IT support

Computer and software information for BDes and MSD students.

Due to a change in license arrangements, Adobe Creative Cloud licenses are no longer available for purchase through the University of Melbourne’s Student IT. ABP subjects will transition to Affinity Suite, beginning in 2024. The University is now providing all students access to Affinity Suite at no cost. The suite includes:

  • Affinity Photo – photo editing (alternative to Adobe Photoshop)
  • Affinity Designer - vector graphics editor (alternative to Adobe Illustrator)
  • Affinity Publisher - publishing and page layout designing (alternative to Adobe InDesign)

The University of Melbourne’s installation guide for the Affinity Suite is available here: https://unimelb.service-now.com/it?id=kb_article&article=KB0029884

Student IT Support

In this page, students are able to find information on ABP specific IT software & hardware available, how to access them and answers to some common questions.

However, please note that all IT support is managed by the Central IT Team. Issues with software and hardware should be raised with Central IT via the:

Student IT page

This page is your one-stop shop for all things IT. It has links to software available to students, online support chats, and account management.

For ABP specific IT information please find further information below.

Remote Access

All ABP student's (and students enrolled in ABP subjects which are timetable in MSD Digital Design Hubs) can now access the powerful ABP CAD computers remotely via myUniApps. Please simply login to the myUniApps platform using the button below for full access to ABP software.

Make sure to  select Desktops >  ABP Shared Labs.  Applications in the 'Apps' tab do not utilise the ABP computers hardware and graphic capabilities.

myUniApps

There is a limited number of ‘seats’ meaning physical computers. Availability depends on how many active seats are being used. If you are unable to access the shared labs that means all computers are currently being used, please try again later or wait until someone else finishes their session.

We recommend you use the Citrix Workspace application to work on the virtual desktop.
Visit https://unimelb.cloud.com for download and configuration instructions. Please follow the instructions to ensure the Citrix Workspace is configured correctly.

A few things to remember:

  • For the best experience keep your files on OneDrive.
  • Remember to save back to OneDrive. Local files will be deleted upon sign out.
  • Don’t forget to sign out, this ensures other users can access the computer.
  • After a substantial time of inactivity your session will be automatically signed out to make the computer available for other users.
  • The desktop may seem unresponsive when you first start up, however many programs are still downloading in the background. Please allow a few minutes for the system to fully load each time you log in.


If you experience a problem please contact the Service Centre:

Call 8344 0888

Student Loan Laptops

Students who need access to higher computing capability and applications at home are advised to use the Remote Access - ABP Shared Labs via myUniApps (see Remote Access article above).

We recommend all students to purchase a suitable laptop device for their studies - please read our Recommended Specification section below.

Remote Collaboration and Presentation Tools

MSD recommends the use of Miro, @Studio and Mozilla Hubs for remote presentations in 2D as well as 3D. To learn more about the different applications strengths as well as some helpful links, please see below See software list below on this page to learn about additionally available software applications.

Software

The available software is updated every semester, please check one of the ABP Specialist CAD computers for the latest available software. All machines using the same software image and every computer will have the same software loaded. Please note that software availability is variable during COVID-19 and may be quickly outdated. The computer labs will have the following common software packages installed, and many more.

Help learning software packages

While primary learning takes place in classrooms, the Faculty wants to support students self-education and provide the best resources to do so. The ABP Faculty subscribes to two great learning resources.

  • The ArchiStar Academy is a great collection of structured video courses specifically chosen to be valuable to Design, Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture and Construction Students. Software courses include: Rhino, ArchiCad, AutoCad, Grasshopper, Revit, ArchiCad. Photoshop and much more.

    You may be automatically enrolled to a class by your tutor or subject.

    To self enrol please;

    1. You can self enrol here by using your @student.unimelb.edu.au email address.
    2. Confirm your account and set a password once you receive the confirmation email.
    3. You are now free to commence any of the available courses.

    Your tutors are also able to add an entire class to the tool. Please ask your tutors to contact the ABP Design Technology Manager if you believe it would be valuable to your class.

Getting help and being helpful

If you have issues with any computer in the Glyn Davis Building or Baldwin Spencer building, please contact the Central IT team. It may not be an immediate help to you but it will help the next person, which may be you next time.

Call 8344 0888

If you are in a classroom or computer lab and require immediate help in a teaching environment please contact central AV support.

Call 8344 0777

Limited support for personal devices (laptop, mobile phone, tablet) is provided to students by Student IT and eLearning support.

Computer locations

The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning provides specialist CAD (Computer Aided Design) computers to all students in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

These specialist computers are located in the Glyn Davis Building and Baldwin Spencer Building in the below-listed locations. Each of these computers have the same software installed.

Name

Room Number

Level

Machine Number

Digital Design Hub 129*

RM129

1

28

Digital Design Hub 120*

RM120

1

16

Digital Design Hub 120*

RM121

1

16

Digital Design Hub 246*

RM246

2

24

Brian Lewis Atrium

Level 1

1

24 (8 computers and 16 docking monitors)

Open Areas

  
 

Northern Side

3

4

 

Northern Side

4

4

Baldwin Spencer Design Hall

(Master's access only)

BLG113.RM102

1

46

* Digital Design Hubs are timetabled for classes but available for student use when not timetabled.

