Hardware

A Note on Your Home Workstation

For 3D students, we recommend a desktop PC as your main workstation at home - not a Mac and not a laptop.

3D software on Macs has different (not necessarily worse) issues than on PC. Far fewer 3D professionals use Macs, so it is harder to find help when something breaks (Google, forums, AI, teachers, other students). Laptops are generally slower than desktop PCs, which slows down your work.

These are only recommendations, and the choice is up to you.

The better your workstation, the easier your 3D work gets. Lower specs work too if you are willing to spend extra time optimizing your scenes.

ComponentMinimumDecent
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 7600 (6 cores / 12 threads) or Intel Core i5-14400 (10 cores / 16 threads)AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (12 cores / 24 threads) or Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (20 cores / 20 threads)
GPUNVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti (16 GB)NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti (16 GB)
RAM32 GB64 GB
Storage1 TB NVMe SSD2 TB NVMe SSD + 2 TB SSD
Monitors1x 1440p2-3x 1440p

You can also always use the PCs in the Lemon & Lime Labs (3D Labs 313 & 314) and in the Lunar Lab (Audio Lab 315), which has similar but not identical software. More about the labs in the next chapter.

If you need a PC for a student project, we have a few to borrow. Please contact Jakob Christensen and tell him the project and the dates you need it for.

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3D Labs (Rooms 313 & 314)

Lemon & Lime Labs

You are always welcome to use the PCs in the Lemon & Lime Labs (3D Labs 313 & 314) at FH Salzburg during opening hours (Monday to Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to midnight, closed during holidays). The same goes for the Lunar Lab (Audio Lab 315).

You can also work there while a class you are not part of is taking place, as long as you follow two rules:

  1. Be absolutely quiet during a class you are not part of. That means no talking at all (whispering included) and no loud noises.
  2. If a class you are not part of needs your seat, leave right away until the class is over. There is most likely room in the other 3D Lab or in the Lunar Lab (Audio Lab 315).

Hardware or Software Problems

Before you report a problem, please check that all cables are plugged in and restart the PC. If anything in the 3D Labs still does not work, contact our lab manager Elijah Bretbacher via MS Teams or email.

How to Check Room Availability

  1. Go to myplan.fh-salzburg.ac.at.
  2. Click “Show all events”.
  3. Click “Open filter”.
  4. Click “Room name”.
  5. Choose the rooms you want to filter by.

Where to Save Your Files

Each Lab PC has these drives:

Z:Z: Your Personal Drive
  • Never deleted/formatted
  • Accessible from any Lab PC
  • 5 GB limit
  • Only you have access
D:D: Local Drive
  • Files get deleted every year mid-July
  • Accessible only on that PC
  • Useful for large files/projects
  • Everyone has access
\\mmarender01: Render Server
  • Files get deleted every 4-5 summers (with a warning ahead of time)
  • Accessible from any Lab PC
  • Useful for storing large files/projects
  • Everyone has access
  • For storing files only, too slow to work on directly

See Render Server below for instructions.

C:C: System Drive
  • Do not save files here
  • For software installations only

Render Server

Besides running the Render Farm, the render server stores files of any size, which you can open from any Lab PC.

How to access the Render Server

  1. Open the File Explorer (shortcut: Windows key + E).
  2. In the address line, type \\mmarender01 and press Enter.
  3. Open the folder MMAShare. Anyone can store and share files there. Create a personal folder named LastnameFirstname (for example MustermannMax) and put your files inside it.

Installed Lab Software

Installed on every PC in the Lemon & Lime Labs. The Lunar Lab (Audio Lab 315) has similar but not identical software:

  • Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere)
  • Adobe Substance 3D Collection
  • Android Studio
  • Autodesk Arnold
  • Autodesk Maya
  • AUTOMATIC1111
  • Avid Media Composer
  • Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve
  • Blender
  • Cascadeur
  • Citavi
  • ComfyUI
  • Docker Desktop
  • Epic Games RealityScan
  • Epic Games Unreal Engine
  • FileZilla
  • Foundry Nuke
  • Git
  • Google Chrome
  • JangaFX EmberGen
  • JangaFX LiquidGen
  • Marvelous Designer
  • Maxon Cinema 4D
  • Maxon Redshift
  • Maxon ZBrush
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2022
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Code
  • MySQL Server
  • MySQL Workbench
  • Notepad++
  • Notion
  • Perforce P4V
  • PureRef
  • Python
  • Royal Render
  • ScreenTask
  • SideFX Houdini
  • SideFX Houdini Engine
  • SideFX Labs
  • Sonic Pi
  • SourceTree
  • Steam
  • TortoiseGit
  • Unity
  • Windows Subsystem for Linux
  • XAMPP

If you need other software in the labs, please contact Jakob Christensen and we will see what we can do.

