Free tools for Engineers

I found this over the weekend and recommended it to the team engineer is the office.
Hopefully it is useful to others.

Microsoft Mathematics 4.0
http://www.microsoft.com/education/products/student/math/default.aspx#overview
From basic math to precalculus, Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 can help you visualize and see mathematical concepts as you’ve never seen them before. This free downloadable tool includes step-by-step instructions and explains fundamental concepts. The wide range of tools to help students with complex mathematics includes a full-featured graphing calculator that’s designed to work just like a hand-held calculator and ink handwriting support to recognize hand-written problems.


For personal development, mainly because officially we have other software to use.

To play and learn more about 2D drafting
DoubleCAD™ XT is an AutoCAD LT® work-alike. But free.
For info: http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXTv3/tabid/1100/Default.aspx

To play and learn basic of a Project Management Software
OpenProj is a free, open source project management solution.
http://openproj.org/openproj
OpenProj shares the industry's most advanced scheduling engine with Project-ON-Demand and provides Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams (PERT Charts), WBS and RBS charts, Earned Value costing and more.

Both software does try and “Up Sell” you to paid software, generally with nags but no other disruptive tactics.

Again the last two software is for learning, and not as primary tools for current projects.
Hope this helps.

Vue 3D Test

Trying to get the hang of building good water and sky with Vue. This is one of more enjoyable test render.

Open and Free Sourced Software

As I have been doing more setting up of computers of late than doing art works. So let me share some essential softwares for any machines, expecially those that need work done on them.

1. 7-zip found at http://www.7-zip.org/ - this is an amazing utility, I don't know how I could work without zipping files and uncompressing the large of files this software works with.

2. PDF Creator found at http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/ - not to be used for professional printers, but for normal distribution of PDF via email or just saving it for future reference, this software is great.

3. CCleaner + Defraggler found at http://www.piriform.com/ - great for cleaning up the mess windows makes after itself.

4. Firefox found at http://www.mozilla.org/ - everybody knows this software, I use it because I do feel its safer online than its alternatives.

5. Google Earth + Sketchup found at http://earth.google.com/ & http://sketchup.google.com/ - a great place to play with 3D.

6. K+Lite Codecs found at http://www.codecguide.com/ - safer to pick up a codec pack than download codecs as you need it. This one seems to be the most complete one.

7. Paint.net found at http://www.getpaint.net/ - for systems that does not have photoshop but needs some of the tools.

Thats for it for now.

Moving back in

Okay its been a while but I am planning to start posting again.
So be ready for my return :)

Cheers, jags

jagarts' logo mark

Finally completed my mark. Its not really a big jump from my old mark but just update of details. Now of to the work logo for it.

All-One Foundation Site

Its finally up :)
A Pro-Bono project I have been working on for the past few months. The site was for a friend who has a great cause, check out the site to learn more.
This site besides helping me get a good feeling inside (for doing good) also helped me work with wordpress and its template. The new version of wordpress is far far more better, it has improved to make it easy to work with and also hand over for the team on the other side to maintain.

Making a comeback

Changing jobs, the last one that lasted 3 months did not suit me. Too many things went wrong... sigh ... that is life for you.

The new one is more hands on design and development. Hopefully I can start posting here regularly. Wish me luck!

More photos for SXC

Four new images for SXC.hu, and I think I am getting the hang of things. No rejection this time around and I also started completing the keywords properly.

To complete it all, the lessons from Lynda.com about sharpening images makes them far more stronger.

3D test again

Carrara Pro 5 test render. Nice

Energy Burst

Not fractals this time, just abuse of photoshop. I love that software. The colors ended up with so much energy ... hope i can repeat this again :)

Factal Light

Bright colors and strong motions ... don't you just love it :)

Photoshop and Apophysis

New Design - Strawberry eDM

Simple Render

More play time with blender, this is just a test to see if I really have figured out how to set HRDI and Yafray for render :)

GMAPS eCard

Its been a while since I last posted. Been busy with real work, but I am back again. First up is an eCard designed for my brothers company. This is a simple card that he could forward using Outlook with space to place a special message for the particular client.

Simple design, with focus on projects completed.

Test upload

This is a quick one to upload my site

Another Lot of Free Stockphoto

With a new camera and new resolve I was able to have 3 more images accepted in stock.xchng. The problem now is to pass this mark. 5 uploads, I have submitted quite a number of other ideas but they have been rejected. Sigh ... have to dig deep down for ideas on this.

It looks like I will be moving back to sketching for a while to clear my head. Then hopefully I can come up with some more ideas to try out with this.

Fractals rock!

Another fractal piece and texture photo, and I almost forgot the most important ... some photoshop magic :)

Playing with fractals - Explore

Got a new software to play with, called Apophysis. Its a fractal generator and this is my first piece that is rooted in this software. I can see many more fun projects with this :)

Contributing to sxc.hu

Finally did it, contributed back to sxc.hu. after years of using the site to be source of my Photoshop work I am giving back to the community.

One conceptual piece and 3 textures (strong and bold textures). Do visit the site and if you do like them, register and download. Its free :)

update: I only got 2 of them through (the top two) the bottom two are something that they did not need (subject matter wise). Sigh will try again later. Now have to figure out other photos I can make.

End of the World

This a piece done for urban collective website. Theme driven art, an unusual thing for me, considering I love doing things randomly. Photoshop digital work with stocks from Stock.XCHNG.