Free software for the creatives and techs of Second Life

Free software for the creatives and techs of Second Life:


Nope. I didn't make a single program in this list. I just use them for my tinkering in SL and decided to offer up this list so that other creatives, both budding and old, could use those they like.

Keep in mind, some of this software may be free, but has a significant learning curve, with Blender 3D leading the pack. None of this software has spyware, virus, or other horror stories attached to it (as of the time of this writing), and seem to work better than some commercial software I have used.


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Graphics:

Blender 3D: Useful for offline 3d building, creating textures with depth and shadow, and even avatar design.
http://www.blender3d.com/

Gimp: The best free paint and texture creation software in existance. Capable of working with layers, transparency, and even photoshop images.
www.gimp.org

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Animation:

Avimator: Really, the best free animation software currently available for SL. Not very user friendly yet, but has a lot of potential.
http://www.avimator.com/

DAZ Studio: Another 3d program that can export animations. Is free. Current bugs make it unusable as animation software for SL. (05-21-2006)
http://www.daz3d.com/

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Sound:

Audacity: A very good audio editing tool. Professional grade options, though the interface is a bit dated. Overall, good for wav and MP3 input and output.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

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Other related items:

PHP scripting language: If you know how to script in SL, then this should be easy to pick up on. The website includes tons of information on it, and the syntax is so similar as to be disturbing.
http://www.php.net/

AutoHotkey: A great tool I will mention to anyone who needs something that can allow nearly total control of a system through scripting. Not ony can it create data-processing scripts and automate repetitive windows tasks, it can also make these scripts into exe files for easy use. Trust me, this thing can do it all...
http://www.autohotkey.com/


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And why is this list good? because not a single product listed here charges for itself, and all of them offer professional level productivity. I'll add more as time goes on, but since I'm currently at work, this is all from memory....

Brilliant contribution!

So clearly presented and painfully obvious as well!

Winner of Desmond Shang's Post of the Month for May!



I may finally break down, learn something, and create a proper Thai wai with Avimator. It's been driving me nuts not to have such.

Thanks, this is very helpful!

I got one! For editing video: WAX

A Free video editor that operates like Adobe's Premiere.

AutoIt is another program in somewhat the same vein as AutoHotKey.

Heh, to make it really interesting, try Sourceforge for just about every type of Open Source software. I've found some really neat things there.

Texture laboratory: Genetica and its free offspring, Wood Workshop*. Available from Spiral Graphics

They're especially good at creating seamless textures.
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*Which, despite its name, can be used to create all sorts of textures.

You know, it used to be the case that Blender was free and you had to buy the manual, as a result it had one of the most non intuitive UI's going - it was in their interest for you to be confused.

Unfortunatly, even now its open source, thats still the case - if you don't already know it, expect to spend a lot of time learning it. If you looking to do things for Second Life, I would just go buy Poser (or keep an eye on the PC mags, older versions get given away every now and again).

I mentioned the learning curve already. You opinions are noted, but don't seem to be accurate due to your frustration with the interface.

And for the record, telling people to buy $300 software because you had trouble learning the interface of the free software is a bit extreme. I learned it within a week, and was up to speed in a month. That's about what I have come to expect from software of this vein, such as 3D studio max and Lightwave.

My personal experience with Blender is that I'd rather shoot myself on the face with a shotgun than use it for 3D design. The interface is grotesquely horrible, and that's an understatement. This makes it truly difficult to learn (basic knowledge of 3D Studio, for example, takes way less than a week, while Blender might take a couple weeks).

Its only positive point is that it is free. But for that reason if you are starting in 3D design I'd recommend OpenFX (http://www.openfx.org/) instead of Blender. It doesn't have as many options but it is very intuitive and easy to use.

Thanks for this Foolish. Where can we find the free list for the Severtem?

ROFL. Really, $300 is nothing if it allows you to achieve what you want to quickly and easily with software thats well designed for a specific purpose.

Also worth pointing out, knowledge of Poser, 3DS MAX or Lightwave are marketable skills. Knowledge of blender just shows stubborn dedication.

Oh, and before you start making assumptions, I know blender, have used it on and off for a few years (as well as a lot of its commercial competition). I've been doing 3D modelling and rendering for the last 15 years with everything from scripted raytracers up. Blender is a pig. Its free, but its still a pig.

<sigh> Ok. Let's get this straight: I am NOT going to debate the merits of Poser vs. Blender. I don't even care which is better, or why, or how hard anything is to learn...

What I am going to point out, is that for a hobbyist, $300 IS a significant investment. And the point of this is that poser is for character animations (in this context) while blender is a 3d package that I would not advise doing animations for SL in. That was another program on the list.

The real point of this is this final word: FREE.

You ignored the basis of this thread, and pushed a piece of commercial software that costs $300. In a thread about free tools. Can you see what I'm talking about?

And for the record, professional studios have begun using Blender. It has been used for profit projects. ILM has hired people who have proven themselves with Blender. Tools are tools, and not everyone agree's with each other on what is best.


Later!

http://secondlife.com/

really cool program were all these free things come in usefull!

I honestly have always preferred Wings3D to Blender.

I understand your point entirly, however as there is no such thing as free time I think its irresponsible to recomend something thats going to eat a significant amount of someones life and only just be relevent. In that context commercial software that does does exactly whats required with bells on deserves a mention.

I should also add that Avimator is seriously frustrating, I would not recomend it for doing key frame animations (if doesn't remember your keys all the time) and save your work between every edit. It will suddenly screw your character up into an unrecoverable knot and you will have to start again.