Tech Reviews
Case Study: Helping Chapman University switch to an efficient, remote-learning platform.
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By Todd Sheridan Perry
The current COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on how many animation and VFX studios and colleges operate on a day to day basis. Around the world, many universities had to find fast and effective solutions to allow their staff and students to continue their lessons and class projects.
Chapman University is a private university ranked in the top 15% of American colleges and universities. The University boasts a world-class facility with teachers and faculty dedicated to providing students a unique and personalized education, and challenges students to be creative minded and forward thinking. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, causing Chapman University to close all labs and classrooms for in person use, the institute’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts faced a number of challenges. Not only were students unable to access software and computers normally available to them, but some also found that their personal computers were not powerful enough to handle the requirements for 3D animation and VFX software.
Administrators at Dodge College found that they needed to act fast to find a remote solution that not only met the needs of their students, but also offered 24/7 access to the same state-of-theart technology offered on campus. In addition to addressing student needs, the college was also concerned about issues regarding cost, compliance and technical support.
Cloud Convergence
Chapman University had already been looking at cloud computing technologies as a five-year plan for what they hoped would minimize the on-premises computer hardware costs and burdensome software management tasks. However, with new precautions being taken due to COVID-19, the University felt it needed to convert to a remote-learning platform more quickly than anticipated. Eclipse Tech’s ability to quickly transition to online learning, and provide customizable workstations for students and instructors made them an optimal choice.
Eclipse Tech was able to provide multiple options of cloud-based virtual workstations that were able to match the high-performance specs of the lab workstations on campus. It also offered the ability to change the hardware specs of the virtual workstations at any time, which provided better control over the hourly run cost of each virtual workstation (lower specs cost less per hour when running).
Dodge College lab computers gave students access to top-tier M&E software. Eclipse Tech worked with Dodge College to create a custom image that had Autodesk Maya 2020, SideFX Houdini and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Speedy Virtual Set-Up
In an effort to avoid additional licensing costs, Eclipse Tech engineers worked with the University to give the virtual workstations access to the on-campus software licensing server. Eclipse Tech provided Dodge College with custom virtual workstation images and preinstalled software, allowing students to create new virtual workstations within a matter of minutes. No onsite training or setup was required. Students were provided free accounts on the Eclipse Tech web portal, where they
'Eclipse Tech proved nimble enough to focus on our individualized needs, whereas some other cloud computing providers were either not as specialized in the M&E space, or not used to working within the constraints of an academic institution. Eclipse Tech addressed both of these concerns.' — Kareem Marashi, Chapman University director of technical operations 'While virtual machines in the cloud are not free, the cost can be effectively managed by matching specific needs.We were able to find the right balance between performance and cost for Chapman University, and provide students with a virtual equivalent to what they were using on campus.' — Eclipse principal engineer Ben Campbell
were able to create a virtual workstation from a shared template. Eclipse Tech also offered students and technicians direct access to personal technical support.
In addition, Eclipse Tech provided a billing system where all virtual workstation usage by students was billed back to a Chapman University account on the portal. Students did not have to worry about paying for individual usage.
The Eclipse Tech platform provided a quick and custom solution that addressed the college’s unique needs. Because the onboarding process for students was simple, and the product was easy to use, this made for a seamless transition to online classes.
Students were able to continue work that they had previously started in the lab, now in the cloud, without delay or disruption. Students also had 24/7 access to the computing resources they needed from any remote location.
By scaling workstations and virtual labs in the cloud, Eclipse Tech was able to offer Institutions flexibility for hybrid teaching, reduce hardware procuring and maintenance costs, and reduce the amount of work required by staff to maintain software.
As Eclipse Tech principal engineer Ben Campbell explains,“While virtual machines in the cloud are not free, the cost can be effectively managed by matching specific needs. We were able to find the right balance between performance and cost for Chapman University, and provide students with a virtual equivalent to what they were using on campus.”
Eclipse Tech devised a payment structure that met the terms set by the University, and also eliminated concerns over undetermined cloud computing costs. Eclipse tech offered a solution that not only defined pricing parameters, but also fit within the budget. ◆
For more info, visit eclipsetech.co.
'EclipseTech’s support was top notch.They worked with us to find a personal solution for our remote computing needs and were always quick to respond.' — Alex Benavente, Chapman University tech ops specialist for animation and VFX