The Fabrication Area of the Knapp Media and Technology Center is currently closed for Terms 1 and 2 in Fall 2020. This means there is no access to the multimedia editing suite, 3D printers or the sewing machine. Students can still use the physically distanced computer lab stations. We appreciate your understanding. If you have any questions, please email wellesleymakers@wellesley.edu.
Students using the new VR lab for CS 321: Mixed and Augmented Reality.
An image of the Oculus VR Lab installed in January 2019.
3D print of a bust made for the Art History 110 class.
Knapp Media and Technology Center
Located on the first floor of Clapp Library, the Knapp Media and Technology Center is home to the majority of Wellesley’s multimedia workspaces. It was founded 1997 by Betsy Knapp '64 and her husband Bud Knapp, whom you can read more about here. The space holds a mix of Mac and PC computing stations as well as audio and video editing suites and production studios. It is also the location of Wellesley’s central makerspace where students from any disciplines can come create and collaborate on new and innovative projects using equipment like 3D printers, sewing machines, and Virtual Reality headsets. Knapp Interns are available to provide training and workshops on the equipment for all members of the Wellesley Community.
Below is a list of facilities supported in Knapp. Expand the category to read more about how the Knapp Center supports it.
The Knapp Center houses 17 Macs, 12 VR-Ready Alienware Desktop PCs, and. Members of the community are able to log into any computer using their Wellesley credentials, allowing greater accessibility of tools available to students, regardless of what operating system their personal computers may have. The computers host a wide variety of software applications, a full list of which can be found at each station.
The computers located in the Knapp Media and Technology Center are all set up to be able to edit nearly any kind of media. They have Adobe Creative Cloud (AfterEffects, Animate, Audition, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere), Autodesk Suite, Blender, DVD/VHS to digital conversion, and many more tools to help community members create any type of media project. To read more about our support for multimedia projects, check out the Multimedia page.
Equipment for gathering production materials can be checked out at the Equipment Circulating Desk as well.
Our makerspace houses four 3D printers (two Afinia H800s and two FlashForge Creator Pros), basic circuitry building supplies, laminant supplies, and much more! You can find more details about the Knapp space as well as other makerspaces on campus by visiting the Making and Fabrication page.
Currently there is one plotter printer in the Knapp Center, rehoused from the Science Center while it undergoes renovations, as well as one next to the main circulation desk on the 2nd floor of Clapp. The plotter printer is capable of printing posters up to 36" x 90" on three different paper types: Luster, Glossy, and CAD.
For more on the plotter printers, please visit the Plotter Printing page.
