More Useful Stuff

• Firefox extension Aerilius - Firefox extension that automatically executes custom 3D Warehouse search queries.

• Javascript Tester Online javascript testing diagnostic tool from RCRT.

• Language

  • • Babel Fish Online translator

    • Gmail message translation

    • Google Language Tools Online translator

• Morilla Firefox, Portable Edition Portable browser version - custom settings and extension on a USB memory stick.

• Bitly Tiny URLs.

• TinyURL A way to truncate long URLs so they copy correctly in posts and email - Technique to Spot the Tiny Phishing Trick from malicious TinyURL links. Guide to preview these shortened URLs.

• Google Earth Basics Official blog

• Google Sites Build your own group website

• Google Code Code developers own website

• CloudConvert Online file conversion - Free, Fee

• Zamzar Online file conversion - Free, Fee

• Download.com Track down info on old software versions, search through user reviewed, legal software via CNET. Formerly VersionTracker. Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

• GPU benchmarks Graphics card comparison at Tom's Hardware

• Bare Feats Mac graphics card speed reports

• Windows terminology glossary

• World Digital Library Old books online

• The-Blueprints.com 3/4/5-view drawings, templates, and blueprints of many objects - Free

when bad things happen to good computers

• Tom's Hardware forum Windows problems

• aumha.net Windows Support Center. The troubleshooting forum is closed, but the articles are still useful.

• CCleaner Nice utility to clean out accumulated file clutter. Go to Options > Cookies, to keep good cookies - Free, Donationware -Windows

• Speccy Useful, consolidated system info app from the makers of CCleaner. Windows

• Tack Tech Forums, malware education/troubleshooting

• MajorGeeks Forums, malware education/troubleshooting

• I am not a Geek Many articles, etc., and for HijackThis users, a useful, online HJT log interpreter.

• AskWoody Formerly Gizmo's freeware utility list, then Windows Secrets. The free email newsletter is informative. - Free and Donation

• • Fences Organize the desktop icons - Free - Windows

  • Mach3 Converts a PC to a 6-axis CNC controller - Imports DXF - For the Do-It-Yourself crowd

  • MojoPac Portable PC settings on a USB memory stick.

  • 3DWin 3D file format converter

  • Deep Exploration Among other things, a file format converter - $$

  • 7-zip Open source zip program with many features. - Windows

  • Advanced Uninstaller - Windows

  • BareGrep In depth file search tool - like when wanting to find a particular misbehaving text string in one of your installed SketchUp plugins.

  • Classic Shell Highly customizable start menu with multiple styles and skins. Free - Windows

  • Convert Unit converter - Windows

  • Eraser Before disposing of old hard drives, this utility will make the drive unreadable - Free - Windows

  • Launchy An easy way to locate and launch installed programs. - Donationware - Windows

  • Dexpot Virtual Desktops for people without multiple monitors - Windows

  • Dual Display Mouse Manager Free - Windows

  • MB-Ruler Transparent screen ruler and screen loupe - Windows

  • VMN Toolbox Webtool (screen capture, ruler, sticky notes, color picker, magnifier)

  • A suggestion: Periodically, clone (exact copy) your hard drive onto an external hard drive and store it physically separate from your main computer. Store that hard drive in a small fire-proof safe for good measure. So in case of fire, theft, major crash, etc., there is a ready backup. Casper and True Image are two hard drive cloning software. Other scheduled, backup options include programs like APBackup and Genie

  • AutoHotkey Hotkey / Macro Recorder Utility - Free - Windows

  • KeyText Auto-phrase completer - Windows

  • Mystic Thumbs Windows Explorer thumbnail generator added support for SKP, SKB and SKM files - Fee - Windows

  • MultiMonitorTool Manage multiple monitors. Free - Windows

• Time loggers

  • • ProcrastiTracker An open-source time tracking tool tracking time spent on all running programs. Windows

    • SUClock Fredo6 - SketchUp plugin if one only wants to track time spent in SketchUp. Windows, Mac

• • PS Hot Launch Hotkey / Macro Recorder Utility - Free - Windows

  • QlIner Hotkey / Macro Recorder Utility - Supports international keyboards - Free - Windows

  • Texter Customize abbreviations for frequently-used text strings and images, stuff like post signatures. - Free - Windows

  • Textexpander Customize abbreviations for frequently-used text strings and images. - Fee - Mac

• Universal Viewer - Views file content without necessary importing program - runs on flash - portable no installation - Free - Windows

• • WinDirStat Analyzes what is consuming your hard drive space - Video (applies to Mac and Windows) - Free - Windows

• WizMouse Activates the scroll wheel in whatever window is under the cursor - Windows

• • wxDownload Fast An open-source, portable, multi-lingual, multi-platform, multi-threaded download manager which split a file into several pieces and downloads the pieces simultaneously. This action may speed up download time. And for troublesome downloads, it may it might give you more explicit error messages than a standard web browser when a transfer fails due to server / connections errors.

