Software
Useful software
While we have a wide range of software available on the PCs and Macs in the makerspace, you might want to work on your design from home.
Here's a list of useful, free software that you can download to get started ahead of your next visit.
GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program
This application is a free and open source image editor. Similar to Adobe's Photoshop. You can use this software to edit photos and create original artwork. There are a wide range of plugins and customisation options.
Inkspace
Inkscape is professional quality vector graphics software that is used by design professionals and hobbyists worldwide, for creating a wide variety of graphics such as illustrations, icons, logos, diagrams, maps and web graphics. Inkscape has sophisticated drawing tools with capabilities comparable to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW and Xara Xtreme.
Vectr
Vectr is a free graphics software used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively. It's a simple yet powerful web - based or desktop tool to bring your designs into reality and is a very easy to use introduction to vector drawing without the complexity of Adobe Illustrator.
Fusion360
Fusion360 is a 3D modeling tool from Autodesk. More complex than TinkerCAD this allows complex models to built and transferred to our 3D printers. Free for hobbyists and startups with online registration.
TinkerCAD
TinkerCAD is a free online collection of software tools that help people all over the world think, create and make. Mainly used by us as an introduction to 3D printing, it's used by teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and make anything!
Arduino IDE
The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write code and upload it to the Arduino (or compatible systems). It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Kickstart your electronics project with all the tools you need to code your next make.
Thonny (Python IDE)
Easy to get started. Thonny comes with Python built in, so just one simple installer is needed and you're ready to learn programming. A built in debugger can help point out where you've gone wrong and the software is also available on your Raspberry Pi.
Twine
Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. You don't need to write any code to create a simple story with Twine, but you can extend your stories with more complex code when you're ready.
Twine publishes directly to HTML, so you can post your work nearly anywhere. Anything you create with it is completely free to use any way you like, including for commercial purposes.
Scratch
With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.
Using drag and drop building blocks, Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 to 16, but is used by people of all ages.
Adobe creative cloud
We have access to Adobe's Creative Cloud suite on our iMacs and Windows desktop PCs in the makerspace. This gives you access to Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, Acrobat and much more.
If you are new to this software then why not explore Adobe's tutorials online: