Free Software Links and Info

[f700es]

Hello all, I thought that I would make a sticky to list some of the free and open-source software I have tried and use. These will cover anything to image editing (raster and vector) to 3D. If any links dont' work or if I missed one that you know about please let me know.
Cheers :)

F7


The Gimp!
The Gimp is a image editing program that has been called the free photoshop. It is very powerful and has about 75% of the functions of other expensive image editors. Originally written for Linux, it is now for windows, unix, linux and mac OS.

http://www.gimp.org/ original site
http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/ win32 site


Inkscape
Inkscape is a vector drawing program similar to Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw. It uses SVG (scalable vector graphics) as it's native format. Still in development phase but very usable it seems.

http://www.inkscape.org/


Sodipodi
Here is another vector drawing program like Illustrator and such. It also uses SVG as it's native file format.

http://www.sodipodi.com/


Wings3D
Wings3D is a very nice open-source sub-division 3D program. It is based on OpenGL and is very fast. It is still in development but again, very usable. It uses it's own file format but it can import .3ds, .ai (rel 8 ) and .obj files and can export .3ds, .mdl, .eps, .obj and .wrl. It can even link to a few free rendering engines such as Yafray (http://www.coala.uniovi.es/~jandro/noname/).

http://www.wings3d.com/


OpenOffice
Here is a free MS Office type suite of applications. They claim compatibility with MS Office. I tried an earlier version and it was pretty good. I guess that I am spoiled with having the real Office but this one was not bad. It has a Writer (Word), Calc (Excel), Impress (PowerPoint), Draw (Visio like I guess) and Database (Access) all inside. I would say that when I tried it, it did not have all of the functions of say MS Office 2000 but for a small business user or home user it should do most of what you want.

http://www.openoffice.org/


CutePDF Writer
Supposed to be a free PDF creation application. Can't say much about it as I have not tried it but someone listed it once and I bookmarked it so give it a try.

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp
(Thanks CAD Tutor ;) )


Well, there is a good start. Like I said if there is a good one that you know about let me know and I'll add it. Take care all.

[CADTutor]

Great list F7. I've been meaning to do something similar for a while now - I'll add a few more later but just one point of clarification: the free version of CutePDF has recently been renamed "CutePDF Writer" in order to differentiate it from its paid-for big brother. You can get it here:

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

It does just what you want, no bother and it's free.

[f700es]

Great list F7. I've been meaning to do something similar for a while now - I'll add a few more later but just one point of clarification: the free version of CutePDF has recently been renamed "CutePDF Writer" in order to differentiate it from its paid-for big brother. You can get it here:

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

It does just what you want, no bother and it's free.

Cool thanks David :) Yeah, a question like this does come up every so often and it just hit me again this morning (well for me anyway ;) ) and thought that it would make a great sticky. Feel free to edit the original list if you see a incorrect link or such like above. Thanks again bro! ;)

[f700es]

Here is one that should be a must have..

ArtRage:
http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html
It is a image editor with a pen base feel. It works well with a mouse though. A wonderful application. Their download link did not work but here is a place to get it...

http://www.tucows.com/adnload/375689_139591.html

http://home.triad.rr.com/caddesign/artrage.jpg

have fun :)

[madaryl]

hello
i got interest in wings3d... i tried the link, but i found no link or icon in where i can download it
is it for free?
thanks! and merry christmas!

[hyposmurf]

Try the second link then select your conuntry and click one of the links.The open /save file dialogue box should then pop for you to download.Not sure if its free as I havent downloaded myself

[David Bethel]

Some freebies I use on a regular basis:

Image Editor:
Ifranview
http://www.irfanview.com/

Text Editor:
Notepad++
http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/about.php

Software Untilities:
AnalogX
http://www.analogx.com/welcome.htm

CAD Utilities:
Govert's Tools
http://www.output.tmfweb.nl/


Slide Show:
ThumbHTML
http://www.output.tmfweb.nl/

-David

[f700es]

hello
i got interest in wings3d... i tried the link, but i found no link or icon in where i can download it
is it for free?
thanks! and merry christmas!


www.wings3d.com

Just checked it, it should work. Yes, it's free ;)

[f700es]

Some freebies I use on a regular basis:

Image Editor:
Ifranview
http://www.irfanview.com/

Text Editor:
Notepad++
http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/about.php

Software Untilities:
AnalogX
http://www.analogx.com/welcome.htm

CAD Utilities:
Govert's Tools
http://www.output.tmfweb.nl/


Slide Show:
ThumbHTML
http://www.output.tmfweb.nl/

-David

Ah, some more good ones. Thanks David :)

[CADbug]

but is there anything like AutoCAD, which is free and as freindly as AutoCAD!!

