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Cheap and free
software tools.
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Free and very cheap tools I use a lot.
This page is intended to list the free and very cheap tools I have come
to depend on over the years. As the main thing I use my PC for is
Graphics there is a strong bias towards that kind of thing. I am
emphasising free tools, but in a few cases I will be recommending some
rather special programs that are shareware.
Clicking on the name of the program will take you to the home page.
I have a separate page on how I built this web site, which covers web
development tools.
Graphics
Image editor.
Free, Open Source.
Sometimes described as an open source / free alternative to Photoshop,
that is perhaps pushing things a bit too far. For one thing it
has
limited support for Photoshop filters, which many professionals will
find unacceptable. But despite that it is surprisingly powerful, and I
also like the clean interface, which makes it easier to use than
Photoshop in my opinion. It's native home is Linux, but also available
for Windows and Mac.
3d graphics software
Free,Open Source.
I was a bit surprised when I first heard of a free open source 3d
graphics program, and more surprised to hear it had a pretty good
reputation. While it does not posses the full tool set that (say) a
professional character animator would need, it has some serious strong
points, not least its highly regarded built in fluid simulation. An
excellent starting point for the aspiring but impoverished 3d artist!
Knot software.
Free.
It sounds a bit of an anorak program, but it can produce surprisingly
beautiful images of complex symmetrical knot structures. Tens of
thousands of them. It can jiggle them about to try and untangle them,
and export them as 3d objects in case you want to use them in other
programs. It's almost completely pointless, but surprisingly fun. The
web site is heavily illustrated, and worth a vist if only to look at
the pictures.
Audio playing software.
Free.
There are lots of audio and MP3 players out there, but some of the most
popular are surprisingly weak in some areas. Personally I noticed
rather poor sound and heavy CPU usage from Winamp, and Music Match
Jukebox is not free. Try this one, with the usual collection of whacky
and pointless skins, for those who really want them! I find the 'Shiana
Twain' skin easy to use and clear.
Video playing software.
Free. Open Source.
Video on the web is great. It's also very confusing as to what
software will play what files, and what encoding methods. Some is
very restricted. Some comes with irritating adverts. This handy
little program plays more than any other I know of. Available for any
platform you can shake a stick at!
Image resizing.
Free.
If you have any kind of graphics software, I'm fairly sure it will
resize images. But this will let you do them in a batch - which can be
handy if you are downsizing a load for a web site, or to make an
animation. It's not completely dumb either, and can distinguish between
portrait and landscape formats before doing it's stuff.
Landscape generator.
Shareware.
There is a free version to get you started, though it is limited in the
size of images you can produce. Terragen is a program that can generate
or import landscape data, and will then make beautiful landscape
scenes. Although the more advanced aspects, like setting up surfaces,
are tricky, the basics are not, and it is very easy to get started. The
quality of the skies it makes are second to none. Many images in my Landscape Gallery were made using
Terragen.
Character imagery program.
Free core software, pay for extras.
Daz Studio is rather like a free alternative to Poser. It can read
Poser data files, and is also handy for converting Poser content into
other, more popular formats. Many of the more advanced features are
handled by paid-for plug in modules, but the base software is still
very useful. See also my tutorial on 'Using
Poser content in Lightwave'.
Object conversion utility
Shareware.
Not free, but VERY
cheap,
and with a demo version. This extremely useful software will convert
between different 3d objects for you, and does an excellent job of it
what's more. Loads of formats, and it grows steadily.
Landscape object converter
Shareware
This software will convert between different landscape object formats.
Of particular interest to the astronomical artist is it's ability to
take in Mars altitude data (MOLA). It includes a basic 3d
viewer,
so you can see what you are working on.
Photoshop plugins.
Well, I have seen a lot of articles that claim to have found loads of
these as free or shareware files, but I have not been seriously
impressed by any of them. About the only exception if Flaming
Pear's Lunacell,
which generates images of planets and moons. It's not perfect, but it
has a few neat tricks and is worth considering. Time limited demo
version available.
Format loading plugin for Photoshop.
Free.
Very useful for the astronomical artist. FITS is a format, (or family
of formats) used internally at NASA. It will let you read the raw
original image data from NASA missions, (much of which is out there on
the web, or available at low cost in CD ROM).