Please report any problems with the computers to Stop1 (13 MELB (13 6352)) or Central IT on ext 40888.

  • The following specifications are recommended for students studying Bachelor of Design or MSD courses:

    Operating System

    Windows 11

    As part of your degree, you will be required (by 2nd year at the latest) to use software that remains unsupported by Mac OS, as such you will not be able to run the required programs or obtain support from the faculty for this issue. We therefore recommend students to avoid purchasing an Apple computer for their study.

    Processor

    Quad-Core Intel i7 CPU

    Graphics card

    NVidia RTX 3060

    Many software packages require NVidia CUDA technology and we recommend a NVidia branded graphics card.

    RAM

    16GB

    Hard Disk

    512GB SSD or M.2

    Weight

    A laptop computer with the above specification is often quite large and bulky. If you do prioritise weight please ensure the device is powerful enough to provide an enjoyable user experience.

  • ABP Loan Laptops

    The Loans Desk use HP OMEN 15 devices which are suitable for heavy CAD or VR work. This is considered an excellent machine for specialist design work, and should see you through the course without hitting large constraints.

    Operating System

    Windows 11

    Processor

    Intel® Core™ i9

    Graphics card

    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070 (8 GB GDDR6 dedicated)

    Many software packages require NVidia CUDA technology and we recommend a NVidia branded graphics card.

    RAM

    32GB (upgradeable)

    Hard Disk

    Primary: 1TB storage SSD (upgradeable)

  • Please purchase from a reliable local reseller who has excellent customer service, just in case you need to contact them if the device is faulty. Affordable Laptops is a good comparison site for the Australian market.

Loaning equipment

As a student of ABP, you have access to an excellent range of high quality cameras, photo studio equipment, 3D scanners, VR trolleys and laptop VR kits and much more, at the Loan’s Desk, located in the ABP Student Printroom.

Please visit their website for a full list of loan items and more information

Loans Desk website

KB loan equipment list - how to loan

IT hardware such as Laptops, screens, mice or keyboards are not available for student loan.

Printing and scanning

  • Printing, copy and scanning facilities are available across the entire campus in most buildings and all libraries. Students are able to use these devices with their student cards.

  • The ABP Printroom is located on level 1 of the Melbourne School of design, RM127. This space provides facilities allowing students to print up to A0 in size on a small range of paper qualities. These facilities are provided by the ABP Faculty with the intention to serve the specific needs of ABP students, but are available for use by all University of Melbourne staff and students.

  • If you require a professional print finish using fine art quality papers and inks, the closest commercial print shops are:

FAQ

  • The computer automatically downloads a fresh computer image from the server and reinstalls the software. This is why the computers take so long to start.

  • Either because you are not logging into the student domain, please use 'STUDENT\username' to login.

    Or, because you are not actively enrolled in a subject which uses the ABP computer labs. If this is a mistake, please contact Stop1 to correct your enrolment.

  • No, you should always save your work on a portable hard disk, USB stick or in the cloud. Every time the computer restarts, file left on the local drive will be erased.

  • Yes, all of the computers are identical. If one has software, or a new version, please restart the computer to download the latest image. All computers in all computer labs should have identical software.

  • Yes, but do not hold a computer for rendering while you are not at the computer. Please do not log into a 2nd machine just for this purpose. Such use of the computers is not allowed in MSD labs.

  • Yes, please observe the computer for a reasonable amount of time to ensure someone is not quickly using the bathroom.

    Unattended computers will be reset by University staff so other students can use them. Please monitor your computer if rendering.

  • Please request the software by calling Central IT on 8344 0888 or Stop1 on 13 MELB (13 6352) if the software is available and approved we will install it in all computer labs, this may take up to two weeks.

  • Yes, please carry your student ID at all times. University security performs routine checks especially or when it is busy. You will be asked to leave if you cannot present your student ID card.

  • Please politely ask that person to relocate and refer them to this FAQ. If they refuse to leave please call security on 8344 6666 or 1800 246 066 (free call) and request for Campus Security assistance. The University does not tolerate any bullying or aggressive behaviour.

  • No, these are Specialist CAD computers and only to be used by students enrolled in:

    • Bachelor of Environments
    • Bachelor of Design
    • MSD courses
    • Subjects starting with ARCH, BENV or ABPL

  • Please restart the computer to see if that resolves the issue. If not please lodge a ticket by calling Central IT on 8344 0888 or Stop1 on 13 MELB (13 6352) 

    Please also contact Central IT or Stop1 if a keyboard or mice is faulty or missing.

    This may not resolve the issue for you straight away, but reporting faults ensures we have the most computers working at any one time.

  • No, this is not allowed and penalties apply, your access to the computer labs may be revoked.

Feedback and Request Form

If you have any feedback or requests relating to the department's IT Support please provide feedback or requests to us using the below form. All feedback will be taken seriously and acted upon where feasible.

Please note that this form is only for requests and feedback specifically concerning the ABP (Architecture, Building and Planning) department. All requests relating to general IT concerns should be directed to  the central IT team, which can be reached on (03) 834 40888.

Feedback and Request Form

Need enrolment assistance?

Stop 1 provides enrolment and other support to Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Environments and Melbourne School of Design students.