Open-Source Software and Resources

Office Tools

• OpenOffice — Complete Office suite including word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, graphics, databases, and math equations.
• LibreOffice — Brother of OpenOffice and perhaps more actively developed.
• Calligra — Complete office suite.
• Google Docs — Complete office suite available with web interface. Excellent for collaboration.

LaTex Editors

• Texpad — Live LaTex editor.

Page Layout Tools

• Scribus — Page layout tool.

Presentation Software

• Impress.js — JavaScript presentation framework inspired by Prezi.
• Strut — More traditional presentation software.

Gantt Chart Tools

• ProjectLibre — Open source alternative to Microsoft Project.
• GanttProject — Desktop tool for project scheduling and management.
• OpenProject — Project collaboration with open source.
• Scribus — Page layout tool.

Collaboration Tools

• Doodle — Easy scheduling tool.

PDF Tools

• PDFedit — Editor and library for manipulating PDF documents.
• PDF Merge — Web tool to merge multiple PDF files into a single PDF file.
• HTML PDF — Web tool to convert web pages to PDF files.

Math Equation Tools

• LaTex Equation Editor — Write and experiment with LaTex equations
• latex2png — Convert a LaTex equation to a PNG graphics file

Graphics Tools

• GIMP — Photoshop like image manipulation program.
• Inkscape — Illustrator like vector graphics editor.
• Paint.NET — Simple paint program with more features than MS Paint.
• Krita — Photoshop like art program.
• Open Stereogram — Generates stereograms (dotted and textured) with many customization options.
• Blender — 2D and 3D art and animation software.

Animation Tools

• Synfig Studio — 2D art and animation software.
• OpenToonz — 2D art and animation software.
• Blender — 2D and 3D art and animation software.

Sound Tools

• Audacity — Excellent sound file editor.

Video Tools

• Video Editors
  • Shotcut — Open-source and cross-platform video editor.
  • Lightworks — Video editor.
  • Jahshaka — Video composing, editing, and special effects.
  • VideoLAN Movie Creator — Nonlinear editing software for video creation.
  • MPEG Streamclip — Simple movie editor and converter.
• Video Converters
  • HandBrake — Convert from nearly any video format to a section of modern, widely supported codecs. DVD ripping.
  • MiroVideoConverter — Convert almost any video to popular formats
  • WinFF — Supports conversion of multiple videos all at once.
  • Format Factory — Convert videos, audio, and pictures. Repair damaged video and audio. DVD ripper.
  • Freemake Video Converter — Convert to and from virtually any video format including online video. Great program, but loaded with addware.
  • SUPER Converter — Comprehensive list of formats and options, but with a steep learning curve. Converter, player, and recorder.
  • FFmpeg — Record, convert, and stream audio and video.
  • VLC Media Player — Robust player of virtually any format.
  • EZGIF.COM — Web based tool for converting video files to GIF animations.

Specialized Tools

• Java ASCII Versatile Editor (JavE) — Tool for drawing ASCII art.
• Open Stereogram — Generates stereograms (dotted and textured) with many customization options.
• latex2png — Convert a LaTex equation to a PNG graphics file

Free Fonts

• dafont.com — Huge library of free fonts.
• neatfonts — Neat fonts from all over the web.
• 1001fonts — New and fresh fonts.
• 1001 Free Fonts — Well organized list of fonts.

Free Clipart

• clker.com — Free clip art you can use for anything you like.
• Open Clip Art

Free Photos

• Unsplash — Freely usable images
• openstockphotography — Royalty free stock photography operated by Wikimedia Foundation.
• Open Clip Art — Free stock photos, vectors, and art illustrations.

Free Photoshop Resources

• Brusheezy — Free photoshop brushes and PSD files.

Color Tools

• coolors — fast color scheme generator
• Adobe Color Wheel — Color wheel and color picker with multiple color rules.

Performance Metrics

• Publish or Perish — Program to calcualte citation indices in order to quantify the impact of your research.

Scientific Calculators

• Desmos — Online tool to graph functions, plot data, evaluate equations, explore transformations, and much more.

Search Engines

• Technical Literature
  • Google Scholar
  • IEEE Xplore
  • Optical Society of America
  • SPIE The International Society for Optics & Photonics
  • APS Physics
• Patents
• Searching for Patents (USPTO)
• Google Patent Search
• Free Patent Search Tool
•  

Text File Editors

• Sublime Text — A sophisticated text editor for code, and prose.

