Directors: Glenn Goldman and M. Stephen Zdepski
Manager, Network Resources: Michael Hoon
Senior Network Specialist: Michael Kehoe
PC Network Specialist: Manny Rodriguez

The Imaging Laboratory is a decentralized facility that organizes, maintains, and operates the information technology resources at the College of Architecture and Design (CoAD). The facilities include the network and IT infrastructure that encompass all computers in the design studios as well as specialized laboratories and equipment including the Architecture Teaching Lab, Art + Design Freshman Labs, Animation Labs in both schools, and digital fabrication equipment located throughout the College. Auxiliary support is provided to the Print Room, the Littman Library, and administrative computers in CoAD. Imaging Lab personnel administer the internally developed classroom management and student work archive system - Kepler, a proprietary and password-protected application of Microsoft SharePoint. Additionally, Imaging Laboratory personnel are “the first line of defense” when individual IT and computer-related problems occur with College of Architecture and Design specified personal computers and implement the annual imaging process that provides students access to the wide range of software applications available at the College. The Directors of the Imaging Laboratory represent the College interests within the University and externally, and evaluate academic-related requests for IT resources. They are also charged with the solicitation of external support for the College via the Imaging Laboratory.

History

The Design Studio

The design studio is the central focus of an architect's, artist’s, or designer’s education. It is the unique place where the integration of the various elements of discipline-specific practice come together. It is the place where creation and synthesis take place and is generally considered the most important part of a student's education. It prepares students to find employment in their chosen profession, and which best prepares the student to make a positive contribution to the cultural and built environments. The use of information technology in the design and presentation processes at NJIT had its genesis in the architectural design studio.

Institutional Context

In mid-1980s, the New Jersey Institute of Technology embraced former Governor Thomas Kean's challenge to "take its place among the nation's premier comprehensive technological universities." In the early part of the pilot program, and ahead of any other school, NJIT provided resources (space, assistants, equipment) to promote the intense computer integration into the architectural studio program. By providing incoming freshman students with personal computers, the university made a statement that computing technology was important to all students. The university encouraged experimentation with the (new) media, technology, and design processes permitting the Imaging Laboratory to respond to rapid changes in technology.

Implementation

In 1985, with the encouragement of former NJIT Provost Dr. Gary Thomas and former School of Architecture Dean Sanford Greenfield, and with a grant from the Technical/Engineering Grant Program of the New Jersey Department of Higher Education, Professors Glenn Goldman and M. Stephen Zdepski began one of the first (if not the first) fully electronic architectural design studios using color and three-dimensional modeling in the United States.

    The decision was made to utilize the DOS/Intel PC platform because:

• color was available
• the open architecture of the computer systems allowed for hardware customization and flexibility for system customization and evolution of technology (Using customized hardware, students were able to render and paint with a palette of more than a quarter million colors at double-scan CGA resolution 640 x 400 pixels.)
• the cost per workstation was competitive
• after a study of available software and hardware we believed that it was the platform most likely to be most common in architectural offices in the future (a belief that was proven correct in later years).
• it was compatible with student systems given to all incoming freshmen by NJIT.

Participation in the two design studios was voluntary over a five year period, with studios given in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th years of the undergraduate program (B. Arch.) and the 2nd year of the graduate (M. Arch.) program.

The decision was made at the outset to reverse the conventional thinking about CAD/graphics, which started with drafting and tried to replicate traditional drawing techniques. At the New Jersey School of Architecture, students started designing immediately with three-dimensional vector modeling software (MegaMODEL by MegaCADD/Design Futures, Inc.) creating rendered images in color with raster paint programs (Dr. Halo by Media Cybernetics). Two-dimensional representations (MegaMODEL, and AutoCAD  v 2.1 by Autodesk) utilizing traditional architectural conventions were generated after the three-dimensional design. By 1989 the first release of 3D Studio (for DOS) was added to the constellation of applications available in the design studios at NJIT. Consistent with studio pedagogy, software was introduced on a need to know basis rather than with an isolated series of lectures. Discrete assignments were given that required students to learn the capabilities - and potentials - of various software applications.

