Free - Super Model Army Knife Software

[Regular]

The diffuse/normal map/ambient occlusion "baking" generator is now free.

Download SMAK for free by clicking the "Free Download" button. SMAK is free and open-source as of version 2.0. That means SMAK is completely free and will never require you to give it money. You can even check out the source code if you want.

http://getsmak.net/

[gidgit]

Hey Regular... looks interesting... did you develop this app and/or are you involved with the promotion of such, or are you an avid user of smak?

[Gare]

I downloaded and installed the free version of SMAK a half hour ago, and I have absolutely no affiliation with the program or the developer.

For the price, anyone with a passing interest in 3D modeling can preview an OBJ or Collada file—Google and other sites have repositories of free models—and you can rotate and light it, and save as a bitmap. It can also make an occlusion map, which can be used to speed up high quality renders.

I would recommend it because it's very small, free, and quite fast to load large 3D files.



My Best,

Gary

[gidgit]

Neato Gare, thnx for this... I downloaded this wee app as well, but... doesn't seem to work with my current rig... hmm

[Gare]

FWIW, gidget, I'm running Home Professional 7 x64, and the app didn't ask for Direct X or anything.

Also, after playing with it a little more and reading the developer's caveats, many of the super powers that make this a "Super Model..." Yah da-dah are missing from the free version. Still, if all you need is a fast viewer and all you have access to are Wafefront OBJs, "free" is the Nice Price.

If by chance anyone finds an applet called "3D Exploration" online, it's from xDimension Software ©1999 and it still works under Win 7. It's very small, loads very quickly, and can exchange 3D file formats including OBJ, the late great trueSpace, dxf, Direct X for gaming, STL Stereolith images and others.

Sadly, I couldn't find it after searching for a quarter hour, but it's worth a search, IMO. Try university ftps.



My Best,

Gary

[Regular]

Hey Regular... looks interesting... did you develop this app and/or are you involved with the promotion of such, or are you an avid user of smak?

Not associated at all, but thought some might want a free ambient occlusion generator to use with their high to low polygonal models.

[Barry Wilde]

pardon me from asking, as i am not familiar with this one. is it a stand alone product, or is it compatible with other software?

[Rik]

As a complete novice to this, I too am having problems.
I have installed SMAK.
When I try and run the programme, a screen opens up (as if the programme is going to start) and then immediately closes again.

That's as far as it gets.

[Gare]

Rik and all—

It is very common with 3D programs and some other graphics apps that there are system show-stoppers:

• Your video card. Can it handle Open GL?

• Does the app require Direct X? The latest version?

• Does the app require the C++ Runtime Redistributable?

There's about a half dozen deal-breakers I could point to when a graphics app won't install or run. Screen resolution, screen color depth, perhaps even a conflict with a different app that's already installed.

I don't know why I'm one of the lucky ones who could download and use SMAK. I wish I could point to X or Y for you all.

To step outside the box for a sec', and I'm not dissing the program in the least, it's not the most critical program you could ever want or install. It's a fast 3D viewer—but only for OBJ files— and it can bake ambient occlusion to a file to spare additional final render time with 3D files. Do you need your ambient occlusion baked regularly?

What I'm attempting to say without coming off like a snot is: you will live if you pass this app by. Spend your free time downloading free typefaces or other stuff you know is bullet-proof with respect to your system's configuration.

My Best,

-g

[Rik]

Oh! OK.
So, I thought I would un-install SMAK.
SMAK is not listed in 'Programs and Features' in Window 7 and it doesn't install an 'un-install' file of its own.

I wonder if deleting the programme folder is good enough to get rid of it?!