LAAR 61400 — Fall 2026

Announcements

Reminders from the start of each class — software, accounts, and resources worth knowing about. The newest week is on top; earlier weeks are collapsed below.

Week 09 — This Week Thu Oct 29
  1. WF05 extended one week: due Nov 12Deadline
    WF05 Attractor Fields is now due Thu Nov 12 (was Thu Nov 5). The assignment is unchanged.
  2. This week: WF05 Session 2Oct 29
    We finish WF05 Attractor Fields with Session 2. Bring your Session 1 file. WF05 is due Nov 5 Nov 12; the assignment is on the page.
  3. Final workflow change: WF02 builds on your hand sketchSchedule
    WF02 Hybrid Drawing now starts from your WF06 hand drawings: hybridize them in Photoshop, diagram the plan in Illustrator, and lay out a presentation deck in InDesign. WF03 Urban Context Mapping is now optional and ungraded. Its 10% moves to the Final Integrated Drawing Set, now 20%. Dates are unchanged: demo Nov 19, WF02 due Dec 3. See the updated syllabus.
  4. Next week: WF06 hand charretteNov 5
    Bring pens and trace paper. We open with a fast graphics demo and warm-up sketches. The charrette brief is handed out in class. See WF06 Back to Basics.
Week 07 Thu Oct 15
  1. This week is remote on TeamsOct 15
    We meet on Microsoft Teams from 9:00 to about 11:00 AM. Class ends early so you have time to get to campus for studio and the pin-up. A Teams meeting invitation will be sent to your CCNY email. Have Rhino open and your WF04 Session 1 file ready.
  2. This week: WF04 Session 2, a landform catalogOct 15
    We continue WF04 Rhino Landform Modeling with Session 2. Session 2 is new: instead of combining landforms on one site, you build a catalog of twelve landforms that each move water differently, from one Grasshopper definition. At the end I introduce InDesign and lay the catalog out as a small-multiple grid on one 11×17 page. WF04 is due Oct 22.
  3. AI workflows now optional; a hand charrette takes their placeSchedule
    The two AI workflows are now optional, self-paced, and not graded. Work through them on your own from Agents in Practice. The recording of the agentic AI lecture is in your Outlook Teams invitation. On Nov 5 and Nov 12 we hold WF06 Back to Basics, a studio working session where each of you designs a street-corner plaza by hand. See the updated syllabus for the schedule and grading.
Week 06 Thu Oct 8
  1. This week: WF04 Rhino, demo then labOct 8
    We start WF04 Rhino Landform Modeling. This week we try a new format. I open with a quick live demo of Session 1, then we switch to a lab session: you work through Session 1 on your own while I walk around and answer questions. The Modeling as Thinking lecture closes the class.
  2. Finish Session 1 in classIn class
    Aim to leave with your three catalog landforms built by hand and their isometrics captured, which is the end of Session 1 on the WF04 page. Check off each step as you finish it; the page keeps your progress in your browser. WF04 is due Oct 22.
Week 05 Thu Oct 1
  1. This week: informal pin-up in studioOct 1
    About half the class still has no Adobe access, so the Adobe tutorial waits until that is resolved. This Thursday we hold an informal pin-up in your studio instead. We review your WF01 drawings together, and I give feedback on how to improve them. I will demonstrate sketching techniques while reviewing your sketchbooks. If time allows, a Rhino live demo follows, covering the software at a conceptual level to support the Rhino tutorials in studio and in this course next week.
  2. Bring to the pin-upBefore class
    Pin up your printed WF01 drawings and your trace overlay on the studio wall, and bring your sketchbook. If you have not submitted WF01 yet, post it to Miro with the Submit button on the WF01 page, using the password shared via email.
  3. New schedule: Rhino next week, Adobe at the endSchedule
    Every workflow moves up a week. WF04 Rhino Landform Modeling starts Oct 8 and is due Oct 22. WF05 is due Nov 5, WF06 Nov 12, and WF07 Nov 19. WF02 and WF03 become a final production session in Adobe on Nov 19, and both are due Dec 3. The weekly schedule and the workflow pages show the new dates.
  4. Keep one folder of finished PDFsOngoing
    Save the final PDF of each workflow into one folder as you finish it, starting with WF01. On Nov 19 you will place them into the Final Integrated Drawing Set in InDesign.
Week 03 Thu Sep 17
  1. Today's agenda9:00 – 11:50
    9:00 — Timeline: go through the Week 02 timeline together
    9:15 — Announcements, then head outside
    9:20 — Outside: cut and draw a section demo
    9:50 — Walk back + bio break
    10:00 — AutoCAD tutorial: CTB, Layout, plot to PDF
    10:50 — Bio break
    11:00 — Lab session: work on WF01
  2. Next week: short class for the Storm King tripSep 24
    The studio trip to Storm King leaves campus around 10:00 on Thu Sep 24. Class meets at 9:00 as usual for the Graphic Design 101 lecture, and you are dismissed at 9:50. I will demo Photoshop and InDesign for WF02 in class the following week, Oct 1, together with WF03 Urban Context Mapping. WF01 is still due Sep 24 on the Miro board. WF02 is now due Oct 8, along with WF03. The Intro to GIS lecture moves to Oct 8: the lecture takes the first half of class, and the Part I pin-up review takes the second half.
  3. PNG → CAD Block tutorialResource
    The PNG → CAD Block page is very useful for WF01 site drafting. It shows three ways to turn a tree, person or car image into a scaled AutoCAD block, starting with free entourage libraries you can download. You can find it in the side panel under Shortcuts & Reference.
Week 02 Thu Sep 10
  1. Who is the drawing for?Lecture 1
    A clarification on the Week 01 lecture. We will pick the question back up at the start of class.
  2. Miro board sign-upBefore class
    Create a free Miro account and join the course board. Bring the account you signed up with.
  3. Claude subscriptionBefore class
    Status of course access to Claude. Details in class.
  4. Rhino licensesBefore class
    Status of Rhino installation and student licenses. Details in class.
  5. City MailBefore class
    Activate your CCNY email. Software licenses and course accounts are tied to it.