Tools & Apps
My favourite tools for creative, technical, and everyday use.
Autodesk 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software - widely used in VFX and game art
Free file archiver and extractor - zip, rar, tar, 7z, gzip, bzip2 support
DAW for music production, beat making, recording, and live performance
Batch file and folder renamer with regex, metadata, and scripting support
Path tracing renderer for height maps - create aerial landscape renders from elevation data
Unified design app combining vector illustration, photo editing, and page layout - Adobe alternative with a perpetual licence
Parametric 3D CAD software with perpetual licence - mechanical design, assemblies, drawings
Find and delete duplicate files to reclaim disk space
Free visual reference library - organize and tag thousands of reference images locally
File browser and project manager for creative teams - version control, asset tracking
Monte Carlo ray tracing renderer by Autodesk - physically-based, production-quality rendering
AI image generation and blending - create and remix images collaboratively
Free multi-track audio editor and recorder - cut, mix, apply effects, export to any format
Broadcast desktop audio from Windows to a Chromecast
Song key finder for mashups - detect the musical key of any track
Modular synthesizer built in Pure Data - patch cables, oscillators, sequencers
Generate normal maps, height maps, specular, and AO textures from a single diffuse image
AI-powered background removal tool - extract subjects from photos automatically
Free open source 3D suite - modeling, sculpting, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, VFX
Visual page builder for WordPress - full-site editing with a clean component-based interface
3D reconstruction and scene viewer using Gaussian Splatting
Modular DAW with a tracker-style interface for pattern-based music composition
Batch image compressor - reduce JPEG/PNG file size while preserving quality
E-book manager - organize, convert, and read ebooks in any format
Topographic map creator for hiking, backcountry, and wilderness navigation
Motion graphics and animation software with a node-based and keyframe workflow, built for procedural 2D design
Fractal flame renderer - create high-resolution generative fractal artwork
Stream PC audio output to a Chromecast device
All-in-one project management platform - tasks, docs, goals, and time tracking in one app
Structure-from-Motion and multi-view stereo photogrammetry pipeline
Visual asset browser and manager for 3D, VFX, and game production workflows
Web development framework
AI-powered code editor - inline completions, chat, and codebase-aware suggestions (VS Code fork)
Open source RAW photo editor and digital darkroom - Lightroom alternative
Professional video editor, color grader, and compositor - free version includes Fusion VFX
Professional photo management - tagging, geo-tagging, batch processing, face recognition
Bookmark and quickly navigate to frequently used folders from any open/save dialog
DJ Conversion Utility - convert playlists and crates between DJ software formats
Image sequence viewer - playback EXR, DPX, and other VFX image sequences in real time
File-based open source wiki - no database required, plain text storage, extensible with plugins
Visual asset manager - organize images, video, fonts, and 3D files with tags and folders
Style transfer for video - paint one frame and propagate the style across the whole clip
Real-time GPU fluid and fire simulator - smoke, explosion, and fire VFX for games and film
Instant file and folder search for Windows - finds files by name in milliseconds
Image viewer and browser with basic editing, slideshow, and batch conversion
3D outdoor map platform - plan, track, and share hiking, skiing, and cycling routes
Modern file explorer with fast keyboard navigation and batch operations
Modern Windows file explorer with tabs, column layout, and cloud integration
Multi-pane file browser for fast navigation and file management
Free open source web browser by Mozilla - privacy-focused, extensible with add-ons
Open source distributed render farm manager - submit and manage Blender render jobs
AI video frame interpolation - increase video frame rate using optical flow or DAIN
Spotlight-style app launcher and file search for Windows - plugins, calculator, clipboard
Dual pane file manager for power users - extensible with plugins
Font manager - preview, organize, and activate fonts without installing them
Advanced audio player - highly customizable, supports FLAC, MP3, AAC, ALAC, plugins
Free open source parametric 3D CAD modeler - mechanical engineering, product design, 3D printing
Camera matching from still photos - extract focal length and orientation for 3D compositing
Node-based compositing and VFX software - free alternative build of DaVinci Fusion
Open-source image-processing framework - hundreds of filters and effects for GIMP, Krita, and the command line
Open source node-based look development, lighting, and compositing application