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Royal Render

Render Farm

We offer a Render Farm in our Lemon & Lime Labs, running on Royal Render. Instead of rendering on one PC, your job is split across all Lab PCs that are currently free. A render that takes hours on your own machine is often done in minutes, and you can keep working in the meantime.

How to use the Render Farm

Philip Wersonig and Elijah Bretbacher wrote a student guide:

If you have questions or problems, contact our lab manager Elijah Bretbacher.

Supported software

  • Blender (Eevee, Cycles, Redshift)
  • Houdini (Karma, Mantra, Redshift)
  • Cinema 4D (Physical Renderer, Redshift)
  • Unreal Engine
  • After Effects
  • Nuke
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CT Studio (Room 052)

Motion Capture & Green Screen

We offer a high-end OptiTrack motion capture system and a large green screen on-site at the FH that you can use for your student projects.

How to get access to the CT Studio

Before your first session with the motion capture system or the green screen, you need an introduction. Contact the person responsible for what you want to use:

Green screen
Luiz Cruz
Motion capture
Jakob Christensen

Tell them which project it is for and the dates you need the studio.

Important

After you’re done, leave the room as you found it (or better), or we’ll have to ban you from the CT Studio.

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Makerslab (Room 316)

3D Printer & Workshop

The Makerslab (Room 316) has a 3D printer, electronics workstations, prototyping material and a study area.

The workbench has tools, cutters, cutting mats, foam heads, glue guns, soldering equipment and a sewing machine for prototypes.

The observation area is for user studies and interviews and has a small green screen.

Important

After you’re done, put everything you used back where it belongs and keep the area clean.

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Autodesk

Maya

As a CT student, you get a free license for Maya that you can also use at home.

How to download and install

Log in to autodesk.com with your fhsXXXXX email address to activate Maya at home.

If that doesn’t work, use this step-by-step installation guide:

If you still have problems, please contact Jakob Christensen.

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Epic Games

Unreal Engine

FH Salzburg is an official Unreal Academic Partner School. Each year, Epic Games reviews whether we still meet the partnership requirements.

Unreal Student Showcase

Once a year, Epic Games puts together the official Unreal Student Showcase, and CT students can submit their Unreal work for it. You can submit more than one project.

DeadlineUsually in July (the exact date is announced each year)

How to submit your Unreal work for 2027

  1. For each project you want to submit, fill out the form that will be sent to you via email (usually in June).
  2. Once the deadline has passed, all submitted projects will be handed in to Epic at once.

Good luck!

Epic’s recommended video specs

Container:
MOV (ProRes 422 HQ) or MP4 (H.264)
Frame Rate:
30 fps or 60 fps (preferred)
Resolution:
4K preferred (native source)
Video Bit Rate:
60 Mbps
Audio Bit Rate:
Uncompressed Stereo / 320 kbps

Unreal Education Plugins

The following Unreal Engine plugins are installed on the PCs in our 3D Labs. You may only use them in our labs, not on your own computer:

  • Easy Atmos
  • Easy Fog
  • Easy Mapper
  • Easy Rain
  • Easy Snow
  • Easy Toolbag
  • Easy Waterscape
  • Rush Hour - Vehicle Animator
  • Screen Space Fog Scattering
  • Ultra Dynamic Sky
  • Ultra Volumetrics

Fab Purchases

Epic Games gives us Fab credits each semester for assets and plugins for students. If you find something on fab.com that you need for a project, let us know, and we might get it for you.

How to request a Fab item

  1. Contact Jakob Christensen with the fab.com link and the project you need it for.
  2. Credits are limited, so we decide case by case:
    • Price: Is it affordable?
    • Usefulness for other students: Can other students use it too?
    • Quality: Any red flags, such as bad reviews?
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SideFX

Houdini

FH Salzburg is an official Houdini Certified School. Each year, a panel of industry judges decides whether we keep this status. As a CT student, this gives you several benefits.

Houdini Student Reel

Once a year, SideFX puts together the official Houdini Student Reel, and CT students can submit their Houdini work for it. You can submit more than one project.