Desktop Sharing

• Synergy — Software for sharing one mouse and keyboard between multiple computers.

Desktop Recording

• CamStudio — Able to record all screen and audio activity and create AVI videos. Be careful about adware during installation.
• Open Broadcaster — screencasting and video streaming.
• Debut — Record video from a webcam, recording device, or screen. Includes some editing capability.
• Icecream Screen Recorder — Capture any area of your screen as either a screenshot or a video file.
• ActivePresenter — Record your screen along with audio. Includes editing.

Disk Utilities

• Defraggler — Defragments your entire hard drive or just individual folders.
• 7zip — Pakcing and unpacking of various compression formats.

Definitions

• 3D Printing Glossary — definitions of common 3D Printing terms

• Blender.org

Blender Models

• Blend Swap — Community of passionate Blender artists who share their work under creative commons licenses.
• Blender 3D Model Repository
• TF3DM — Some free 3D Blender models.
• cgtrader — Free 3D models for CG digital design and artwork.
• TurboSquid — Free and paid 3D models.

Blender Materials & Textures

• Poly Haven — Public 3D asset library including HDRI images, textures, and models
• ambientCG — public domain materials for physically based rendering
• Solar Textures — real planetary maps in equirectangular projection
• JHT’s Planetary Pixel Emporium — Free texture maps for planets and other objects
• Blendermada — Blender materials database.
• Blender-Materials — Materials, render engines, and more.
• Blender Materials — Large library of materials models for Blender.

Blender Add-Ons

• Sverchok — Parametric tool for architecture and design. Lets you program object’s form without knowing programming languages.
• Tissue — Computational geometry capable of producing very complex designs.

Blender Help

• Official Blender YouTube Channel
• Blender Reference Manual
• Blender Tutorials
• Blender Guru — Site devoted to helping you understand Blender and create amazing results you can be proud of.
• BlenderNation
• Blender 3D: Noob to Pro

Solid Modeling

• Fusion 360 — Cloud based modeling. Free to students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and startups.
• FreeCAD — Parametric 3D modeler with good import/export.
• Tinkercad — A simple, online 3D design and 3D printing app for everyone.
• Meshmixer — Free AutoCAD software for 3D meshes.
• Salome — Open source CAD and integration platform for numerical simulation.
• BRL-CAD — Cross-platform and open source solid modeling system with ray tracing.
• Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express — 3D design and modeling.
• DesignSpark Mechanical — 3D design and modeling.
• Heeks CAD/CAM — 3D design and modeling and generation of g-code for manufacturing.
• ImplicitCAD — Web based 3D CAD with script interface.
• CoffeeSCad — Web based 3D CAD with script interface.
• OpenSCAD — 3D CAD with a scripting interface.
• OpenJSCAD — A completely web based 3D CAD with a scripting interface.
• PythonOCC — 3D CAD development environment for python programming language.

Surface Modeling CAD Tools

• Blender — Powerful 3D surface modeler, scene renderer, movie editor, and animation creator.
• Google SketchUp — Excellent surface modeler, but limited import/export.

Artistic Modeling and CAD Tools

• Blender — Powerful 3D surface modeler, scene renderer, movie editor, and animation creator.
• MeshMixer — Good tool for combining STL files and for artistic editing of files.
• Seamless3D — 3D modeling and animation tool from MIT.
• K-3D — Freeform 3D modeling and animation software, but no rendering.

Other Modeling and CAD Tools

• Autodesk Tools — Lots of free products for students and eductors.
• Voronator — Online tool to tesselate any 3D model.

CAD Viewers and Data Visualization

• STLView — A free STL viewer with touch-screen capability.
• eDrawings Viewer — Viewer software for SolidWorks, DWG, and DXF files.
• Visit — Interactive parallel visualization and graphical analysis tool for viewing scientific data.