Clipboards

• • • ArcClip Large clipboard, permanent clips (i.e.., thread post signatures) - Free

    • Climomatic Small clipboard, permanent clips - Free

    • ClipX Small clipboard, permanent clips - Free

    • PhraseExpress Clipboard utility - access to common phrases, stuff - Free - Windows

Spell Checkers

• • • Grammarly - Spelling and grammar app. Free, Fee - Windows, Chrome, iPad, Microsoft Office, Phone

    • reverso Spelling and grammar - Free, Fee - Windows

• • f.lux Adjust screen brightness based on time of day.

  • Delftship Hull program - Free and Fee

  • Elefont and Spiralizer Elefont converts system fonts to 3D DWF. Spiralizer spirals fonts. Need to contact Aramisoft for a download. - Free

  • Lens focal length and FOV calculator one of many

  • GraphicConverter Multimedia viewer/editor/converter - Fee - Mac

  • PhotoZoom Pro 2 Enhance/sharpen screen captures and other images

  • ImageMagick Open source image viewer/editor/converter from an API or command line - Free - Windows, Unix, Mac

  • Irfanview Great freeware multimedia viewer/editor/manager/converter - Windows

  • 3D Object Converter shareware - Windows, Mac, Linux

  • Sqirlz Reflections Adds animated water effect to images or AVI files

  • Visolve Helps color-blind people distinguish colors on the monitor. - Free for personal use - Windows, Mac More tools

  • Pepakura Before SketchUp unfolding plugins, this program was widely used instead.

  • ShapeCapture Accurate 3D measurement and modeling from stereo matching.

  • Vitrite Adjusts window transparency. In SketchUp it was used to position a model against an image for post-processing image export. But now with Photomatch and Advanced Camera Tools, this program may not be needed with SketchUp. More info.

  • WinTopo Raster to vector imaging - Free and Fee

  • XnView Multimedia viewer/editor/converter - Free - Windows, Mac, Linus, Irix, Solaris, HP-UX, AJX

• • ARCAT Information on building materials for architects, spec writers, engineers, and contractors

  • CGarchitect Online magazine for computer graphics related stuff for architecture

  • BIMServer Open source Building Information Model server. Requires IFC2SKP

  • MPI Master Painter's Institute resource list Igloo Studios Homebase for the Go-2-School franchise with additional architectural-related stuff, like re:Sources Network

  • Insitebuilders List of homebuilder's resources

  • Membranes24 Online tensile structure program which makes DXF files.

  • Planetizen News and information site for urban planners, designers and developers - some SketchUp, Earth and Maps webinars for CM credit

  • SPIRIT users can import SKP models into their BUILDING INFORMATION NETWORK

  • Square One Reference material on environmental design and building performance analysis SketchUp to EcoTect tutorial

  • Sweets Network Construction network with 3DWarehouse building product models

  • Techonic Studio Designer products resource

• SunAngle

• • Ecotect Energy analysis

  • OpenStudio Energy analysis plug-in using Energy Plus - Free

• • SimuTerra Real-time terrain modeler - Fee

  • TreeGenerator Free Scenery generator - Windows, Mac

• Point Cloud

• • RpTreeMaker Build Fractal Face-Me SketchUp components - Free - Windows

  • World Machine Free and Fee

• Quick Terrain Modeler

• • Simmetry 3D | WalkAbout3d Real-time walkthrough application.