DeadlineUsually in April (the exact date is announced each year)

How to submit your Houdini work for 2027

  1. Upload your work to OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox or a similar service (not WeTransfer or SwissTransfer, their links expire after a few weeks).
  2. Make sure that anyone with the link can open it.
  3. Send the download link to Luiz Cruz.

SideFX then decides which works make it into the Houdini Student Reel. Good luck!

Houdini Student Home License

Starting in the second bachelor semester (MMA3D) or the first master semester (RVE), students get a free Houdini Student Home License (which would otherwise cost $95 per year).

How to get your Houdini Student Home License

At the start of that semester, SideFX emails you the activation instructions.

  • Can’t find the email from SideFX? Search your emails for “Houdini License Entitlements” (without the quotation marks) and look for an email from SideFX.
  • Other problems with your license activation? First check the SideFX FAQ:

If that doesn’t help, please contact Jakob Christensen.

Differences from the Houdini Apprentice License

Unlike the Apprentice License (which is free for everyone), the Student Home License renders without watermarks, has no resolution limit (Apprentice stops at 1920x1080), works with third-party renderers (like Redshift or Octane), and includes Houdini Engine, so you can use your Houdini Digital Assets in Unreal, Maya or Unity.

Houdini Alumni License

As a CT graduate, you get a free commercial Houdini license for a limited time. Commercial means you may earn money with what you make.

Within 6 months after graduating (Bachelor’s or Master’s, but only once), you choose one of these two options:

Houdini FX6-month commercial license, free of charge
Houdini Core12-month commercial license, free of charge

How to get your Houdini Alumni License

  1. Fill out this form:
  2. Within a week, SideFX emails the activation instructions to your private email address. During activation you pick Houdini Core or Houdini FX.

    If you get no email within a week, contact Jakob Christensen.

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3D Asset Library

KitBash3D

The CT department has a KitBash3D Unlimited subscription, so every CT student gets free access to the entire KitBash3D asset library. You browse and download the assets with KitBash3D’s Cargo app.

How to get access to the KitBash3D library

  1. Fill out this form:
  2. Send the filled-out and signed form to animation@fh-salzburg.ac.at.

    You should have access to the KitBash3D library in Cargo within two weeks. If not, contact Luiz Cruz.

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Community

Platforms

3D FH Salzburg WhatsApp Group Run by students

A group chat for everyone doing 3D at FH Salzburg. Ask for help with software and projects, look for people to join your project, share job tips and your releases, and get news about the 3D Stammtisch (see Student Events below).

MMA3D Discord Server

3D classes are streamed here, so you can follow the teacher’s screen on your second monitor. There are also channels for questions, job and internship tips, Render Farm and lab questions, finding artists or developers for your project, and sharing your work.

Social Media

The FH Salzburg Animation Department and Creative Technologies department post student projects and news here:

Show Your Work on the animation.fhsalzburg ArtStation Page

If you want your work on the animation.fhsalzburg ArtStation school page, submit it as described below. The FH Salzburg Animation Team reviews all submissions and decides which ones are shown.

How to submit your work

  1. Click on your ArtStation profile (top right corner).
  2. Choose the project you want to submit.
  3. Click on “Edit Project” on the right side.
  4. Under “School” tick the box “animation.fhsalzburg”.
  5. Save the project.
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Community

Student Events

3D Stammtisch Get Together Run by students

Once a month, CT students organize the 3D Stammtisch at the FH: a relaxed evening to meet students from all semesters and talk about 3D (or not). Drinks and snacks are free, and everyone from CT is welcome, 3D student or not.

There is no fixed date. The date and room are announced by email about a week ahead, and in the 3D FH Salzburg WhatsApp group:

Questions or want to help? Contact Rosemarie Haider.

LudeCat Game Show

LudeCat is a game show at FH Salzburg where the audience plays local multiplayer games against each other. The games stay secret until the event and are quick to learn, so you don’t need any gaming skills.

Everyone is welcome, from any semester or study program, and the events are open to the public, so bring your friends. Each event is announced by email with a link to register. You can also find upcoming events here:

Questions or want to help? Contact Florian Jindra.

MMarmelade Game Jam Run by students

MMarmelade is a game jam at FH Salzburg, by students for students: on your own or in a team, you have 48 hours to make a game on a theme announced at the start (in March 2026 it was “GOAT”). Each jam is announced ahead of time and added to your Stundenplan.

Every jam has its own itch.io page and Discord server, where teams form and organize. Afterwards, everyone who took part plays and rates the games on itch.io. See what students made at the last jam:

Questions or want to help? Contact Hana Stein or Elijah Bretbacher.

