IT at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Information technology plays a major role in the degree programmes offered by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. On this page you will find a wealth of information on hardware, software and IT services that you will need and use during your studies.

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Important information about installation of Microsoft Windows and technical software on Apple notebooks and desktops

Dear students,

Apple has been gradually switching its product lineup to ARM-based processors (Apple Silicon/M... processors) since autumn 2020.

Many of the technical applications (if they are running under an ARM operating system) are not intended to run on ARM hardware and sometimes require direct access to hardware components (e.g. graphics chipsets and graphics cards). Therefore, sometimes additional drivers and/or libraries are needed. It depends on the support of the software or hardware manufacturer, if there are ARM-compatible drivers and libraries available or not.

Apple notebooks and desktops with ARM-based processors are therefore not suitable for studying at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

We would recommend that students who are planning to purchase one of the notebooks with an ARM-based processor released in autumn 2020 or later and use it for their studies should refrain from purchasing it and look for an alternative with an Intel or AMD processor from another manufacturer (e.g. Lenovo, Dell or HP) instead.

Yours sincerely

IT team of the Faculty Of Mechanical Engineering

Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is made available via an online portal operated by Microsoft itself. Further information can be found on the ITSC website in the ‘Microsoft Office 365’ section.

General information/Accessing university-wide IT services

You will receive an anonymised username (k-number) and password from the IT Service Center (ITSC) at the start of your studies. Please memorise your k-number well. You should change the password immediately after receiving it. The k-number and the password together form your THWS account which is valid for most THWS systems and IT services.

With your THWS credentials you have access to services that are provided centrally by the ITSC as well as to services that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and other faculties provide for students.

In addition, the ITSC provides you with an personal THWS email account for the duration of your studies which is tied to your THWS account and credentials. Because it is implemented as an Exchange mailbox it is recommended to use it in combination with Microsoft Outlook. This offers possibilities for appointment planning and coordination with your fellow students.

Also, you gain access to various software.

The Eduroam WiFi network is available at the THWS and at most other universities in Germany and Europe. It can be accessed with the THWS account as well.

Important safety information

Please be cautious when handling your THWS credentials! Think carefully about where you enter them. This applies in particular to websites that are linked in emails that you have received via your THWS email account.

Information and recommendations about hardware and software

Hardware requirements for studies

No high-end device is required to participate in the courses. A standard 14- or 15-inch mid-range laptop/notebook with a current Microsoft Windows operating system that can be used for office work is usually sufficient for studying.

For application scenarios where more performance is required (CAD, simulation, etc.), suitable systems are generally available for use in our laboratories. Some of them are even accessible to students outside of lectures and tutorials.

In general, laptops/notebooks with gaming graphics cards or special CAD-capable graphics cards are not needed. Experience has shown that CAD and simulation software often works more reliable with onboard graphics than with a dedicated gaming graphics card. If you consider buying a new laptop or notebook we would recommend you to look out for special student offers from big manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell or HP.

It is up to you whether you use a smartphone or tablet to take notes during lectures and exercises instead. However, these devices are not recommended, as the small screen size and touch input can negatively affect the writing of notes and the tracking of lectures.

Hardware and software requirements for online lectures

Hardware

It is possible that lectures or other events within studies are performed online. For this case you should be equipped accordingly:

Webcam

We would like to ask you to participate in our online lectures with a functioning webcam. Suitable cameras are usually already integrated in mobile devices, and there are inexpensive, good USB-based cameras for desktop systems. A particularly high resolution is not required.

Microphone and headphones/headset

For participation in online lectures, we recommend you to purchase a simple headset. Wired headsets mostly offer a better speech sound quality and are much less prone to connectivity problems than wireless Bluetooth headsets. Transitionally you can often use the headset of your smartphone.

Software

The Zoom web conferencing platform used at the THWS works best in association with the Zoom meeting client. Please remember to install the client before the online lecture is starting. The client can be installed and used free of charge. Please use your THWS email address to register and log in.

Recommendations about software for your studies

Microsoft Office 365

You can obtain Microsoft Office 365 free of charge through the THWS. We recommend that you take advantage of this offer. Office 365 has market-leading standard software for documents and presentations. The ITSC provides further information on this on its website in the ‘Microsoft Office 365’ section.

Use of technical software offered by the faculties

In general, it is advisable to take advantage of the software offered by the faculties. The offered software is mostly used during lectures, exercises and internships. More information on how to get the particular software can be obtained directly from lecturers, assistant lecturers, staff or from the StudiSoft portal (login with THWS credentials required).

It may be necessary to set up a VPN connection to use the software. You will receive further information on this either during the courses or also in the StudiSoft portal.

Technical software used in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (not exhaustive)
  • PTC Creo
  • Autodesk Inventor
  • MATLAB
  • LabVIEW
  • ANSYS
  • COMSOL
  • Siemens NX
  • Siemens Simcenter 3D
  • Siemens AMESIM
  • Siemens Star-CCM+
  • Cornerstone
  • PolyWorks
  • MSC Simufact