The free software Blender is used to create 3D graphics and
animation for print, video and SFX productions. Built-in
interactivity tools also allow the creation of 3D interactive
media and games ( ftp mirror ).
Aqsis ( 1, 2 ) - a free renderer for Windows and Linux, to
be used with Renderman compatible 3D applications.
CyberMotion 3D-Designer - a shareware tool for
3D design, raytracing and animation for Windows. Be aware:
The shareware version does not save projects :-(.
Highlight Professional - a commercial tool for
raytracing, photorealism and animation for Windows. I got the
Sybex
edition of Hightlight Professional 3.0 as budget offer for
5.99 EUR.
The magazines Computer Video, issue 06/2002 and PCgo!,
issue 01/2003 provide the full version 3.01. You must register to get the necessary serial
number.
The magazines PCgo Grafik & Video, issue
03/2003, Computer Video, issue 01/2004 and PC PR@XIS Foto, issue 01/2004 provide
a "limited" version "Cinema 4D CE Ver.6": The maximum
resolution is limited to 600x400 pixels.
TU-Help-Forum : "Soft- und Hardware /
Multimedia-Art & Webdesign" - Forum for 3DMax,
Cinema4D,Maya,...
The classical lighting design solution, "3ds Max"
with "Lightscape", is now past. The successor of
"Lightscape 3.2" was "Autodesk VIZ 4", the current
version is "Autodesk VIZ 2008".
AGi32
Lighting Software - commercial lighting design software.
A functionally crippled trial version of "AGi32" is
available. The "Photometric Toolbox" trial can be started 10
times only.
Georg
Mischler: Rayfrond, Raydirect, 3DSolar - commercial
lighting design software.
Maxwell - commercial light simulator, with
plugins for many third-party design software tools.
Watermark-crippled demo versions are available for
download.
It features the only shareware version of the
VGT ( Virtual Game Toolkit ) by CONITEC Datensysteme (
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ), which is
available on the accompanying CD. For the current
release of this product, now called 3D GameStudio, there
is a full version as german book ( in german language )
Author
-
Title
3D Game Studio
Publishing house
Sybex Publishing
ISBN
3-8155-9687-4
and a trial version. Here is a comparison between the old
shareware version and new trial version:
Shareware version
Trial version
Release date
30.01.1996
2000
WED editor
conitec WEDS restricted world editor Vers. 2.9
1996
WED demo/trial version 4.3
3D engine runtime
conitec ACKNEX virtual game engine V3.302 -
NONREGISTERED VERSION
A4 engine V4.181
Level editor
yes
yes
Modell editor
no
yes
Number of levels
1
unlimited ?
Maximum number of vertics ( walls + things + actors )
per level
1000
unlimited ?
Maximum resolution
320x400
640x480
Colors
256
64K
Light sources
?
white
Transparency
?
fixed 50%
Particles
?
yes
Actors, weapons
Sprites
Sprites, modells
Maps
no
yes
FLIC player
no
no
AVI scene player
no
no
CD audio support
no
no
Operating system
MSDOS ( protected mode ), DOS box of WIN95/98
WIN95/98, W2K
Sound card support
Soundblaster, Adlib, Roland MPU (but not Gravis
Ultrasound, Microsoft SoundSystem )
Windows audio devices
2 player mode
no
yes ( split screen )
Several windows
no
no
Client/Server mode
no
no
Controlling of external devices
no
no
Resource compiler
no
no
File packer
no
no
Watermark in frame at runtime
no
yes
Technical support (by E-Mail)
no
no
Publication
no
no
Expiration of the runtime engine
never
30 days
Expiration of the runtime engine
never
some minutes
You may ask me
to tell you where to download the
only 3D GameStudio shareware version for
MSDOS and the DOS box of WIN95/98, indeed !
Login at Conitec:
User-ID = sybex
Passwort = the last word on page 100 of the german Sybex
manual.
Sorry, but I came too late to download the shareware
version of the ACKNEX Editor by Greg Reith and ISD
Software - the WEB site is abandoned. I
am still looking for the tool, unsuccessfully. May anybody
help me ?
I was told that "Adobe Photoshop 6 SDK" can be found
on the CDROM of non-OEM versions of Photoshop 6 at
"D:\Adobe Technical Info\Developer Support\Adobe
Photoshop 6 SDK", sometimes.
NIH
Image - free image processing software for MacOS 7.5.5
Scion Imagaging Software - free image
processing software, the Windows edition of NIH Image.
Just support of the graphics formats "Windows BITMAP" and
"TIFF".
