CAD, BIM & 3D

The free Personal Learning Edition of Vue is available on http://www.vue6.com/ple . It can be used for the modeling and visualization of landscapes, including foliage. Available on Windows and Macintosh platforms, but limitations apply: For personal, non-commercial use only You cannot exchange files with other PLE users PLE files are not compatible with other versions of Vue Render at any resolution (renders are watermarked and carry a logo) Render up to 800x600 without watermark for 30 days

While Impression (aka Vespa) has been available for quite some time on the Autodesk Labs, it was timebombed. After all, it is a commercial application ($495). Since it has not been released worldwide, it is currently still available as a technology preview. The version on the Autodesk Labs expired on may 1st, but you can receive a sustained version from local sites. The overview is given on http://impression.autodesk.com/blogs/blog/5/blogpost/3089 where you can find the correct place to download Impression Preview. Be sure to check the system requirements, as you will need a fairly heavy graphics adapter and up to date system. Windows only, as usual.

On http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/inventor_lt/ you can register and download a free version of Autodesk Inventor. This is a time-limited offer (the license expires on 1 may 2008) and is only available for the Windows platform. Inventor LT is a light version of Inventor, including full 3D part modeling, but no assemblies of parts, no analysis and collaboration tools and no AutoCAD included. The offer is currently only available for US and Canada and even though you can fill in the form with bogus data, your internet connection can not be faked...

The free Indigo renderer at http://www2.indigorenderer.com is an "unbiased render engine", meaning that it works purely based on physical properties. Similar in concept to the more famous and commercial Maxwell renderer. Free but not open-source (at the moment). Commercial use is allowed with some minor limitations. There is support for Blender, 3ds max/VIZ, Cinema4D, SketchUp, Maya and XSI. Windows only.

Based on Physical properties for materials and light, the Kerkythea rendering engine seems a promising development, in the small market sector where Maxwell is getting so much attention. Give it a try. Linux and Windows version are available and there is already integration with 3ds max, Blender and SketchUp. Edited: see comment... the renderer is not Open Source, but currently free I have tried the Linux version, but the download did not work on Ubuntu 64-bit -- maybe on 32-bit?

On http://www.urob.de/index.php?para=107 you can download a free windows-version of this Finnish modeling, rendering and animation application. This is an older version of the current 5.x version, which is a commercial product trying to compete with 3ds max, Cinema4D and others. The site is in German, but the links are clearly marked. The software is the English version.

When you visit http://www.cadlogic.com/products/draftit/index.htm you can download a free 2D CAD system for Windows. It seems to be fairly helpful while drawing, although, since it's a free basic version, expect to find limitations.