3D Graphics Tools

Google Sketchup is an easy-to-use 3D modeling software that enables you to create 3D models of houses, buildings and many other objects, using an array of drag and drop tools and materials in a WYSIWYG editing environment. You can design your objects with rectangles, circles, ovals, arcs, lines and freehand drawings, and use a unique push/pull tool to add dimension to 2D objects. The program offers a library of building material patterns (brick, concrete, wood, glass, carpet etc.) and colors that you can use to add a realistic look to your creation. The finished design can be exported to popular image formats, including JPG, TIF, PNG and BMP, or shared via the Google 3D warehouse. Google Sketchup does not require any 3D experience, but you should read the supplied documentation and tutorials to make full use of the software - an interactive tutorial will explain the basic functionality for each selected tool. There is also a Pro version available, that offers export to 3D and raster formats.

POV (Persistence of Vision Raytracer) is a high-quality, totally free tool for creating stunning three-dimensional graphics. The Persistance of Vision Ray Tracer (POV-Ray) is an all-round excellent package, but there are two things that particularly make it stand out above the rest of the crowd. Firstly, it s free, and secondly, the source is distributed so you can compile it on virtually any platform.

Now3D is a fully featured RayTracing application with many texture capabilities, distributed RayTracing , HyperTexture and many other. If you are interested in rayTracing, this program provides a great environment, as well as a tutorial and additional information to get you started.

Font Magic is an easy-to-use tool for creating 3D text effects. The interface allws you to preview and select your eeffects from many of the available option. You can select textures, colors and materials from drop down menus and create an attractive looking 3D text or logo in no time. The result can be saved as single BMP file or even rendered as rotating movie frames. Font Magic is very easy to use and requires virtually no graphics experience.

Browz 3D is a browser for 3D models of various types. It supports 3DS, ASC, DXF, LWO, OBJ and T3D formats with 4 display modes, wireframe, vertices transparent and opaque. You can zoom and rotate the model and highlight one of the meshes inside the model. Additional features includes sorting of your models, color coding and more. The program uses the OpenGL engine.

TextStylist lets you add up to 10 different text overlays to a photo or picture. You can choose from 3D text, Shadow and Flat text with customizable settings for each. It supports most popular image formats and can also save your text designs, so that they can easily be added to other pictures. Additional features include optional textures, Undo/Redo, gradient background creation and more. The results can be saved as file or copied to the clipboard. TextStylist supports BMP, JPG, PNG, PCX, TGA, TIF, WMF and EMF formats.