SEGD.org Open Source Design Software prepared by Chad Eby Herron School of Art + Design at IUPUI SEGD Academic Task Force SEGD Training Module Training SEGD Introduction to EGD Overview What is Open Source? Free and open source software (sometimes called FOSS) tools are developed “in the open” so that anyone may inspect an application’s source code—the underlying set of instructions that make the application work—that is hidden by design in proprietary tools. Not only is the source code visible, it is generally permissible to use, re- distribute and modify without restriction. This makes it free (as in freedom). As a side effect, many open source software tools are also free (as in beer), meaning image credit they are usable at no cost. Photo by Marc Mueller from Pexels Open Source Design Software Overview Why Use Open Source? An open source design software tool may be attractive to individuals and organizations due to the transparent nature of its development, the lack of restrictions on distribution and use, the suitability for a niche purpose too small for commercial viability, the low cost/no cost aspect or some combination of these factors. As good as open source tools may seem at first blush, there are some caveats. FOSS projects, especially in the early stages, may have sporadic development cycles and are sometimes abandoned entirely. Even in projects that are actively developed and well established, the documentation for the tool may lag well behind the latest released version. Finally, since some FOSS tools are passion projects of individuals or small teams, the software user interface may be quite eccentric. With these limitations in mind, open source design tools may be a useful addition to curriculum and practice, especially in under-resourced environments. image credit Photo by Kaique Rocha from Pexels Open Source Design Software Open Source Design Software Categories 2D vector tools: These include both CAD-style tools as well as vector drawing, animation and illustration software. 2D pixel tools: These include photo-editing, image processing, digital painting and 2D animation software. 3D modeling, printing, rendering and animation tools Audio and video editing tools Creative coding Word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and other office and organizational tools Vwanweb [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Dia 2D vector tool | Create and edit many types of diagrams, including UML diagrams, flowcharts, network diagrams and more. https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Dia Embroidermodder 2D vector tool | Create, edit and see realistic previews of embroidery designs. Supports many file formats and machine types. http://embroidermodder.org/features.html Inkscape 2D vector tool | Full-featured vector drawing and illustration tool; extensive support for the SVG format. https://inkscape.org/ OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Pencil 2D 2D vector/pixel tool | Create traditional hand-drawn animations using both bitmap and vector graphics. http://www.gimp.org sK1 Project 2D vector tool | Lesser-known but full-featured vector drawing program. https://sk1project.net/ SVG-Edit 2D vector tool | anything with a browser Create and edit SVG graphics on the web or desktop through your favorite browser. https://inkscape.org/ OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Synfig Studio 2D vector/pixel tool | Industrial-strength solution for creating film-quality stills and animation via vector and bitmap editing. https://github.com/synfig/synfig GIMP 2D pixel tool | Advanced image editor with layers, plug-ins and scripting. Handles a wide range of image file formats. http://www.gimp.org GrafX2 2D pixel tool | Old school bitmap 256-color paint program inspired by Deluxe Paint and Brilliance on Amiga. http://grafx2.chez.com OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Krita 2D pixel tool | Mature and capable natural media drawing tool for illustration; pairs well with a stylus or drawing tablet. https://krita.org MyPaint 2D pixel tool | Natural media drawing tool aimed at digital painters. http://mypaint.org Blender 3D tool | In its 25th year, Blender is a modeling, rendering and animation powerhouse. Includes compositing and physics. http://www.blender.org OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category FreeCAD 3D tool | Well-documented parametric CAD program with full GUI. Imports and exports many standard 3D formats. http://www.freecad.org MakeHuman 3D tool | Tool for creating 3D models of human figures. Figures may be posed , textured and exported to many formats. http://www.makehumancommunity.org MeshLab 3D tool | A general purpose tool for viewing, editing, cleaning, coloring and converting 3D data. http://www.meshlab.net OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category OpenSCAD 3D tool | A scripting-based rather than GUI-driven modeling tool, billed as “The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller.” http://www.openscad.org SOLVESPACE 3D tool | Simple, compact 2D/3D parametric CAD package. http://solvespace.com Wings3D 3D tool | Strong subdivision surface modeler, useful for both hard surface and more organic polygon modeling. http://www.wings3D.com OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Ardour A/V tool | A complete and rather sophisticated digital audio workstation (DAW). Edit, mix and master audio and MIDI. http://ardour.org Audacity A/V tool | A straightforward audio waveform editing and mixing tool; includes effects and ability to add or edit metadata. https://www.audacityteam.org Natron A/V tool | Compositing tool for visual effects and motion graphics, including rotoscoping and advanced color keying. https://natrongithub.github.io OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Shotcut A/V tool | A full-featured, 4K-capable video editing suite with effects and the ability to export an edit decision list. https://shotcut.com Arduino Creative coding | A C-like environment + hardware specification for physical computing development. Huge and helpful community. https://arduino.cc Processing Creative coding | Java-like environment for prototyping visuals and interactive experiences. https://processing.org OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Software Tools by category Apache Open Office Office tool | A fairly comprehensive MS Office replacement, including word processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools. https://www.openoffice.org Calligra Office tool | A bit of a dark horse, with generally less robust offerings than its open office siblings, Calligra still has fans. https://www.calligra.org Libre Office Office tool | Very similar to Open Office, perhaps a bit more contemporary, most would struggle to see a difference. https://www.libreoffice.org OS X MS-Windows Linux Raspian Open Source Design Software Resources General Articles on Open Source A round up of articles on open source software and culture aimed at beginners from opensource.com: https://opensource.com/resources/beginners-open-source A contrarian view by John Mark: https://medium.com/@johnmark/why-open-source-failed- 6cae5d6a9f6 Taking Open Source Further image area Beyond software applications that support design work, it is possible to use an entirely open source operating system. GNU Linux is one of the most popular platforms, including distributions like Redhat’s Fedora, Mint Linux, OpenSUSE and Ubuntu. To help get a feel for the vast number of choices, have a look at DistroWatch: https://distrowatch.com/ Finally, open source doesn’t stop at software. There are also initiatives to design and distribute open source hardware. A catalog is available at the p2p Foundation: https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Product_Hacking Tux by [email protected] Larry Ewing and The GIMP Open Source Design Software.