  • Terragen Scenery generator - Free and Fee - Windows, Mac Groups discussion on fixing a DEM import with Terragen

• • USGS United States Geographical Survey map stuff

  • National Map Seamless Server

  • EarthExplorer Another powered by Google map thing

  • California Spatial Information Library MapSurfer and other raster images

  • CGIAR-CSI GeoPortal NASA Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission DEMs

• GIS Data Depot

• • Jet Propulsion Laboratory Shuttle DEM

  • Trails.com Topo Maps & Aerial Photos

  • Topo Depot GIS CAD

  • Magellan GPSS survey system

• • Free Structural Software 2006 updated list of free structural programs

  • Tent and Structural Design Software List by someone named Bruno

  • TheBest3D Listing of 3D design software

  • Woodworking Software Resource page on WOODWEB

• GreenPrint Banner-less, ad-less webpage printing - PDF too - Free and Fee - Windows

• PrimoPDF Free, Fee - Windows

• CutePDF Free, Fee - Windows

• Free PDF to Word Doc Converter As the title indicates, converts a PDF to a Word Document. - Free - Windows

• pdfFactory Free, Fee - Windows

• Pdf995 Free, Fee - Windows

• RPS 3D PDF - interactive PDF Documents from SketchUp - Fee - Windows

• Aide CAD PDF to DWG - Fee - Windows

• BB FlashBack Express Blueberry software - Screen recorder - video, audio, image. Fee, Free

• CamStudio Open Source, free screen recording software. TaffGoch method to make an animated GIF YouTube tutorial

• Fraps Free, Fee

• Gadwin PrintScreen Screen capture - captures SU tool cursors - Free - Windows

• GIF Brewery Convert video clips to animated .GIFs. Fee - Mac

• Jing Instant screenshots and screencasts, save to HD or upload to a TechSmith server to share the URL with others. - Free, Fee -Windows, Mac

• LICEcap Makes screen captures to save to .animated GIFs. Free - Windows, Mac

• Riva FLV Encoder Transcode AVI, MPEG, Quicktime and WMV files to flash - Free

• ScreenHunter Screen capture - 3 products, Fee to Free - Windows

• SnapZ Video capture - Mac - Fee

• Pinnacle Video editing - Fee

• ScreenToGif Creates looped, animated GIFs. Free - Windows

• TechSmith Camtasia (video capture/editing) - Windows, Mac - SnagIt (screen capture/MP3 video recorder/editing) - Windows - Fee

• TipCam Screen recording - Free, Fee - Windows

• VirtualDub Video capture/processing - Windows - Free

  • VirtualDub filters Free filters - Reportedly, an installation step for "PCVideo Image Processor" is missing. Delete this filter once the package is installed.

Over time, browsers change how well they support these add-ons. Many of the programs listed below work well in IE. Other browsers may require special downloaders.

• Free Video to Flash Converter Convert video files to flash video format (SWF and FLV)

• Free YouTube Download Makes AVI files. Colors seem muddier than RealPlayer downloads

• KeepVid Online video downloader with several download options.

• RealPlayer Download web videos - like SketchUp YouTube videos by adding a browser helper object to browser - saves in FLV format unless you pay for the software. But the free player does have a nice library organization system. You can edit file information and add notes.

• savefrom.net Online video downloader with several download options. It has an app which allows more downloading options, but at least one anti-viral program thought that app wanted to install some malware.

• SavingYoutube Downloads internet YouTube and Megacafe videos to a FLV file format online.

• YouTube Downloader It can convert to AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid formats and comes with a small video editor - Free - Win

• Video DownloadHelper A Firefox add-on

• FLV Players

  • • RealPlayer listed above records and plays FLV files

    • VLC Media Player Plays FLV files - Windows, Mac OS X , BeOS, Syllable

    • IrfanView Great freeware multimedia viewer/editor/manager/converter - plays FLV - Windows

• Other YouTube downloaders A download.com search list

• 180 Wrapped Tubes Shapes made by sampling and wrapping point sets on tubes. SLT importer

• Antiprism Polyhedron Modelling Software, create, transform, analyse, and visualise polyhedra. Free - multiple platforms

• Geodesic Help Group Forum for all things geodesic.

• Geometricks Study some Virtual 3D geometry online.

• K3DSurf Windows, Mac, Linux

• KnotPlot Knot program and lots o' links.

• National Curve Bank Classic curves.

• Poly Pro Work with polyhedra - Fee - Windows, Mac

• Qhull Computes the convex hull, Delaunay triangulation, Voronoi diagram, halfspace intersection about a point, furthest-site Delaunay triangulation, and furthest-site Voronoi diagram.

• Spirals And other cool math stuff.

• Stella Polyhedron navigator - Fee - Windows

• Wolfram MathWorld Mathmatical resource.