In 1991, under the leadership of Dean Urs Gauchat and based on the successes of the more than twenty experimental studios taught, the New Jersey School of Architecture faculty voted to make the voluntary studios part of the core undergraduate curriculum so that all undergraduate students would have a minimum of one full year of design studio in which CAD/graphics was the principal design medium.

For approximately eight years, students were introduced to digital design processes in the third year of the undergraduate program and the second year of the graduate program.

Along with the establishment of the new core curriculum in 1991, and the requirement of the integration of electronic media into the design studios, Dean Gauchat established a training program for existing and new faculty to assist them in becoming familiar with CAD/graphics software and hardware. It became clear very early in the process that along with providing access to hardware and software, an important component of a successful program is to make sure that faculty have the opportunity and resources to learn the software as well as a willingness to experiment with new media and the inclination to use them in an architectural context. What one does with the computers was at least as important as what software and hardware one had.

In 1995 first year students who were enrolled in the Albert Dorman Honors College were introduced to digital media in design studio, changing the design process for those individuals. From this point on, designing and presenting with information technology became the default condition rather than an additional or alternative “add-on” to a traditional process. With increased availability of graphics-capable hardware and software, the introduction of digital design processes moved to the first year of the professional architecture programs at NJIT. Since the start of the twenty-first century, incoming undergraduate students have used their NJIT freshman computers, connected to the College of Architecture and Design Imaging Lab network, in the design studio.

In 2004, the last remnants of traditional drafting were removed from the incoming first year design studios and all students used their own NJIT-specified computers in the design studio for design and presentation. Students were using traditional media for sketching and the creation of physical models in parallel with digital media for modeling, design, simulation, and presentation.

In 2008 the School of Art + Design was created to house the programs of Industrial Design, Interior Design, Digital Design and Fine Arts. Like the architecture students, individuals studying in these programs have their own computers in the design studio. Unlike the School of Architecture, however, dedicated studios are not provided to freshmen and information technology dependent courses are taught in Art + Design Foundation Laboratories.

Present Context

Computers in the Studio and throughout the Building

The use of computers has become ubiquitous, and is an essential component of an architect’s and a designer’s - and an architecture and design student's - work. We continue to strive to provide as much access to information technology as practical.

The Imaging Laboratory is dedicated to the study of the impacts of computer graphics and information technology including - but not limited to - digital modeling (including building information modeling - BIM), the interface between virtual models and digital/physical fabrication, image processing, animation, and gaming (collaborative and individual) on the processes and products of design - architectural, interior, industrial/product, and so on.

While we seek to provide as many resources as possible, and the building (and usually the Imaging Laboratory network) has 24/7 access when school is in session, computer support is NOT available on a 24/7 basis. Please note further that support staff is not available for individual consultations outside of academic-related concerns and that software instruction for students is the responsibility of the individual course instructor, not Telecom or Imaging Laboratory personnel. In spite of increased demands and an expanding user base, we endeavor to provide as much support as we can.

The Imaging Laboratory network is serviced and maintained between the fall and spring semesters and during the summer. As such, it is subject to shutdown without notice during those times. IT support personnel will, when feasible, notify users in advance of scheduled shutdowns. For the most part, the network is scheduled to be available during the first summer session. Access from the start of the second summer session until the start of the fall semester is not guaranteed and will be intermittent.

Student Computer Purchases

Access to CoAD/Imaging Lab licensed software is available in the building only on appropriately configured or imaged machines. Incoming freshmen are required to purchase the "Design Model" of the recommended NJIT computer. The general computer requirements for incoming freshmen may be found here: http://csd.njit.edu/compreq/.

