Blender

Blender is a FREE and fully functional integrated 3D creation software suite. It lets users create high quality 3D graphics, movies and replay real-time, interactive 3D content. Over the last decade, Blender has evolved as an in-house tool for a leading European animation studio. Blender is powerful technology used for creating broadcast quality 3D content.

Blender lets users create AND deliver superb photo-realistic animation - in convenient, compact files. It's ideal for walkthroughs. Worried that real-time 3D presentations will strain your budget? Enter Blender: Make models, design, and present interactively in your own product environment, and without straining budgets.

Blender Features:

Interface:

• Revolutionary non-overlapping and non-blocking UI delivers unsurpassed workflow.
• Flexible and fully configurable window layout with as many screen setups as you prefer.
• Undo support on all levels.
• Powerful built-in database system allowing instances, scene management, and dynamic linking multiple project files.
• Anti-aliased fonts with international translation support.
• Windows for animation curves/keys, outliner, schematic scene diagram, non-linear video sequence editing, character animation action editor, non-linear animation mixer, image/UV editing, file/image selection and file management.
• Built-in text editor for annotations and editing Python scripts.
• Consistent interface across all platforms.

• A range of 3D object types including polygon meshes, NURBS surfaces, bezier and B-spline curves, metaballs, vector fonts (TrueType, PostScript, OpenType).
• 'Smooth proxy' style catmull-clark subdivision surfaces with optimal iso-lines display and sharpness editing.
• Mesh modeling based on vertex, edge and/or face selection.
• Boolean mesh functions.
• Editing functions such as extrude, bevel, cut, spin, screw, warp, subdivide, noise, smooth Soft selection editing tools for organic modeling.
• Python scripting access for custom tools.

• Armature (skeleton) deformation with forward/inverse kinematics, auto skinning and interactive 3D paint for vertex weighting.
• Non-linear animation mixer with automated walkcycles along paths.
• Constraint system.
• Vertex key framing for morphing, with controlling sliders.
• Character animation pose editor.
• Animatable lattice deformation.
• 'Ipo' system integrates both motion curve and traditional key-frame editing.
• Audio playback, mixing and editing support for sound synchronisation.
• Python scripting access for custom and procedural animation effects.

• Very fast inbuilt raytracer.
• Integral support for the famous Yafray render engine.
• Oversampling, motion blur, post-production effects, fields, non-square pixels.
• Environment maps, halos, lens flares, fog.
• Various surface shaders such as Lambert, Phong, Oren-nayar, Blinn, Toon.
• Edge rendering for toon shading.
• Procedural Textures.
• Ambient Occlusion.
• Radiosity solver.
• Export scripts available for external renderers such as Renderman(RIB), Povray, Virtualight.
• UV texture editor with various mesh unwrap modes.

• Graphical editor for defining interactive behavior without programming.
• Collision detection and dynamics simulation.
• Python scripting API for sophisticated control and AI, fully defined advanced game logic.
• Supports all OpenGLTM lighting modes, including transparencies, Animated and reflection-mapped textures.
• Playback of games and interactive 3D content without compiling or preprocessing.
• Audio, using the SDL toolkit.
• Multi-layering of Scenes for overlay interfaces.

• Save all scene data in a single .blend file.
• .blend format supports compression, digital signatures, encryption, forwards/backwards compatibility and can be used as a library to link to from other .blend files.
• Read / Write TGA, JPG, PNG, Iris, SGI Movie, IFF, AVI and Quicktime GIF, TIFF, PSD, MOV (Windows and Mac OS X).
• Native import and export for DXF, Inventor and VRML files, with python scripts available for many other 3D formats.
• Create stand-alone executables containing interactive 3D content or play back with the 3d web browser plugin.

Blender System Requirements:

• Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP.
• Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3.
• Linux 2.2.5 i386.
• Linux 2.3.2 PPC.
• FreeBSD 5.3 i386.
• Irix 6.5 mips3.
• Solaris 2.8 sparc.
• 300 MHz CPU.
• 128 MB Ram.
• 20 MB free hard disk Space.
• 1024 x 768 px Display with 16 bit color.
• 3 Button Mouse.
• Open GL Graphics Card with 8 MB Ram.