A CLUT picture in the PNG
graphics format. By loading this file into the graphics
program PAINT SHOP PRO and saving the color palette of the
picture, You may convert (optimize) Your own PNG pictures by
loading them into PAINT SHOP PRO and activating this
saved color palette.
Believe it or not, the first release of the german
software collection TOPWARE GOLD 4 included a licensed, dongle-free
version of AUTODESK 3D-Studio Release 4, for 49.95 DM
= about 25 EUR !
CAD software, free full versions ( "the real thing" )
A9Tech A9CAD - free 2D CAD software. It can
load 3D DXF and DWG files with "layers with alphanumeric
names", generated by "DIALux", as 2D data, properly. You
can't rename layers !
Free2Design by "Think3" - free 2D CAD
software ( forum ), must be activated online on
each computer. It can load 3D DXF and DWG files with
"layers with alphanumeric names", generated by "DIALux",
as 2D data, properly. You can rename layers !
Solid Edge / PLMVIM by AH
CadFans GmbH / Solid Edge Free 2D Drafting - free 2D
CAD software, just for WinXP, not W2k. It is not able to
load 3D DXF and DWG files with "layers with alphanumeric
names", properly.
BLR-CAD ( 1, 2 ) - free open source "constructive solid
geometry" (CSG) modeling package. The package includes a
large collection of tools and utilities including an
interactive geometry editor, raytracing and generic
framebuffer libraries, a network-distributed
image-processing and signal-processing capability, and an
embedded scripting language. It's not a real CAD program,
so there is no data exchange with CAD software.
DIE
ZEIG - free 2D CAD student edition, just for
students.
Cambridge - a free special-pupose 2D CAD
software, for use with maps.
DESI-III - free 2D CAD software for
computers with installed VESA graphics drivers, running
on MSDOS or in the MSDOS command shell of Win95, Win98SE
( and eventually W2k, WinXP ).
Oasys Columbus - free 2D viewer for
CAD files, does not with network drives.
eDrawings - free 3D viewer for CAD files.
The addtional free publishers for AutoCAD R14.. 2006,
SolidWorks.. and the commercial publisher for Google
Sketchup.. create files in a unique proprietary
'eDrawings' format.
Autodesk Student Community - free
software for students. Special student editions:
licenses with personal serial numbers for 30 days
without activation, for 14 months with activation.
Autodesk DWG TrueView - free
3D viewer for DFX and DWG files. It can load 3D
DXF and DWG files with "layers with alphanumeric
names", generated by "DIALux", as layered 3D
data, properly.
DWG/DXF to WMF converter DwgConverter - free trial version.
DWG to WMF converter DWG Tool "DWG to WMF Converter MX" &
"Acme CAD Converter" - free trial versions, with
watermarks: The WMF output file contains the text
"DemoCADConverter".
DWG/DXF to WMF converter Able Graphic Manager - free
trial version, expires after 30 days.
DWG/DXF to WMF converter ABViewer - free trial version,
with watermark, expires after 45 days. The WMF output
file contains the text "ABViewer evaluation -
www.cadsofttools.com".
FelixCAD LT - free 2D CAD software, must be
activated online or offline on each computer. Data saving
enabled, but no data export :-(. You can rename layers
!
CoCreate OneSpace Modeling Personal
Edition (PE) - free 2D / 3D CAD software. Data
saving enabled, but no data export :-(. It can load 3D
DXF and DWG files with "layers with alphanumeric
names", generated by "DIALux", as 2D data, properly.
Delcam PowerSHAPE-e - a free 3D CAD
software, just for WinXP-Pro ( not for W2k, VistaHome
). Data saving enabled, but no data export. We get
warned that models generated with the free edition,
can't be read by the commercial version :-(. It can
load 3D DXF and DWG files, generated by "DIALux", as
3D data
CYCAS
3.8 public for Windows and Linux, by "Verlag Frese".
Free version for non-commercial use only. Limits: Working
with one layer, maxiumum export / print size "DIN A4" /
"US Letter".
SolidWorks Workshop, Termine
- participants of this free workshop get a free
"30 Days SolidWorks Evaluation License". Until
2007, the particants got a free limited
"SolidWorks Personal Edition", which expired
after 90 days.
Check these WEB sites which establish a reference to this
WEB document, as award for its usefulness and
importance. I still don't know any. There is a complete list of referers for this WEB
site, too
german WEB site
A CLUT picture in the PNG
graphics format. By loading this file into the graphics
program PAINT SHOP PRO and saving the color palette of the
picture, You may convert (optimize) Your own PNG pictures by
loading them into PAINT SHOP PRO and activating this
saved color palette.
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