Resources

This is list of free and cheap tools, sites, and assets I’ve found helpful over the years

Image and Graphic Editing Tools:

1. Imgupscaler: Enhances and upscales images using AI, useful for improving image quality.
2. GIMP: A free and open-source image editor, good for photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring.
3. Inkscape: Vector graphics software, useful for creating or editing vector images including illustrations, line arts, and complex paintings.
   
4. Graphite: “is an in-development raster and vector graphics package that’s free and open source. It is powered by a node graph compositing engine that fuses layers with nodes, providing a fully nondestructive editing experience.”
5. Photopea: An online image editor, useful for editing photos and creating new images.
6. MediBang Paint: A free lightweight digital painting and comic creation program, good for artists and illustrators.
7. Smart Page SmartNormal: Converts 2D images to 3D normal maps, useful for game and graphics development.
8. Materialize: A tool for creating material textures for use in game development and other 3D applications.

Animation and 3D Modeling Tools:

1. Pencil2D: An easy-to-use 2D animation software, great for beginners in animation.
2. Bloop Animation Blinking Animation: A tutorial on how to animate blinking, beneficial for animators.
3. Blender: A free and open-source 3D creation suite, supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and video editing.
4. Spline: A 3D design tool, helps create 3D content for web and AR.

Game Development Resources:

1. Skybox by Blockade Labs: A tool to create custom skyboxes, useful for game developers.
2. Game Programming Patterns: A collection of patterns for cleaner, easier to understand, and faster code in game development.
3. HacknPlan: A project management tool designed specifically for game developers to plan, organize and track their game projects.
4. Instant Meshes: A tool for creating clean quad meshes from triangle soups, useful for game and graphics developers.

Scripting and Coding:

1. AutoGPT: A tool for utilizing GPT-4 and 3.5turbo agents in a local setting, useful for developers interested in exploring machine learning and natural language processing. Great for information acquisition. Bad for programming and large projects, has been a bit expensive for how little it does compared to regular chat gpt back and forth.
2. p5.js Web Editor: An online editor for p5.js, a JavaScript library for creative coding, useful for developers and artists interested in interactive and web-based art.

Photogrammetry and Textures:

1. Meshroom by AliceVision: A free, open-source 3D reconstruction software, useful for turning photos into 3D models.
2. Textures by Pixel Furnace: A collection of free textures, useful for 3D modeling and game development.
3. Polyhaven: A site offering free 3D models, HDRI maps, and PBR textures, beneficial for 3D artists and game developers.
4. 3DXO: Provides free textures, 3D models, and more, beneficial for 3D artists and game developers.
5. SVG2STL: Converts Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files to 3D-printable STL files, useful for artists and developers interested in 3D printing.

Audio and Video:

1. Free Music Archive: A platform for high-quality, legal audio downloads, useful for video creators and game developers.
2. Cueprompter: An online teleprompter, useful for video creators and presenters.

Stock Images and Assets:

1. Public Domain Pictures: A collection of free images, useful for various creative projects.
2. Gratisography: A collection of free high-resolution pictures, useful for various creative projects.
3. Lospec Palette List: A collection of downloadable color palettes, useful for digital artists and game designers.

AI-Enhanced Design and Art Tools:

1. DALL-E : An art generator known for its accuracy, speed, and cost-effectiveness, enabling users to generate high-quality images​.
   
2. uizard.io: An AI graphic design tool that transforms hand-drawn ideas into digital masterpieces, bridging the gap between hand-drawn sketches and digital design file
3. GPT-Vision: Using GPT with Vision can allow you to scribble together your coding ideas and work through creating prototypes, mockups, and quickly getting design critiques.

Deep Learning Frameworks:

1. TensorFlow: An open-source machine learning framework facilitating the creation of ML-powered applications with accurate results, mainly used for deep learning​​.
2. PyTorch + Keras: Two popular frameworks for working with deep learning, aiding in building, training, and deploying neural networks with support for TensorFlow and Theano backends​¹​.
3. Apache MXNet: Supports both research and production-level deployment of machine learning models across multiple devices or machines, useful for deep learning​​.
4. tflearn: An advanced deep learning library simplifying the process of building and training neural networks​.

Miscellaneous:

1. Celtx: A scriptwriting software, useful for scriptwriters and filmmakers.
2. Runway ML: A toolkit that enables creators to use artificial intelligence in an easy, intuitive, and creative way. Note: combining image generations from midjourney or DALLE help hone in your vision