Specific information pertaining to the architecture computers may be found at: http://ist.njit.edu/compreq/current_fall/faq_arch.php.  Specific information pertaining to the art + design computing requirement may be found at:  http://ist.njit.edu/compreq/current_fall/faq_art_design.php.  MANY OF THE QUESTIONS INCOMING STUDENTS MAY HAVE ARE ANSWERED ON THESE PAGES! Art + Design students should read BOTH the architecture FAQ and the art + design FAQ to get a full understanding of the computer requirements.

Architecture students are required to purchase their computers prior to matriculation and to bring them to the design studios at the start of their freshman year. Students in the foundation year at the School of Art + Design are not assigned dedicated studios and, as such, utilize labs specifically dedicated to their program. Interior Design, Industrial Design, and Fine Art students purchase their computers in the summer prior to the start of their second year. Digital Design students purchase their computer at the end of their second year, prior to the start of their third year/junior level design studios. The general rule of thumb is as follows: if you have a dedicated design studio, you are responsible to bring in your own computer in conformance with College of Architecture and Design specifications.

NOTE: It is our intention to provide software support for the specified computers for five years. This does NOT include hardware support or replacement parts - those are covered ONLY by the warranty you originally purchase from the computer supplier. The default warranty is usually three years but may be extended for additional cost. Some architecture students in the five-program extend their warranty, others do not. And some architecture students upgrade or change their computer in the last two years. Art + Design students in four-year programs are not affected by this issue. We do NOT service computers that are not the NJIT specified machine. Nor do we provide network access. This means, students who choose to bring in an “off-spec” computer are responsible for to provide all maintenance (including diagnostic maintenance) AND software applications.

Students should purchase their computers from the NJIT portal - not through the general computer manufacturer’s web site. There is a specific page set up for NJIT students. The pricing and configuration needed are on that page.

Students are cautioned to look at options available and note that they do change every year. However, there are a few generic rules that seem to apply every year.

1. Purchase as much RAM as you can afford because speed of use and the size of the file(s) you can create are often RAM-dependent. Note that there are different speeds of RAM (often tied to the speed of the CPU) and there are different configurations. If you think you may want to upgrade RAM later (and many do), then configure the RAM so that there are spaces left on the motherboard that permit you to add RAM without throwing away the RAM you are buying now.
2. Any additional hard drive you purchase should be at least 7200 rpm. Slower hard drives (e.g. 5400 rpm) will have a noticeable lag time that interferes with the design process as you will come to expect immediate response to your input.
3. 19” monitors have proven sufficient for most design students. However, as more work created is set for HD output (especially work by digital design students), you may want to get a larger and higher resolution monitor. Some labs have 24” 1900 x 1200 resolution monitors. Some labs have two monitors to facilitate the simultaneous use of multiple programs or to have multiple windows open. A lot depends on personal preference. (Also, remember, the more applications you have running, the more RAM you need.)
4. Purchase back-up external media. CoAD does not back up or guarantee the safety of your individual data. YOU are responsible to make sure you have copies of your work when (not if) you have computer trouble.

Teaching Laboratories

Room 650 in Weston Hall has been established as a teaching laboratory for the School of Architecture. The room is equipped with a number of workstations, an 11” x 17” flatbed Epson scanner, Wacom pressure-sensitive drawing tablets, and specialized software for which only limited numbers of licenses have been procured. Access to the laboratory is restricted to those students who are enrolled in classes assigned to the laboratory. Students in those classes may use the laboratory whenever it is not occupied by a class or being used for a presentation. Use of the Teaching Lab by students when classes are not in session is a privilege and students are required to leave the room as soon as a teacher enters to start setting up for an incoming class. Each class assigned to the Lab has its own combination for the room which will be disabled upon completion of the class at the end of the semester. These combinations may not be given to friends for any reason whatsoever! ONLY students registered for classes can log on to computers in the room. It is a violation of NJIT and CoAD Imaging Laboratory policy to allow another person to use someone else's computer account to gain access to the network. It is a further violation and breach of security to give the combination to unauthorized personnel. Violation of either of these rules, or the bringing of any food or drink into the teaching laboratory, may result in the suspension of computer privileges in the School of Architecture.  Classes typically taught in this teaching lab include Architoons, Digital Tectonics, Digital Fabrication, Special Topics in Computer Applications, Building Information Modeling, and others.

