Computer Animation and Game Development
OCNL 236
530-898-4891
cagd@csuchico.edu

Mailing Address
Computer Animation and Game Development
400 W. First St.
Chico, CA 95929–0003

“Animation offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world.”
― Walt Disney

“The worst thing a kid can say about homework is that it is too hard. The worst thing a kid can say about a game is it's too easy.”
― Henry Jenkins

HUGE thank you to everyone for helping us raise $2,050 for Charity! We set a new record with our Extra Life Charity Livestream this semester, doubling our original goal! Way to go Wildcats!

Hardware & Software Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Laptop Requirements

A big question that always comes up is what kind of hardware is required in the Computer Animation and Game Development Department. The ECC has their own set of requirements that you can see on the ECC Required Student Laptop page(opens in new window), but for CAGD majors, we recommend a little bit higher specifications for the programs that we teach our students. We hope that find some information here to gauge what kind of system that you are looking for.

Hardware Requirements for CAGD
Component	Recommended	Minimum
CPU (no Celeron)	Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7	Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5
RAM	32Gb	16Gb
Hard Disk	1Tb or better SSD	512Gb or better SSD
Display	17"	15.6"
Video RAM	NVIDIA GeForce RTX	NVIDIA GeForce GTX
Operating System	Windows 10	Windows 10

One of the big programs that our students utilize is Autodesk Maya. Autodesk has also put together laptop specifications for running Maya(opens in new window) on a computer system.

**Another thing to note is that we recommend purchasing a laptop, as a lot of the projects in CAGD classes are group projects. With a laptop, our students can easily meet up with groupmates and work on projects together in a collaborative space.

Drawing Tablet Requirements

For CAGD 110, Computer Assisted Art, and CAGD 117, Concept Design and Storyboarding, a drawing tablet is required for all CAGD students. If you are working specifically from your own workstation or laptop, any kind of drawing tablet that you would like to use will work for the curriculum.

We recommend buying a Wacom Tablet as those will work not only with your personal workstation but also with the workstations that we have available in the CAGD Labs. Wacom Tablets can be purchased through Amazon(opens in new window) or through the Wacom Website(opens in new window). Our recommended model is the Wacom Intuos Pro, Medium.

Software Requirements

Not all of the following are required for download/purchase, but the following are the majority of the programs that we use for CAGD classes. Most software is free and if it is not, it is also available in the CAGD Labs for students to use. Also keep in mind that not all of the software is used for all CAGD courses.

**Talk to your professors to see what software you will need for your classes.

Autodesk Maya

Autodesk Maya is free for students. Other Autodesk products are also free for students such as Autodesk Motionbuilder.

Adobe Suite

The full Adobe Suite is free for students at Chico State.

Unity

Unity is a free development platform for games.

Substance by Adobe

Substance Painter, Designer, and Alchemist are the main programs that are taught and are available for free for students.

ZBrush

ZBrush is not free for students, but does have a discount for students. ZBrush is not required for students to purchase, but it is taught for upper division 3D modeling classes.

Marmoset Toolbag