Circuit Design and Layout

• Open Circuit Design Suite — Open-source EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools including Magic, IRSIM, Netgen, PCB, and XCircuit.
• EasyEDA — Web-based EDA tool.
• KiCad EDA — A cross platform and open source electronics design automation suite. Includes schematic capture, PCB layout, and 3D viewer.
• ExpressPCB — Free PCB schematic and layout software. Low cost manufacturing along with it.
• FreePCB — Free, open-source PCB editor. Up to 16 copper layers, but no autorouting.
• FreeRouting — Free tool for autorouting PCBs.
• TinyCAD — Open source schematic capture software.
• DesignSpark PCB — Free software for schematic capture and layout.
• gEDA — Open source suite and toolkit for circuit design, schematic capture, simulation, prototyping, and production.
• pcbWEB — Free CAD application for designing and manufacturing electronics software.
• ZenitPCB — Free PCB layout.
• SoloPCB — Free PCB design software including schematic capture, PCB layout, and integrated autorouting.
• LayoutEditor — Free software to edit designs for MEMS and IC fabrication, PCB, multichip modules, and more.
• LTspice — Free high-performance spice simulator.

Mesh Generation and Manipulation

• MeshLab — for manipulating surface meshes with GUI.
• CUBIT — a full-featured software toolkit for robust generation of two- and three-dimensional finite element meshes (grids) and geometry preparation.
• Instant-Meshes — Interactive field-aligned mesh generator.
• libigl — Simple C++ geometry processing library.
• gptoolbox — Geometry processing toolbox for MATLAB.
• Gmsh — A 3D FEM mesh generator with built-in pre- and post-processing capabilities. Simple to use.
• NETGEN — Automatic 3D tetrhedral mesh generator from a CAD file.
• TetGen — A quality tetrahedral mesh generator and a 3D Delaunay triangulator.
• CGAL — Collection of geometric algorithms in C++ library.
• MOAB — Library of routines for meshes including parallel mesh generation.
• TetMesh — Automatically meshes a volume with an unstructured tetrahedral mesh.
• OpenCSG — Models complex solid 3D shapes by combining simpler ones.
• ISO2MESH — Matlab/Octave-based mesh generation and processing toolbox.

Free Models and More

• yobi3D — Free 3D Models Search Engine. WARNING — Tool does find models behind pay walls.
• Thingiverse — Free 3D models, primarily intended for 3D printing.

Finite-Difference Time-Domain

• Meep — FDTD package from MIT that supports parallel processing. No GUI.
• gprMax — 3D FDTD package desgigned for ground penetrating radar, but can do much more. Flexible script interface and supports parallel processing.
• Angora — Powerful FDTD package with text interface.
• emGine — FDTD package with GUI.
• EM Explorer — 3D FDTD package with GUI.
• openEMS — 3D FDTD package with GUI.

Finite Element Analysis

• OpenFOAM — Multiphysics FEM package with GUI.
• MaxFEM — FEM package with GUI.
• FEMM — FEM package with GUI.
• Elmer — Multiphysics FEM package with GUI.
• Fenics Project — Collection of software for automated, efficient solution of differential equations.
• freeFEM — PDE solver with its own scripting language. Multiphysics, nonlinear, 2D, and 3D.

Method of Moments

• 4NEC2 — NEC based antenna modeler and optimizer.
• NEC-2 — Method of moments engine with text punchcard interface.
• MMANA-GAL — Method of moments solver with GUI.
• EMCoS Antenna VLab — Free student version of MoM software with GUI.
• EM3DS — Excellent integral equation solver with GUI.
• GLMoM — Method of moments EM field simulator with GUI.
• newFASANT — Free student version of MoM based antenna and RCS calculator with GUI.

Other Methods

• MIT Photonic-Bands — PWEM package from MIT. No GUI.
• MaxwellFDFD — MATLAB-based package that solves frequency-domain Maxwell’s equations using the finite-difference frequency-domain technique.
• S4 — Fourier model method (RCWA) based on scattering matrices. Text based interface using Lua or Python
• CAMFR — Full-vectorial Maxwell solver based on the method of lines (i.e. eigen-mode expansion).
• MMTL — Multilayer multiconductor transmission line modeling suite.
• Pic2Mag — You draw magnets on the screen and Pic2Mag draws the magnetic lines.
• FastHenry2, FastCap2, & FastModel — Fast inductance and capactiance solves with GUI.
• Qucs — Quite universal circuit simulator with GUI.
• OpenFilters — Design and optimization tools for optical interference coatings.

Ray Tracing

• BEAM FOUR — Ray tracing and open source.
• Opus — Software application for designing and evaluating optical systems.
• OptoCAD — Tracing Gaussian TEM00 beams through an optical set-up.
• OpenRayTrace — Optical lens design software that performs ray tracing. It is built using python, wxPython, and PyOpenGL.
• Goptical — GNU Optical design and simulation library.
• WinLens3D Basic — Serious design and analysis tools for optical engineer, student or designer.
• OpticalRayTracer — A powerful, Java-based virtual optical bench.

CAD Interfaces

• ONELAB — Lightweight interface to finite element software.
• Salome — Open source CAD and front end for numerical simulation.

MATLAB Clones

• Octave — Excellent MATLAB clone with GUI.
• Octave Online — Web based Octave with GUI.
• Scilab — Powerful MATLAB like tool, but not a clone.
• FreeMat — MATLAB clone.
• RLaBplus — MATLAB clone for Linux.
• MathFreeOn.com — Mathematical data analysis engine over cloud.

Python Programming Language

• SciPy — Python programming language for science.
• Spyder — MATLAB like interface to scientific Python. — Python programming language for science.

Julia Programming Language 

(Walks like Python. Runs like C.)

• Julia language site
• Julia GitHub site
• JuliaBox — Completely web-based Julia environment. No install needed.
• Juno — A powerful environemnt for the Julia language.
• Optimization in Julia
• Statistics in Julia
• Company website

Other Mathematics Programming Tools

• deal.II — An open source finite element library.
• wxMaxima — Document based interface for computer algebra system Maxima.
• Mathics — Web based computer algebra system featuring Mathematica compatible syntax and functions.
• R — A programming language for statistics and data visualization.
• Sage — Mathematics software.
• Jupyter — Interactive data science and scientific computing across over 40 programming languages.
• Processing — Flexible software sketchbook for learning how to code within the context of the visual arts.

Lower Level Programming

• Eclipse — Complete integrated development environment (IDE) for a variety of languages.
• Pelles C — A complete development kit for Windows including an optimizing C compiler, a macro assembler, a linker, a resource compiler, a message compiler, a code signing utility, a make utility and an install builder. It comes with an integrated development environment (IDE) with project management, debugger, profiler, source code editor, and resource editors for dialogs, menus, string tables, accelerator tables, bitmaps, icons, cursors, animated cursors, animation videos (AVI’s without sound), versions and XP manifests.
• Open CASCADE — Software development platform in C++ that includes 3D surface and solid modeling, visualization and more.

Text File Editors

• Sublime Text — A sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose.

Mesh Repair Tools

• MeshLab — A powerful tool for manipulating and repairing meshes.
• NetFabb Basic — Mesh viewer and automatic repair.
• FreeCAD — Parametric 3D modeler with STL check and repair.
• Microsoft Model Repair — Completely automated web-based STL repair tool.
• MeshFix — Lightweight mesh repair tool.
• ReMESH — Interactive mesh repair tool.

Slicers and G-Code Generators

• Repetier — Import, place, scale, rotate, and duplicate STL files. Slice, preview, and print.
• Slic3r — slicer for 3D printing and g-code generation.
• Cura — Prepars models for 3D printing by Ultimaker.
• GpxUi — a post processing utilityfor converting gcode output from slicing software to x3g files for standalone printing on Makerbot, ThingOMatic, and Replicator 1/2/2x printers.
• Repetier-Host — GUI for arranging models, slicing, g-code generation, and print monitoring.
• MatterControl — Powerful program with user definable presets.

Printer Host

• OctoPrint — Print anything from anywhere.
• OctoPi — Raspberry Pi printer driver.
• Makerbot Desktop — All-in-one software for printing from Makerbots.

Free Models

• yeggi — Search engine for 3D printable models.
• Thingiverse — Large library of 3D models. Run by Makerbot.
• YouMagine — Website to share and collaborate 3D print designs. Run by Ultimaker.
• My Mini Factory — Website to buy parts and download STL files. Run by iMakr.
• pinshape — Find, share, and sell 3D print files.
• GrabCAD — Lots of free CAD files mainly for mechanical engineers to design faster.
• 3DVia — Community of 3D models.
• Cubehero — GitHub for 3D printing. Can also request files.
• Repables — Simple site for exchanging 3D print files.
• Libre 3D — Website devoted to keeping 3D printing open source.