Rooms 236C and 236D in Campbell Hall are for Art + Design foundation year courses. They operate by the same rules established for Room 650 as listed above. The available applications on the computers in these rooms may differ from those available in the Architecture Teaching Lab to reflect the needs of the Art + Design students. These rooms typically host the multiple sections of AD 112 (Communication in Art and Design - Digital Media) and AD 150 (Color and Composition).

Students from either school may find themselves registered for a class taught in a laboratory assigned to the “other” school in the College of Architecture and Design. Access to these rooms is granted based on course registration.

Supplemental Equipment

The Imaging Laboratory has animation production equipment for use located apart from the design studios and includes nonlinear digital editing and direct digital video as well as sound production capabilities. The animation lab in Room 661 is a supervised laboratory available on a scheduled basis. The animation lab in Room 361 is a dedicated space for use by students enrolled in the Digital Design program and for students enrolled in Art + Design classes assigned to the lab.

Within the Littman Library there is equipment available to the general student population for library searches as well as 11" x 17 " flatbed scanning, 35mm slide scanning, CD and DVD creation, and digital photography.

Available Software

Students are exposed to all major software types relevant to their specific discipline of study although some applications (e.g. Corel Designer, Autodesk Maya, and all sound editing software) may be available only in specialized labs. Software applications (and specific programs) available to students in the College of Architecture and Design include:

• painting (PhotoPaint and Painter by Corel), drafting - including two-dimensional diagramming (Microsoft Visio; Autodesk's AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop, Revit Architecture; Corel Designer),
• modeling (Rhino by Robert McNeel & Associates; Revit, 3D Studio MAX, and Maya by Autodesk; Blender - open source),
• rendering (3D Studio MAX and Maya by Autodesk, AutoCAD and Rhino with AccuRender by Robert McNeel & Associates; Flamingo with Rhino by Robert McNeel & Associates),
• image processing (Adobe Photoshop, Gimp), animation (3D Studio MAX and Maya by Autodesk; Adobe Premiere and After Effects; Adobe Flash)
• compositing (Corel Draw; Adobe Illustrator)
• business/spreadsheet/presentation/web authoring with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Dreamweaver),
• product design and digital fabrication (Rhino by McNeel & Associates; Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk ALIAS Studio)
• environmental analysis (Ecotect)
• sound editing and production (Sony Sound Forge, PG Band in a Box, Cakewalk Sonar Home Studio)

Expansion of Student Capabilities

Students are able to deal with numerous design issues, in greater depth and breadth than before. Buildings may be pre-visualized in context with proposed materials, color, and texture. Image sampling has expanded the vocabulary available in both the design and presentation processes. Personal expression has been broadened by the power and flexibility of the medium The ability of students to deal with a wider range of issues and present them with a greater degree of completion has been enhanced with the integration of computers into the design studio. Furthermore, students are far better prepared to enter a rapidly changing profession that has come to rely on the use of CAD/graphics in many phases of the building delivery process.

The relationship between representation and interpretation is one of the most fundamental operative mechanisms in the architectural design process. Changes in technology continually present designers with new media and images. The new images alter the way we can visualize, interpret, and create buildings. Out traditional understanding of building and infrastructure design (through the conventions of plan, elevations, sections, perspectives, and physical models) has been enlarged to include dynamic systems for the simulation of movement through space, with multiple vantage points, in interactive color and texture models, with the merging of photo-realistic images of context, and with the introduction of time-dependent phenomena.