Free open source image editor - photo retouching, compositing, Photoshop alternative
Free open source game engine - 2D and 3D, GDScript and C#, lightweight and MIT licensed
Create and share custom maps with pins, routes, and layers in Google Maps
Project management tool built for game development - task boards, design docs, and playtesting
Free video encoder and converter - transcode, compress, and convert video to MP4, MKV, WebM
Touchscreen control surfaces for music and live performance - TouchOSC, Protokol
Type special characters and accents quickly by holding a key
Procedural 3D software - node-based VFX, simulations, destruction, crowd, and pipeline tools
Free panorama stitcher - merge photos into 360° and wide-angle panoramic images
Lightweight image viewer for Windows - fast, supports many formats including RAW
Command-line image processing suite - batch convert, resize, composite, and manipulate images
Automatic retopology tool - convert raw scans or dense meshes to clean quad topology
Production management and pipeline tool for small animation and VFX studios
Offline open source password manager - stores credentials in an encrypted local vault
Open source production tracker for animation and VFX - task management, review, scheduling
Open source media center - movies, TV shows, music, photos on any screen
Real-time AI image and video generation canvas
Free professional digital painting app - illustration, concept art, texture painting, animation
Local development environment for Windows - Apache/Nginx, PHP, MySQL, fast and portable
Free e-invoicing tool for sending and receiving Peppol-compliant invoices
Free office suite - word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, compatible with Microsoft Office
Screenshot capture tool with instant annotation and sharing
Minimal fast open source code editor written in Lua - lightweight Sublime Text alternative
The Industry-standard for Video and LED Mapping
High-resolution 3D texture painting for film and VFX by Foundry
Cloth and garment simulation - create realistic fabric and clothing for 3D characters
Convert any image into a full PBR material - generate normal, roughness, AO, metallic maps
Autodesk 3D animation, rigging, and VFX software - industry standard for film and TV
3D mesh processing tool - clean, repair, decimate, and inspect triangular meshes
Photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction - generate meshes from photos using AliceVision
MIDI monitor, router, and utility - debug MIDI signals, remap, and filter messages
Visual board for organizing ideas and projects - mood-board style notes, images, and to-dos
Free DJ software - mix and scratch music, supports controllers, timecode vinyl
Edit MKV files - add, remove, or remux subtitle and audio tracks without re-encoding
NURBS-based 3D modeler for designers - clean mesh export for rendering and 3D printing
Quickly tag/organise music files
Convert image sequences (EXR, PNG, JPEG) to MP4 or GIF video files
Music player and library organizer - tagging, smart playlists, sync to devices
Free document scanner - scan to PDF, TIFF, JPEG with OCR support
VST instruments, effects, and sample libraries - Kontakt, Massive, Komplete and more
AI video noise reduction plugin - reduce grain and noise in footage inside your NLE or compositor
Framework for training and visualizing Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) and Gaussian Splats
Minimal open source image viewer with annotation and basic editing tools
Real-time motion graphics and interactive VFX for live events, broadcast, and installations
Industry-standard node-based compositing software by Foundry for VFX and film
Free screen recorder and live streaming software - capture, mix, and broadcast
Local-first markdown note-taking app with backlinks, graph view, and plugin ecosystem
NVIDIA USD collaboration platform for 3D workflows - real-time simulation and rendering
Open source C++ toolkit for creative coding - graphics, audio, video, and computer vision
Script-based 3D CAD modeler - define geometry with code, ideal for programmatic and 3D print design
Customizable OSC and MIDI controller interface for live performance and installations
Offline maps and navigation for Android/iOS - hiking, cycling, and driving routes built on OpenStreetMap data
JavaScript library for creative coding - generative art, visualization, and interactive graphics in the browser
Web-based design and wireframing tool
Camera tracking and matchmoving software for VFX production
Measure distances, angles, and areas on photos and images
Self-hosted AI photo library - Google Photos alternative, runs locally with Docker
Adobe raster image editor - industry standard for photo manipulation and compositing
Python pixel-sorting script - create glitch-art effects by sorting pixels along paths
Procedural plant and vegetation creation - export to 3D software
NURBS-based 3D CAD modeler for artists - hard surface modeling with a clean workflow
