Freeware Directory

Freeware - Free 3D Graphics Software

Wings 3D is an Open Source, subdivision modeler inspired by Nendo and Mirai from Izware. It is possible to assign materials, vertex color, UV coordinates and textures, but there will be improvements in those features before Wings goes to version 1.0. There is no support in Wings for doing animations.

YafRay is a powerful raytracer, under the LGPL license that enables you to create fantastic images and animations of a photorealistic quality. Features include Full Global Ilumination - Yafray makes it possible to iluminate scenes by means of a complete global ilumination system, using Montecarlo and Quasimontecarlo aproximations. To solve the ilumination problems that arise when inside interior spaces, we can rely on a photon mapping system, that together with irradiance cache and shadow refinement, produces high quality results. Yafray features modular structure, with a micro kernel with which the rest of the render elements connect: scene loader, lights and shaders. Thanks to its API (Application Programming Interface) and its modular structure, it is possible to develop rendering plug-ins, making it possible to use Yafray from any program or 3D suite. Suites such as Blender, Wing3D or Aztec take advantage of this feature.

Maya Personal Learning Edition is a special version of Maya® software, which provides free access to Maya for non-commercial use. It gives 3D graphics and animation students, industry professionals, and those interested in breaking into the world of computer graphics (CG) an opportunity to explore all aspects of the award-winning Maya Complete software in a non-commercial capacity. The Maya Personal Learning Edition restricts users to non-commercial applications through the display of a watermark on images as well as through the use of a special non-commercial file format. In all other respects it is exactly the same as the commercial version. Registration (free) is required to download the program.

Alias FBX is a free platform-independent 3D authoring and interchange format that provides access to 3D content from most 3D vendors and platforms. The FBX file format supports all major 3D data elements, as well as 2D, audio, and video media elements.

Learn to Program Interactive 3D Graphics Alice v2 is the next major version of the Alice 3D Authoring system, from the Stage3 Research Group at Carnegie Mellon University. It has been completely rewritten from scratch over the past few years. The focus of the Alice project is now to provide the best possible first exposure to programming for students ranging from middle schoolers to college students.

SmoothTeddy is a simple 3D sketch-based modeling and painting software. You can make rotund 3D models such as teddy bears quickly, and paint them in an integrated environment. The resulting 3D models have hierarchial joint structure, so you can use them for animation projects like Alice. (SmoothTeddy is a successor to Teddy and Chameleon)

My Pictures 3D lets you watch your favorite photos in a virtual 3D gallery. The selected pictures are displayed on the walls as the walker wanders through one of the galleries made in different styles from an ancient temple to a modern showroom, from a medieval castle to a Renaissance yard. A lifelike atmosphere is created thanks to amazingly natural-looking graphics. You can walk manually or in the screensaver mode recalling fond memories.

K3DSurf is a program to visualize and manipulate Mathematical models in three, four and five dimensions. These Mathematical Objects, described with implicit/explicit parametric equations, can be either surfaces or curves. It's also a "Modeler" for POV-Ray in the area of parametric surfaces. Features: 3D, 4D, 5D and 6D HyperObjects visualization; Full support of all functions (like C language); Support of mouse event in the drawing area (Left:Rotate, Right:scale and Midle: translate); Animation and Morph effect; Povscript and Mesh file generation (and Run if PovRay is installed); VRML2 and OBJ files also supported.

TwistedBrush Free is Digital paint software with complete natural art tools. Software for artists without the complexity of other art programs. Oil paint feels thick with color. Airbrushes feather their spray the further they are from the page. A variety of blenders range from dry dust to wet to semi dry smudging. Chalk and charcoal are...well...chalky. Oil pastels mix and smear. Incredible effects!

A "stereogram" is a picture where you normally see only a pattern, but when you squint or look at it from a distance, you will see another image appear in 3 Dimensions. Bigle 3D is a stereogram generator or SIS (Single Image Stereogram) to create your own stereograms. The wizard interface guides you through choosing a background and the grayed image that will appear in 3D. You can save your stereograms as one of the main image formats (bmp, png, jpg, tiff) and open even more types of images to create them.

Forget your button maker! This software for creating 3D-looking elements for websites and software interfaces is much more flexible. Easily paint raised or lowered shapes such as buttons, rings, boxes, or add those effects to existing graphics. Color/texture selection, adjustable extrusion depth, gloss and other effects.

Lines 3D is a simple program to display 3D objects in the form of a mesh constructed from lines and circles. The program reads simple text files (*.rot), which makes it very easy to make and edit 3D models. Lines 3D is very small, requires no installation and needs no extra programs or API's to run. This makes it ideal for sharing 3D files since all you need to do is send the program with your *.rot text file.

Blender is the first, and only, fully integrated 3D graphics creation suite allowing modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, realtime interactive 3D and game creation and playback with cross-platform compatibility - all in one tidy, downloadable package. Source code is available as a separate download.

The Persistence of Vision Raytracer (POV-Ray) is a high-quality, totally free tool for creating stunning three-dimensional graphics. POV-Ray creates three-dimensional, photo-realistic images using a rendering technique called ray-tracing. It reads in a text file containing information describing the objects and lighting in a scene and generates an image of that scene from the view point of a camera also described in the text file. Ray-tracing is not a fast process by any means, but it produces very high quality images with realistic reflections, shading, perspective and other effects. Visit the POV-Ray Community to see some of the incredible images this program has been used to create. It is available in official versions for Windows, Mac OS/Mac OS X and i86 Linux. The source code is available for those wanting to do their own ports.

The free ModelPress System provides a mechanism for publishing 3D files to a web-ready format, as well as a flexible, visualization application that can be embedded in other desktop applications or in web pages for web-delivery and viewing. Native model files are published to a representation that protects the intellectual property of the design data in a highly compressed file (70% - 98% size reduction) enabling efficient data transfer by email or by online access. A simple way to control and share model content with users who don't have access to the original 3D application. ModelPress Publisher reads native 3D CAD model files including SolidWorks 2003, Inventor 7, EDS Solid Edge v14, Spatial ACIS / SAT, Autodesk AutoCAD DWG files (including 3D ACIS SAT objects), XGL/ZGL.

Pover is a GUI interface for POV-Ray options, it helps you to change many of the POV-Ray Render options. With Pover you can open and save configuration files also associate Pover with PCG files and open your work with one click. Pover is small and uses very little system resources, and it is FREE for personal use.

Planets is a 3D gravity simulation program which allows you to create spherical bodies that can attract one another. With this you can build your own solar system, galaxy or ringed planet with up to 16,384 planets. Massless planets for faster calculation Standard functions for: Making a planet orbit a large planet; Making a double star; Adding rings to planets; 3D glasses mode (adjustable for red/blue and red/green); A spaceship mode.

AnaBuilder is a freeware program for the creation of anaglyph-type stereoscopic photographs. By shifting two views of the same scene, AnaBuilder builds an image that is stereoscopic when viewed through Red/Cyan glasses. The program makes it possible to readjust the two views manually or fully automatically. Adjusted pairs can also be saved. Supports multiple languages.

Soleili is a calculating software which can be used to optimize the aspect for building a new house, to find the most effective position for solar panels or to decide where some bright fittings are necessary. Soleili computes the sun's position, looks at the impact of the different shadows and informs you about the sunniness in a graphical and numerical way.

Cult3D for the Internet, allows companies and designers to easily build and display high quality interactive 3D animations on their web sites. Targeted toward e-commerce, distance learning, gaming and entertainment applications, Cult3D lets consumers fully interact with advanced 3D animations online. You can now create and show your own product line or services in 3D live on the net.
The designer-tool is FREE to download and use.You will however need a license to publish your Cult3D objects on the Web. For a quick overview of terms and and conditions visit web site.

The complete freeware DesignWorkshop Lite software package provides all you need to build your own 3D models for home design and visualization of architecture, landscapes, exhibits, or any kind of spatial design. With DesignWorkshop Lite you can view and walk-through ready-made models of any size, like the free 3D building models in the Great Buildings Online, in DXF, DesignWorkshop, or 3DMF format, with amazing live 3D speed.