Most recently an expansion of capabilities include analytical software with which students may test the proposed structural and environmental performance of a building design and software that is directly part of the production workflow for industrial and product designers.  Furthermore, the integration of Building Information Modeling has a profound impact on the product(s) that architects, interior designers, and set designers can deliver to clients by including information about construction, assembly, and (potentially) cost in the design model.

Product Testing and Evaluation - Corporate and Institutional Support

Relationships with, and support from, industry has enabled NJIT students to have access to the most current software available and to have influence on related software development. Since 1985, the Imaging Laboratory and its experimental predecessor have received in excess of 14 million dollars in hardware and software grants from corporate sponsors, governmental agencies, and the university. Consistent with the current mission statement of the university, which encourages "partnerships and joint ventures with the business community and through the development of intellectual property," the Imaging Laboratory contributes to the development of industry. The Laboratory and its Directors are actively involved in beta testing and product evaluation of CAD/graphics and design software. Companies for which testing or evaluation relationships have been established have included Microsoft, Aldus, Intergraph, Bentley Systems, Autodesk, Alias Research, auto•des•sys, Design Futures, Graphics Software, and Strata Corporation.

Exhibitions, Awards and Honors

Work from the Imaging Laboratory was the basis for the receipt by the Laboratory Directors Professors Glenn Goldman and M. Stephen Zdepski of a Progressive Architecture Award - Citation in Applied Research in 1991 as well as Honorable Mention in the 1989 and 2004 American Institute of Architects Education Honors Awards Program. In 2005 Professor Goldman was cited as one of the top 13 innovators in the use of technology in higher education by Campus Technology magazine. In 2007 the College of Architecture and Design became the first educational institution to receive the Autodesk REVIT BIM Experience Award, reflecting the school’s continuing commitment to innovation and excellence.

Examples of student work from the Imaging Laboratory design studios have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Russia, and South America. Student work has been exhibited and/or presented at a variety of conferences including: ACADIA (Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture), NCGA (National Computer Graphics Association), A/E/C Systems, ACM/SIGGRAPH (Association of Computing Machinery/Special Interest Group in Graphics), ACSA (Association for Collegiate Schools of Architecture), and EDUCOM. Work has appeared in numerous publications including: Arquitectura Digital, Architecture, Architectural Record, Interiors, Progressive Architecture, Computer Graphics, Computer Graphics World, ACADIA Quarterly, Village Voice, T.H.E. Journal, Design 4, Education by Design, Cadalyst, and Architecture New Jersey. Additional examples of NJIT student work have appeared on various corporate websites and have been published in the books Rendering Real and Imaginary Buildings: The Art of Computer Modeling from the Palace of Kublai Khan to LeCorbusier's Villas by B.J. Novitski, Artists' Impressions in Architectural Design by Bob Giddings and Margaret Horne, and Architectural Design Portable Handbook edited by Andy Pressman.

Since NJIT started submitting entries to the prestigious CADDIE Awards Competition (sponsored in part by Cadalyst magazine) in 1996, the College has enjoyed unmatched success. The CADDIE Awards program honors excellence in design visualization and most of the success has come in the Full-Time Undergraduate Student Division/Still-Image Category.

NJIT students captured first place honors in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004, second place in 1996, 2000, 2002 (two second-place winners), 2003, and 2004, third place in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003, and honorable mention in 2002. Additional first place awards have been won in the animation category in 2000 and 2002. NJIT graduate students entered the competition for the first time in 2004 and swept all three spots in their division. In nine years of participation until the awards program was terminated, NJIT students won 25 awards! In 2003 and 2004 NJIT students entered the Autodesk Design Awards competition - and won first place in the Building Category - Student Division each year. As the novelty of computer graphics disappeared, computer graphic-specific competitions disappeared but students have been successful in general design competitions winning or placing in multiple ACSA Student Design competitions and have found their work exhibited locally and regionally.