System Requirements

System requirements for certain programs heavily used in the latter years of our program specifically call for Windows computers. Below you will find two links for system requirements. The ideal computer for an architecture or interior design student would meet the needs listed for both programs below, as one has heavier processing needs and the other has heavier graphics card needs.

View system requirements for:

Revit (heavier needs on the processing side)

Lumion (heavier needs on the graphics card side)

Commonly Used Software

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Acrobat

Autodesk AutoCAD

Autodesk Revit

SketchUp

Enscape

V-Ray

Lumion

Twin Motion

When to Buy

Our architecture and interior design programs provide students with a foundation in both hand-drawn and computer-aided design tools.  The first two years focus on hand-drawing skills that begin to steadily transition to computer-aided skills.  Computers with basic tools will be sufficient in those earlier years, and while planning for a significant computer purchase, it could be beneficial to hold off until the third year before investing in a more powerful machine.  By doing so, the student will have better knowledge of what they will need, and the computer will be only a couple years old by graduation.  SAID also has a computer lab with all of the software our students are likely to need.