hardware and software. Additional questions can be emailed to CAGD@csuchico.edu.

  • You may use a desktop computer if the hardware is able to support the software required for coursework. There are lab computers available for working on campus. 
  • We recommend purchasing a laptop over a desktop as CAGD coursework revolves around group collaboration. Laptops allow for portability around campus and off-campus.
  • Using a Windows OS will allow for better compatability and easier file transfer between our lab and your own workstation.
  • No, we do not recommend using a tablet computer (iPad, Amazon Fire, Galaxy Tab, etc.) as your main computing device. 
  • A tablet computer cannot support the processing needs of our program-specific software at this time. Likewise, many of our program-specific software do not have app store equivalents. 
  • You can use a tablet to supplement your workflow or creative process, but we cannot support using it for entire project pipelines. 
  • You may use a non-Wacom drawing tablet when connecting to your own device (your personal laptop/desktop). 
  • The campus IT department only supports driver software for the Wacom Intuos or Intuos Pro. In campus labs, you will only be able to use these models.
  • No, our campus IT department prohibits personal software from being installed onto campus computers. CAGD sets aside budget regularly to provide students with lisenced software seats and lab hardware upgrades. 
  • If you have a piece of cool tech you'd like to use, please ask your class instructor before bringing it.
  • You can use additional software to supplement any project you have, but you will be graded on your usage of the software and techniques taught in class.
  • We base our courses around industry-standard software and the wide-spread application of software.
  • We can't possibly teach you everything!
  • Likewise, some software will conflict. Be sure to save your work before tinkering with it.
  • Knowing more tricks of the trade only makes you stronger! Feel free to share your knowledge with us and your peers.