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This is Aardware's list of the coolest, most
practical open source software on the net today. This
software is all free and developed by communities of
volunteers and enthusiasts. This is all stuff that you need
to check out.
Blender
3D Modeling, Animation, & Game Engine
Blender is an amazing, fully featured 3D modeling program.
It has a huge variety of features, including a programmable game engine,
organic sculpting tools, a rendering engine, and support for python scripting.
It supports Catmull-Clark subsurface modeling, UV mapping, procedural textures
which can be baked to a UV map, and semi-automatic UV unwrapping. Blender is
fantastic program capable of importing and exporting all the major model
formats. It is capable of professional quality rendered shots, animations, and
animated movies. For free, it is capable of competing with some of the popular,
expensive "pro" software packages. Some people will tell you it's hard to
learn.... there are tons of features, which means learning curve, but
ultimately... hit the space bar and all your options are there. The community
is huge and very active and there are dozens of manuals and tutorials available
at Blender.org and all over the web.
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Open Office
Office Suite
Open Office is a free, open source office suite patterned
around and compatible with business-stand Microsoft Office.
Available in languages from English to Korean to Slovenian,
Open Office is available for Windows, Linux, Mac, and
Solaris. It is a full office suite including a word
processor, spreadsheet, database, draw program, and
presentation software. It includes a number of very handy
features including the ability to export directly to
commercial formats like PDF and Flash.
Vegastrike
Space Trader Game
Vegastrike is a mature and well-developed video game
in which the player takes control of a starship and can
fly, fight, and trade their way across an enormous
universe. The
background of the game is well developed and populated with a
multitude of interesting, original, and scientifically
reasonable technologies and alien races. The mechanics are
based on real world physics and dogfights are fast and
furious. There are enough flight controls and technologies
to allow a player to make some real tactical decisions
and develop a combat style and techniques all their own. The universe
itself is semi-dynamic and getting more so all the time:
fleets of various empires move about on their own,
conquering and expanding racial territories, and news
flashes keep the player updated on their progress. The
first time you jump into a system into the middle of a
fleet of Aera battleships locked in battle with a fleet of
Confed forces is an awesome spectacle. Vegastrike has a
large and active community of developers and fans and
their forums are intelligent and interesting. |
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