[f700es]

but is there anything like AutoCAD, which is free and as freindly as AutoCAD!!

Not that I am aware of. the best so far would be A9Tech's CAD software. It's free and not too bad but no where near as friendly as AutoCAD.
http://www.a9tech.com/

[CADTutor]

The world is still waiting for a good open source (free) AutoCAD replacement. My feeling is that we have a long time to wait before we get something like GIMP or Blender.

I guess we have to accept that quality CAD applications are difficult to create and that, on balance, Autodesk are doing a pretty good job.

[Methuselah]

Maybe you all should give ProgeCAD LT a try. Its free if you stick with just the LT version and you can set it up to almost perfectly mimic AutoCAD in every way. It uses IntelliCAD as its base CAD programming.

You can get it here: http://www.progecad.com/downloads/index.html

[f700es]

Maybe you all should give ProgeCAD LT a try. Its free if you stick with just the LT version and you can set it up to almost perfectly mimic AutoCAD in every way. It uses IntelliCAD as its base CAD programming.

You can get it here: http://www.progecad.com/downloads/index.html

Good link Methuselah. I have tried it but I just don't get the same feel like I do in Acad but it's not bad for the price ;)

[Mark Ruble]

Here is my list of free software.

For web browser and e-mail I've been using:
Mozilla Firefox for the browser and Thunderbird for the e-mail:
www.mozilla.com

For Anti-Virus protection at home I've been using:
AVG
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

I like OpenOffice as well.
http://www.openoffice.org/

Mark

[MattW]

Here's a few free open-source raster to vector convertors.
AutoTrace (http://autotrace.sourceforge.net)
potrace (http://potrace.sourceforge.net)
Ras2Vec (http://xmailserver.org/davide.html)

[f700es]

Here's a couple of free open-source raster to vector convertors.
AutoTrace (http://autotrace.sourceforge.net)
potrace (http://potrace.sourceforge.net)

Thanks Matt, those types are often asked about.

[MattW]

It's my pleasure! :) I've been doing raster to vector conversion for a long time and I've used both AutoTrace and potrace. They're good but a bit difficult until you just simply force yourself to use them more. I'm going to expand this list if I find any more I haven't used before.

[f700es]

Ok all here is another one....Paint.net
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
A free photo editing program. Looks good.

[Methuselah]

Ok all here is another one....Paint.net
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
A free photo editing program. Looks good.
Thanks f700es... I'm getting sick of FastStone, although that's also a good one. I don't have the link off the top of my head so if you want info pull it off google.

[f700es]

Ok all here is another one....Paint.net
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
A free photo editing program. Looks good.
Thanks f700es... I'm getting sick of FastStone, although that's also a good one. I don't have the link off the top of my head so if you want info pull it off google.

'Sup Meth, long time so see. :)

[Methuselah]

Ok all here is another one....Paint.net
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
A free photo editing program. Looks good.
Thanks f700es... I'm getting sick of FastStone, although that's also a good one. I don't have the link off the top of my head so if you want info pull it off google.

'Sup Meth, long time so see. :)yeah your portfolio site is still up... http://f700es.smackmegood.com

[f700es]

Ok all here is another one....Paint.net
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
A free photo editing program. Looks good.
Thanks f700es... I'm getting sick of FastStone, although that's also a good one. I don't have the link off the top of my head so if you want info pull it off google.

'Sup Meth, long time so see. :)yeah your portfolio site is still up... http://f700es.smackmegood.com

Doh! Forgot about that. Thanks I need to update that.

[f700es]

Alright gang here are a few more good freebies........

