Labs & Locations

Creative Spaces at SDCT

Doty Fine Arts (DFA)

Home to the College of Fine Arts, many SDCT classes can be found on the 4th floor of the Doty Fine Arts building. The DFA 4th Floor is also home to the AET Academic Advisor, AET Leadership and staff, as well as the SDCT Industry Relations office.

Hours: 7am-11pm 

Location: 2301 Trinity St.

Anna Hiss Gym (AHG)

The Anna Hiss Gym has two fabrication labs connected by a shared common workspace. One lab is based around digital fabrication, the other on analogue fabrication.

Hours: 7am-11pm 

Location: 2501 Wichita St.

Art & Art History (ART)

Found on the first floor, the Design Wing features a number of Design studio classrooms with moveable desk/pin-up space to meet the needs of each individual course. The Design Lab and Rob Roy Kelly American Woodtype Collection can be found on the second floor.

Hours: Monday – Friday, 6am-10pm; Saturday & Sunday, 6am-6pm

Location: 2301 San Jacinto Blvd.

The Foundry

This makerspace houses 3D printers, a recording studio, sewing and embroidery machines and sergers, mills, laser and vinyl cutters, Virtual Reality (VR), and more. The Foundry also features a video wall which can be used for special projects, demonstrations, and presentations.

Students Come Here to: Check out equipment, create personal projects, participate in events

Hours: 8am-9pm

Location: Fine Arts Library, DFA 3.200

Training Needed: Join the Canvas Course to learn about the equipment and certifications

Contact: Library Service Desk, 512-495-4481

AET PC Lab

The PC Lab in the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies is a state-of-the-art computer lab for creating digital projects.

Students Come Here to: Work on AET class assignments and projects

Hours:

  • M: 6:30pm-9pm
  • T: 8am-11am, 5pm-9pm
  • W: 3:30pm-9pm
  • TH: 8am-11:am, 5pm-6:30pm, 7:30pm-9pm
  • F: 8am-9pm

Location: DFA 4.126

Contact: Administrative Associate Liv Wildman, olivia.wildman@austin.utexas.edu

Installed Software: Adobe Creative Cloud, Arduino, Audacity, Autodesk Maya, FMOD Studio, Java 8, M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini, Magic Bullet Suite, Maxon Cinema 4D, Microsoft (Office, OneDrive, Silverlight, Visual C++, Visual Studio), NVIDIA, OBS Studio, Python, Unity, Visual Studio Community, Wacom Tablet, ZBrush, Zoom, and more.

Design Lab

The Design Lab is a mixed-use fabrication space, offering a wide range of equipment and resources for 2D and 3D making. The lab offers woodworking tools, sewing facilities, photography equipment, digital scanning and printing, and a collection of antique printmaking equipment. Trained students and faculty can access the space 24/7, though some resources are closed after hours such as computers and digital printers.

Students Come Here to: Create, print, fabricate, collaborate

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 10am-6pm*

*Please be mindful of class schedules when planning to use the Lab. For Spring 2024: Print Studio meets 5-8pm and Letterpress Studio meets 11am-5pm.

Location: ART 2.212

Training Needed: Lab Orientation Required, along with equipment-specific training

*If you are a new student, please attend a Lab Orientation before meeting with Henry as it will likely answer some of your questions.

Contact: Design Lab Tech Henry Smith, henry.smith@austin.utexas.edu

Rob Roy Kelly Wood Type Collection

The Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection (the RRK) is an archive of 19th century wood letterpress type—a diverse and dynamic record of design history, which students and faculty utilize in their studies. Over 150 different typefaces are featured in the collection, along with a range of supplemental ornaments, borders, and images. The collection is on extended loan to SDCT from the Harry Ransom Center

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 10am-6pm

Location: Design Lab (ART 2.212)

Training Needed: Lab Orientation Required, along with equipment-specific training

Contact: Design Lab Tech Henry Smith, henry.smith@austin.utexas.edu

AHG Digital Fabrication Lab (DigiFab)

DigiFab offers an array of 3D printing options, as well as large-format laser cutting. Students provide their own material for printing, and handle the process themselves with staff support as needed. 

Students come here for: Laser cutting and 3D printing

Hours: Various

Location: AHG 1.106

Training Needed: Machine training required to gain card access

Contact: Nikunj Parmar, nikunj.parmar@austin.utexas.edu

Analog Fabrication Lab (AnaFab) / AHG Wood Shop

Based around analog fabrication, AnaFab is predominantly a wood shop. The space offers equipment and resources for a range of making and building. 

Students come here for: Woodworking, prototyping, and fabrication

Hours: View Google Calendar

Location: AHG 1.102

Training Needed: Must attend a full training session to use equipment

Contact: Design Lab Tech Henry Smith, henry.smith@austin.utexas.edu

ART Digital Fabrication Lab (Fab Lab)

The Digital Fabrication Lab houses multiple 3D scanners and printers, a vinyl cutter, two laser cutters, a Shopbot flat-bed CNC router, and a CNC milling machine. 3D modeling software such as Rhino 3D and Geomagic Studio is available for use in the lab. The Fab Lab is only available for school related projects or research.

Students come here for: 3D scanning and modeling, laser cutting and engraving, CNC milling, and vinyl cutting

Hours: Hours vary; closed during class times

Location: ART 2.402

Training Needed: Digital Fabrication I & II classes

Contact: Fab Lab Tech Rachel De Guzman, rachel.deguzman@austin.utexas.edu

PLAI Lab

In the Projection, Lighting, and Interactivity Lab (PLAI) students can use programmable state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment for cross-disciplinary live entertainment projects. The lab offers automated fixtures, consoles, lighting previsualization software, and a variety of projectors. 

Students come here to: produce live entertainment projects with light and sound

Hours: Monday – Friday, 5pm-10pm; Saturday, 8am-12pm

Location: PAC 3.204

Training Needed: General Lighting (Hog4), General Projection (QLab, projectors), other interactive pieces of technology (various)

Contact: (512) 232-5952

Woodshop

The centrally located Woodshop houses stationary woodworking, plastic-working, and metalworking machines, as well as an inventory of manual and power tools available for use and checkout. A supervisor is on hand during posted shop hours to provide instructional support and to ensure safe and proper use of equipment and machinery.

Students come here for: Woodworking, plastic-working, metal working 

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8am-8pm; Friday, 10am-3pm

Location: ART 2.314

Training Needed: Orientation set up through respective class

Contact: Woodshop Supervisor Khan Nguyen, khanhxnguyen@austin.utexas.edu

Kendra Scott Center

The Kendra Scott Center serves as a student hub used for counseling, recruiting, mentorship, collaboration, entrepreneurship, independent study, and social gatherings. The center consists of a lounge, huddle rooms, a reception area and an adjacent conference room.

Students come here to: Study, collaborate, network 

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8am-9pm

Location: DFA 1.101

Contact: (512) 471-5011

Campus Work Areas

A variety of work spaces can be found throughout the fourth floor of DFA. Individual tables, sofa seating, and bar top workspaces are available to students for use throughout the day.

Students come here to: Work, collaborate, study

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8am-9pm; Friday, 8am-5pm

Location: DFA 4th Floor