Halo simulator
Free
Very unusual - this software will simulate and generate all sorts of
rare and unusual sky phenomena. Many people will have seen a 'ring
around the sun', and maybe a sundog, or parhelion to use the technical
name. But there are occasionally much more complex and beautiful
displays, particularly at the poles. The web site has a wealth of
beautiful and impressive photographs, and is highly recommended. It
even has options to generate halo displays that might be possible with
the different crystals in the atmospheres of other planets.
Free
Almost completely pointless! If you use online forums, most have the
option to attach a graphic to your messages, sometimes called an
Avatar. Using this web site you can make one in the style of the
cartoon series "South Park", with loads of options.
Renumbering utility.
Free.
If you are making graphics videos, you are probably dealing with
numbered image files. And sometimes you will get it wrong. You won't
need this utility very often, but when you do, it's a lifesaver.
General Utilities, System Tools.
Disk Space Analyser.
Free.
If you do a lot of graphics work, particularly rendering animation or
working on video, you will use huge amounts of disk space, and never
have enough. It's not helped by the way that some video programs use
gigabytes of scratch space without telling you. This program gives a
clear and easy to understand view of where the space is going.
Word Processor, Spreadsheet, presentations.
Free. Open Source.
A full blown office suite, for free. This is exactly the kind
of thing that open source does very well - a clearly defined
task,
and a mature market so you know exactly what is needed. It is
compatible with MS Office files and has all the features you need. (In
my view Microsoft have not added any genuinely new features to their
office tools in many years - they are essentially complete.) It will
take you a little time to get used to finding things, but it's well
worth the effort. Also available for Mac and Linux.
Operating system.
Free. Open Source.
Linux still has a reputation as an operating system for anoraks and
geeks. Ubuntu is trying to change that, and is getting a LOT of
attention. It describes itself as Linux for Human Beings. You can try
it by booting from a CD - it will be much slower than the real thing,
but you can check if it works without changing anything at all on your
PC.
As if free for download was not good enough, they will even send you a
free CD through the post at zero charge!
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy to use it was - you get the
impression of a very clean and uncluttered environment. It comes with a
good selection of essential software, from music players to office suites and the ubiquitous GIMP. Give it a go - it
might just shake up the bloated and lazy Microsoft alternatives! It's a
lot less demanding on hardware, and therefore is ideal for giving an
old PC a new lease of life.
Security Software.
Anti virus software.
Free.
Everyone with Windows needs anti virus software. This is one of the
best, and it is free.
I have also been trying the Avast Anti Virus package, (also free), with good results.
Web Browser.
Free.
Huge amounts of spyware and viruses make it on to your computer via the
catastrophically insecure Microsoft Internet Explorer. By switching to
Firefox my infection rate dropped to almost nothing.
It's also a fine broswer - faster, simpler, and better in
every single way. Absolutely
essential, also available for Mac and Linux.
Zone
Alarm.
Firewall.
Free.
The basic version of Zone alarm is free, though other more advanced
versions are not. But even the free version is a first rate no-nonsense
firewall.
For those who do not know, a firewall is a piece of software that
controls what goes in and out of your computer over the net. When you
first load it, you will get lots of questions as it asks if various
software items are allowed to access the web - but if you tick the
'remember' button as you answer, it will soon stay in the background.
UPDATE!
My thanks to Richard Storey, who pointed out that Zone Alarm had been
bought up by a company that does Israeli security work, and the
software has now nbeen caught doing some VERY dodgy things. See this article from "The Inquirer".
I have now switched to the free "Comodo Firewall Pro", and so far it seems pretty good.
Anti-spyware.
Free.
Strange things happening on your PC? Home page set to some unpleasant
page however you try and change it? Can't understand why it's got so
slow? Pop up adverts all over the place? Sounds like typical spyware
activity. Apart from using Firefox to avoid getting infected in the
first place, Ad Aware is one of the better ways of cleaning up. It does
not get everything, but it's not far off.
Anti-spyware.
Free.
This is a heavy duty tool, and will take a long time to run - Rootkits
hide software on your PC, where it can do all sorts of damage. You will
not often need this kind of thing, but when you do, you will
be
glad to have it.
I installed this myself after the notorious Sony Rootkit incident, when SONY
BMG sarted putting self-installing hacking software on their music cd's.
Thanks to Mikewave for pointing me at "Inkscape" which I am currently evaluating.
If you found this interesting, you may also like to
see:
My
downloads page
Which contains quite a few Lightwave objects and scenes
for you.
My "Ringed Planet" Tutorial
Which explains how you can make a convincing ringed planet in Lightwave.
My
Galleries
page
Which contains a wide variety of my graphics, and
photographs.