NVU
A free, open source web authoring software for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. Very similar to MS Frontpage and Dreamweaver.
http://www.nvu.com/index.php

Scribus
An open source desktop publishing and page layout application. It will run on Linux/Unix, Mac OSX and Windows.
http://www.scribus.net/

Serif Software:
Here is a whole range of applications that are completely free. They are older versions of the ones that they sell, which means that they are letting you have the older ones in hopes that you buy the new ones. They are not that bad for the price and may you actually like them. You will have to register them and they will send you e-mails about once a week for stuff but you can cancel the e-mail announcments. The software covers..
page layout, photo editing, web design, vector illustration and basic 3D (text, logos and buttons). Have a look.
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/default.asp

That's all for now. :)

Edit:
Here is a very nice word processor, AbiWord. If you all you need is a light-weight and fast word processor this is it.
http://www.abiword.com/

[f700es]

Here is a nice easy to use picture/photo organizer from Google called Picasa - http://picasa.google.com/
I installed it on my Mom's PC that I am setting up as she wanted a way to remove red-eyes and make adjustments to pictures from her digital camera. So far it's pretty easy to use. Have a look :)

[spiderdian]

are these programs similar to bryce, 3dstudio, etc?

[f700es]

are these programs similar to bryce, 3dstudio, etc?

No, not really. No freeware style Bryce that I know of but Blender is a Max style app.

Blender:
http://www.blender3d.com/cms/Home.2.0.html

[SEXYMAG]

Windows XP Programs

http://www.cottondew.net/FunShizzle/PrimoPDF.jpg
Primo PDF is the best program that I have found for the simplistic user.
You can edit document properties and add security in one easy step.

Click Here (http://primopdf.com/)

http://www.cottondew.net/FunShizzle/PDF995.gif
PDF995 is an ok PDF Creating Program (as long as you can block the ads)
You can download a piece of this program and use it as a vary simple print to PDF program then you can download another program that can go with it for more advanced editing options. I personally do not use these programs but they worked in the past.

Click Here (http://www.pdf995.com/)

http://www.cottondew.net/FunShizzle/ExtractNow.jpg
Extract Now has many advantages 1. You can extract ZIP, RAR, ISO, BIN, IMG, IMA, IMZ, 7Z, ACE, JAR, GZ, LZH, LHA, SIT archive formats 2. It is simple to understand. 3. No junk placed all over my computer.

Click Here (http://www.extractnow.com/)

http://www.cottondew.net/FunShizzle/WindowsLive.gif
While this is not a truly free program... it does work. If you feel comfortable with having Microsoft Scan Your Computer you can try this. You need to have a legal copy of Windows XP and you need to use Internet Explorer for this.

Make Sure you read up on what they are doing.
Click Here (http://safety.live.com)
Also I recommend since you paid a load for XP, try some of there free programs Click Here (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/default.mspx).

NOTE: I do not guarantee good spelling or grammar.

[chance]

Well here are a couple more….

Proge Lite…..free autocad

http://www.progecad.com/downloads/index.html

of course there is sketchup…..

http://sketchup.google.com/

One HTML editor I love……html kit by chami

http://www.chami.com

then there is PHP Nuke….great portal

http://www.phpnuke.org/index.php

another heavy duty delivery engine….MasonHq

http://www.masonhq.com/

all time greatest text editor…..PFE32

http://www.download.com/3640-2352-904159.html

cool xml editor……

http://www.iol.ie/~pxe/index.html


that’s all for now….have a good weekend

[mr tee]

Can anyone tell me where i can find the tool to change the pointer to isometric in A9CAD?

[f700es]

Can anyone tell me where i can find the tool to change the pointer to isometric in A9CAD?

Don't think that it can do that. I think that might be an AutoCAD only trick. I am not even sure if IntelliCAD can do it either :?
Anyone else know?

[succu8us]

Everyday I checked Lifehacker for new free softwares and computer tips.Great website and tons of stuff to read! Most of the software designers release their new free stuff there. Here's the link-http://lifehacker.com/

[succu8us]

instead of cutepdf writer im using this dopdf.

http://www.dopdf.com/

[f700es]

Well this is an older thread but here is the free CAD program, DoubleCAD XT
http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXT/tabid/1100/Default.aspx

F7

[Danny]

Apophysis Fractal Generator (http://www.apophysis.org/downloads.html)
Apophysis Support (http://apophysis.byethost8.com/resources.html)

Mandelbold 3d (http://www.fractalforums.com/index.php?action=downloads) <--- intense 3d fractal generator (serious program see attachment) Video Tutorials (http://mandelbrotset.net/tutorial.html)

Mandelbold and Fractal Forums (http://www.fractalforums.com/index.php?action=downloads) support download presents tips etc

[Danny]

manelbuld 3d21789

[Danny]

Bryce 7 Free Learning Edition HERE (http://www.daz3d.com/i/software/bryce?) you can also grab daz 3.1 for free here as well.