An open source tool to calculate the overall performance of an investment portfolio across all accounts
Project folder template creator - generate consistent directory structures for production
NeRF and Gaussian Splatting tools for 3D scene reconstruction from video
Feature-rich media player with hardware acceleration, subtitles, and codec support
Microsoft utilities for Windows power users - FancyZones, PowerRename, color picker, keyboard remapper
Free CG pipeline and project manager - integrates with Blender, Maya, Houdini, Nuke
Creative coding sketchbook - generative art, visualization, and interactive graphics with Java
Professional panorama stitching software - 360 HDRI and spherical image creation
Visual dataflow programming language for audio, video, and MIDI - Max/MSP alternative
Reference image board - drag, drop, and organize inspiration images in a floating canvas
Python library to control ESC/POS thermal and receipt printers
Free open source torrent client - lightweight alternative to uTorrent
Free open source GIS - create topographic maps, analyze spatial data, import map layers
Photorealistic asset library - Megascans textures, surfaces, and 3D props (free with Unreal)
Bookmark manager - organize, tag, and search links across devices
Physically accurate bloom and glare post-processing tool using convolution
Create detailed 3D models from images and laser scans with ease
GPU-accelerated biased renderer - fast production rendering for Houdini, Maya, Cinema 4D
Find information about camping cabins all across Europe
Render farm with real-time distribution
VJ software and video server - mix and perform visuals live, map to surfaces
Interactive animation and UI design tool - create animated components for apps and games
Game development platform - create, share, and play community-made games
SEO spider and site auditor - crawl websites for broken links, metadata, and technical issues
Game art tools - sprite packing, texture atlas, bitmap font, and normal map utilities
Mind mapping and brainstorming tool for visualizing ideas and concepts
Sound effects library and search platform - find, preview, and drag-drop SFX into your DAW
Procedural tree and vegetation generator for games and film
Fast lightweight code editor with multi-cursor editing, plugins, and a powerful command palette
CLI tool to automatically download subtitles for video files
3D texture painting software - PBR texturing, baking, smart masks, and material layering
Fast lightweight PDF reader - also opens ePub, MOBI, XPS, DjVu, CBZ, CBR
Portable modular synthesizer and tracker - runs on desktop, iOS, Android
Online video and image review tool - annotate, comment, and approve VFX shots with clients
Camera matchmoving and motion tracking software for VFX
Online Gantt chart software for team project planning and scheduling
The email and productivity app that maximizes your freedoms
Lightweight CG pipeline tool - project management and scene versioning for VFX and games
Open source time tracker - log hours per project with tags and a simple timeline view
Movie and TV show library manager - scrapes metadata, posters, and NFO files
Macro recorder - record mouse and keyboard actions and replay them automatically
Open source real time motion GFX
MIDI routing tools - LoopMIDI (virtual ports) and rtpMIDI (network MIDI)
Online Gantt chart maker - drag-and-drop project scheduling and timeline planning
AI-powered tools for upscaling, denoising, sharpening, and enhancing photos and video
Node-based visual programming for real-time interactive media, generative art, and installations
Professional DJ software by Native Instruments - mixing, effects, stems, controller support
Blender addon for creating and working with trimsheets for game texturing workflows
Cross-platform game engine for 2D and 3D games, AR/VR, and interactive simulations
Unreal Engine - real-time 3D engine for games, film, archviz, and interactive experiences
Save anything, and actually get to it later - reading list & bookmarking app
Virtual modular synthesizer - Eurorack-style patching, hundreds of free modules
Highly configurable text editor built to make text editing efficient
Map folders and network paths to virtual drive letters
Free open source media player - plays virtually any video or audio format
Virtual audio mixer - route, mix, and manage audio streams from multiple sources
Open source kanban board - self-hosted Trello alternative for task and project management
Disk usage analyzer - visualize which files and folders take up the most space
FTP, SFTP, and SCP client for Windows - transfer files to and from remote servers
Extremely fast disk space analyzer - visualize storage usage at a glance
Open source CMS - powers over 40% of the web, themes, plugins, and block editor
Texture map baking - bake normal, AO, cavity, and displacement maps from high to low poly
Digital sculpting software - high-resolution organic modeling, detailing, and texture painting
High-performance collaborative code editor with AI integration - built in Rust, very fast