Publishing

Computer Arts

Everywhere we look we are surrounded by design. It is in every website you visit, museum, street sign, product label, t-shirt, book, magazine, music album, even your makeup (if you wear one). Yes the world is getting creative and so can you. So whether you want to brush up on your skills, learn few new tricks, or start from the very beginning - the Internet is filled with great resources to help you out in your creative endeavors. With nearly 800 free tutorials, prepared by top professionals in the field, on everything ranging from 2D and 3D design, animation, web, and new media - Computer Arts website is one of such resources.

Diagram Designer (Meesoft)

Looking for a quick and simple way to create diagrams or a flowchart? Diagram Designer is a helpful and free program that will make your life much easier. Although not that many of us might need a flowchart every single time, the program is especially helpful for individuals in business, teachers or even students. Designed by Michael Vinther, the program was released just recently and made available as a free download. The program is ideal for business presentations or even organizing your ideas if you prefer to have a visual accompaniment to your notes. Give the program a quick download. It's free and runs on Windows.

Dusty

If you ever wondered how smoke behaves during any particular scenario, then you could definitely benefit from having Dusty in your computer. Now, I know you're probably scratching your head and asking yourself, "what do I need a smoke simulator for?" Well, for one, it's helpful if you're an animator, game developer or artist and you want to realistically portray how smoke would flow when a fire is lit up. The program is available for download on Windows but there's also a Mac version. The algorithm is based on the Stable Fluids Algorithm created by Jos Stam. If you're interested, you can hit the download link above the image to get this cool software.

K-3D

Modelling in 3D has never been simpler thanks to K-3D. This amazing software is a free program that'll help you render and create 3D masterpieces. The program incorporates various helpful plugins as well as "visualization pipeline architecture" to help users create stunning 3D images. It was developed by Timothy Shead and released just last April 2010. So far, it's been winning a lot of critics thanks to its useful interface and easy to use tools. It's designed for use by professional artists but even those that are still getting a feel for 3D rendering can easily use it. K-3D is available as available for free download and licensed under a GNU General Public License.

MyPaint

If you're an artist and you're looking for a program that will allow you to paint and create your artwork without any problems, then give MyPaint a try. This handy software was especially created with the painter in mind. Featuring a simple, bare bones layout and tons of brushes emulating specific types of media; the software ensures artists can easily get down to business without the hassle. It was made especially for digital painters in mind. The program is an open sourced project that's available for free download on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Picturenaut

Tired of having your digital pictures fall short of what you are trying to capture? Give Picturenaut a try. The program is ideal for tweaking your HDR images and making them look even better. The program is available for a free download so you won't have to shell out any cash to obtain great results for your pictures. The software is perfect for achieving a realistic HDR image. It's easy to use and you can get your images in practically seconds. Developed by March Mehl, it's definitely a helpful piece of software for HDR photography enthusiasts out there.

MindNode – free mind mapping software for your mac, iPhone and iPad

Always having trouble keeping everything you do or even your thoughts organized? MindNode might be able to help you out. This cool mind mapping tool is perfect for anybody who prefers having a visual equivalent of their ideas and thoughts. The program works great on the iPad, iPhone or iTouch so you can instantly bring it up and use whenever you need to. It was created by Markus Mueller and contains plenty of interesting features that's perfect for any enthusiast. Give it a download.

PhotoRocket

You might think that PhotoRocket is just another photosharing program but there's actually quite a few features you might find charming in this cool app. Apart from the fact that it's offered absolutely free, there are a couple of things that makes this one slightly different from all the rest. Aiming to be the easiest program you'll ever use when it comes to photosharing, PhotoRocket actually works great. It lets users easily share photos without much hassle. It provides an easy to use interface that's simple to navigate even for non-techie users. Give the program a try. This might be the photosharing program you've been waiting for.

The Unarchiver

From the get-go, it's obvious what The Unarchiver does. It can easily unzip or unpack any files that you want. Even though the program might have an unimaginative name, it gets the job done without much trouble and complaint. The program was developed by Dag Agren and available for free download on the Mac App Store. It works great on Mac but it's also possible to run it on Windows or Linux. You just have to follow a few things before you can get it up and running. It's a nifty little tool that's easy to navigate and understand. Best of all, you can easily open any file you have since it supports a great selection of formats. Give it a try.