[f700es]

Bryce 7 Free Learning Edition HERE (http://www.daz3d.com/i/software/bryce?) you can also grab daz 3.1 for free here as well.

I know Bryce is the old player in the field but for $250 (the price for Bryce Pro) one can buy Vue9 Esprit and get better results, IMHO. To each their own though and thanks for posting the links :)

[Danny]

Correct Bryce is old hat, just adding my 2 cents. I seen a thread for V5.5 and that's outdated. Vue Esprit is cheaper but far more basic. By the time you get all the modules to compete with Bryce Pro you will practically be owning stock in Cornucopia. Trees ain't free and they market there content very smartly. You would be better off shelling out the 600 for Complete.

[f700es]

While you do get a bit more with Bryce I was referring to the render quality, which might be purely subjective, which I feel Vue has a better offering. Cornucopia always has sales on modules so one might pick up Botanica on the cheap. I have not tried Bryce 7 yet so I might download it and see what's new.
Free trees...

Hothouse 3D - http://hothouse3d.com/hothouse3d/home

frecle tree[d] - http://www.frecle.net/index.php?show=treed.about

Arbaro - http://arbaro.sourceforge.net/ This is an old one but meh, working looking at.

Yes, all in all you are better off getting the higher end versions.
Sure these might not be a nice as xfrog.

[Danny]

Here's some Bryce renders, these below examples are by the some of the best in Bryce. I can't argue with the fact that Vue is a better render, but even the almighty Vue falls to that plastic faux procedural texture look that Bryce is infamous by new users, some thing that Terragen does not have. Not to get off the threads subject But after Tron, Sucker Punch and several discover channel animations Terragen 2 will be taking the wheel in terms of working in tandem with max/maya in most movie productions.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2199784&section_id=2&genre_id=61&np

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2211087&section_id=2&genre_id=33&np

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2206170&section_id=2&genre_id=3&np

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/browse.php?user_id=125716&page=1

[f700es]

Very nice indeed, thanks for the links. T2 does seem to have the ability to produce nice images. I did not know it was used in Tron.

[Danny]

Terragen Animations (Strictly Done In TG alone)
Dandelo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJmtrLeqwHQ&feature=feedu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go58vFmryN8&feature=related

Seth93

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVMoJqg41Bw&feature=related

Nick Hoffman mars HD
http://www.youtube.com/user/Nico3333fr#p/a/u/1/xkrfOFhJ1g4


Terragen In Tron Screen Shots Provided by Planetside
http://www.planetside.co.uk/content/view/62/100/

[f700es]

Free Digital Sculpting program much like Z-Brush and Mudbox. Was so good that Pixologic bought it but still free, so far. Very cool.

http://www.pixologic.com/sculptris/

F7

[Danny]

This is a great program, the UI is far easier than to use than Z-Brush will make, the only downfall is it only supports 32 bit processing

[f700es]

Adobe Rome, content creation and publishing in a SaaS platform. Development was halted but you can still download and install.
http://rome.adobe.com/

[Danny]

Daz is having one of their Pro version giveaways again. Grab them soon - DAZ Studio 4 Pro (64 bit ^ ^), Bryce 7 Pro and Hexagon 2.5.
http://www.daz3d.com/

[f700es]

Wow, that's (cough) cool ;)

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?66470-Free-Daz-3D-software-Daz-Studio-4-Pro-Bryce-7-Pro-and-Hexagon-2.5-all-for-free




Daz is having one of their Pro version giveaways again. Grab them soon - DAZ Studio 4 Pro (64 bit ^ ^), Bryce 7 Pro and Hexagon 2.5.
http://www.daz3d.com/

[Danny]

Wow, that's (cough) cool ;)

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?66470-Free-Daz-3D-software-Daz-Studio-4-Pro-Bryce-7-Pro-and-Hexagon-2.5-all-for-free

WoW your on top of that one alright, can't wait to see some of your renders :lol:

[f700es]

Won't be any where as good as your stuff. I am trying to see in using Bryce with SketchUp models. We'll see how well they play together.