Recommend a tool for graphics, please!

Question

I work on a (raytracer) graphics engine and during the development process I want to create a bunch of pictures describing algorithms in space. First I thought about 3D packages (like 3DSMax and others), then about 2D (like Illustrator and others). But it all seems to be an overkill... (I'd like to use Rhino 4.0 Evaluation, but it is an evaluation version. On the other hand, I don't need all the features Rhino provides, but its license doesn't allow me to use it in Houdini-style for education, for example.)

So, here are my requirements:

• Free;
• Has support of vector graphics so that I can draw lines with arrows and so on;
• Has support of 3D graphics so that it can project it to the random plane (like Rhino or Autocad can do it);
• Works on WindowsXP.
• Also it would be good although no necessary if It could export the scene to either some kind of animation or interactive picture (like VRML or something, I don't care). So, again, this feature is not necessary.

Answer 1

Does Blender work for you?

Answer 2

Inkscape might be another option:

• It is free
• It has support for vector graphics and uses the svg format
• It works on WindowsXP.
• You can export to blender for sure but maybe also to others.

Not sure about the 3D stuff though.

Answer 3

I would suggest:

• GIMP for raster graphics
• Blender for 3D modeling
• Inkscape for vector graphics

It depends on your needs, of course, but those tools are really comparable to commercial tools.

Answer 4

I would go with Remo, and recommend those three tools. You are going to have trouble finding one tool that will work well in all the situations you described. Using many tools depending on the task will probably make things a lot easier on you in the long run.

Answer 5

If Blender is still too much, you can try Wings3d, a straight forward modeling package, also free. http://www.wings3d.com/

Answer 6

The Softimage|XSI Mod Tool is awesome, and free.

http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/

As a beginner I've found it alot more intuitive to the likes of Blender & 3DSMax, while still being a fully featured tool.

Answer 7

Agree GIMP/Inkscape/Blender are the best one, but Inkscape have lots of key mapping issues (ok I might slightly over-emphasis on this, but basics like alt-click does not work on gnome nor Mac OS X, and for a Mac user X11 graphics app is PITA)

I would really hope somebody keep suggesting some answers. Adobe is freaking expensive for most web developers who need to do some simple graphics manipulation.