Events Around the World

This spreadsheet lists conferences, festivals and trade fairs in Austria and abroad, with dates, places and student tickets:

The map below shows the events from the spreadsheet. Choose a period to see what is coming up. To see all events, not only the top picks, untick “Top picks only”:

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    Career

    Festivals & Competitions

    This spreadsheet lists recommended animation festivals, awards and technical showcases for your student or private projects:

    Submission Deadlines

    The next submission deadlines of the festivals and competitions from the spreadsheet, soonest first. Deadlines marked “estimated” are based on last year’s date, so check the festival website before you plan around them.

      No fixed deadline (12)

      More film festivals

      For festivals outside the list, these platforms let you upload once and apply to many:

      More game festivals

      Games have no central platform, but these trackers list open calls, Steam fests and submission links:

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      Career

      Jobs & Internships

      If you are looking for an internship or a job after your studies, start with this spreadsheet of current openings in animation, VFX and games. Chris Mayne, a freelance character animator, maintains it in his spare time and updates it several times a week. Besides “Openings”, check the tabs “Internships”, “Entry Level / Post-Grad”, “Studios” and “Websites of Interest”:

      If the spreadsheet filters don’t work for you, there is also a Looker Studio version with the same data:

      Many studios only post openings on their own website, so check the careers page of the studios you want to work for. And don’t be shy about contacting a studio even without an open position.

      More game jobs

      The “Websites of Interest” tab of the spreadsheet above lists more job boards. For game jobs outside the spreadsheet, you can also use these:

      More animation & VFX jobs

      For film and VFX jobs, you can use these job boards:

      Help with your CV and interviews

      Free CV feedback, practice interviews and mentoring:

      • asgc.gg (mentorship chats, CV and LinkedIn reviews, mock interviews)
      • pgda.at/pgda-digital-mentoring (free mentoring program for people starting out in the Austrian games industry, applications open twice a year)
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      Deals

      Student Freebies

      The following tools are free for all students:

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      Deals

      Student Discounts

      Software and services with discounts for students only:

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      Change Notes

      This chapter shows what changed in the handbook, so you can quickly find what’s new.

      If you have ideas for the handbook or spot a mistake or outdated link, please contact Jakob Christensen.

