Soon enough, two computer animation labs at UW-Stout will start to churn out the likes of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and WALL•E – well, that’s the idea anyway. Beginning this fall, art and design students will be using the latest version of industry-standard software called RenderMan, through a donation by Pixar Animation Studios. Valued at around $25,000, the donation will mostly benefit the game design and entertainment design programs, which fall under the umbrella of Stout’s art and design school. Fun fact: RenderMan has been used by 90 percent of Academy Award winners for visual effects in the past 20 years, and according to Pixar, the software helps “produce the highest-quality special effects possible.” Twice in the last year, UW-Stout’s game design and development program has been ranked in the top 50 in the country out of more than 225 such programs.