      16.10.2026
      • The search also finds British spellings (like “licence”) and several words in any order
      • Easier to use on phones: bigger buttons and links, and forms no longer zoom in when you tap them
      • Festival deadlines that have passed now show next year’s expected date
      15.10.2026
      • Added a list of upcoming festival submission deadlines to “Festivals & Competitions”
      • Added “Mute the owl” and “Turn off easter eggs” to the Accessibility menu, and a mute button to the title bar and the sidebar
      • Fixed the contact line running off the screen in the print version on phones
      14.10.2026
      • Hid some easter eggs in the handbook
      • Added “Top picks” to the events map
      13.10.2026
      • Added a “Distance from Salzburg” slider to the events map
      • Added a button to hide the chapter sidebar
      • Updated the print version for the new content
      • Added an Austria view to the events map
      12.10.2026
      • Added a “Who to Ask” overview with all contacts, linked to the chapters
      • Added a world map of the events in “Events Around the World”, with a date filter
      • Added the Autodesk education plan, Autodesk Flow Studio, JetBrains, Twinmotion and Unity Student to “Student Freebies”, and Cascadeur to “Student Discounts”
      • “Student Freebies” and “Student Discounts” are now simple lists
      11.10.2026
      • Added an “Accessibility” menu with text size, high contrast, black and white, underlined links, easier reading, reduced motion and read aloud. If you need these features and something is missing, please let me know!
      • Added “Unreal Education Plugins” to the “Unreal Engine” chapter
      • Added a print version with a “Save as PDF” button
      • On phones, subchapters in the contents now open with the arrow next to each chapter
      09.10.2026
      • Moved the handbook from Google Docs to a web page made with Claude
      • Added a search box, a chapter sidebar, a light and dark mode switch, and copy buttons for email addresses
      • Created an events spreadsheet for the “Student Events” chapter
      • Added a light and dark mode switch to the chapter sidebar
      • Added a chapter bar for phones, with a list of all chapters
      • Added a reading progress bar at the top of the page
      • Clarified that the Audio Lab (Lunar Lab 315) has similar, but not identical, software to the 3D Labs
      • Added a note that an introduction is required before using the motion capture system and the green screen
      • Added an imprint and a privacy note at the bottom of the page
      • Removed RenderMan from the Render Farm list, since it currently does not work due to license issues
      • Added Ableton Live to the “Student Discounts” chapter (thanks to Elijah Bretbacher for the tip!)
      • Updated the differences between the Houdini Student Home License and the free Apprentice License
      • Added “Run by students” labels to the 3D Stammtisch, MMarmelade and the 3D FH Salzburg WhatsApp Group
      • Thanks to Florian Jindra, Rosemarie Haider, Sina Anders, Isabelle Posch, Elijah Bretbacher, Hana Stein and all other contributors for their initiative with the 3D Stammtisch, LudeCat and MMarmelade!
      • Added the social media channels of the Animation Department and Creative Technologies to the “Platforms” chapter
      • Moved the animation.fhsalzburg ArtStation page from the “KitBash3D” chapter to the “Platforms” chapter
      • Replaced long links with short descriptions
      • Simplified and clarified some sentences
      08.10.2026
      • Added “Platforms” chapter
      • Added “Jobs & Internships” chapter (thanks to Lena Ochman @RVE 2024 and Mirko Minenza for sharing some interesting links!)
      • Fixed header hierarchy
      • Shortened links (removed “https://”) for better visual clarity in the print version
      • Added a short explanation of the Render Farm
      07.10.2026
      • Changed HCI Lab headline to “3D Printer & Workshop” (removed “Green Screen”, since we now have a dedicated Green Screen Studio (CT Studio, room 052); note that the small green screen is still available in the HCI Lab)
      • Updated various prices, dates and links
      • Updated hardware recommendations
      • Changed the header “Installed Software” to “Installed Lab Software” for clarity
      02.09.2026
      • Removed the ArtStation Pro feature, because its student features are no longer available since ArtStation was acquired by KitBash. Moved the animation.fhsalzburg ArtStation segment to the “KitBash” chapter
      14.07.2026
      • Added “Festivals & Competitions” chapter and a Student Festivals spreadsheet
      • Updated myfhs links for the new mycampus website
      • Updated Adobe CC student discount from 69% to 75%
      • Added the software Notion back to the “Installed Software” chapter. Huge thanks to Markus Hemetsberger, our Head of IT at Creative Technologies, for making it happen!
      01.07.2026
      • Updated ArtStation Pro application link. An official email will be sent to students in September, after the new students have arrived
      30.06.2026
      • Added Figma and GitHub Student Developer Pack to the “Student Freebies” chapter
      • Added Perplexity, Runway and SyncSketch to the “Student Discounts” chapter
      • Removed PackDev assets for now
      • Updated Motion Capture System chapter with new contact (Thank you Fabian Sonnleithner for your great work on setting up our Motion Capture system!)
      • Updated Maya versions
      • Updated Epic and Houdini Showcase dates
      • Updated hardware specs in the Home Workstation chapter
      28.04.2026
      • Updated link to the Render Farm guide
      23.04.2026
      • Added Lemon Lab 313 limitation for the Houdini Render Farm. Will update once this gets solved
      • Removed Maya from the Render Farm list due to the new login structure by Autodesk. Will update once this gets solved
      21.04.2026
      • Simplified and clarified some sentences
      • Updated some dates
      15.04.2026
      • Simplified and clarified some sentences
      • Replaced the old and ugly Unreal Academic Silver Partnership logo with our new and beautiful Unreal Academic Gold Partnership logo
      13.03.2026
      • Updated new Lab Manager contact. Thank you for your great work over the years, Johannes Eder! And welcome Elijah Bretbacher!
      16.11.2025
      • Added Amazon link for Adobe Creative Cloud in the chapter “Student Discounts” (thanks to Thomas Schmidt @RVE 2024!). Amazon prices change from day to day, so check the price on the day you buy
      • Added FH Salzburg Animation ArtStation link
      • Removed Notion from “Installed Software” (note: the Notion app wasn’t installed in the labs for privacy & security reasons, but Notion is still accessible via browser)
      10.11.2025
      • Fixed some ambiguities and font inconsistencies for the sake of clarity
      26.10.2025
      • Initial Release of the Student Benefits Handbook
      • Thanks to Jona Melvin Grobe @RVE 2024, Hannah Rampitsch @RVE 2024 and Philipp Toigo @MMA M2023 for the tips on student freebies and discounts!
      • The original handbook from that release is still available as a PDF, but it is outdated: Student Benefits Handbook, 26 October 2025 (PDF)
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