Draft:Free or open source design tools

Tools which may be useful to participants in engineering studies, research and development. Please add tools and concise evaluations as they become available.


 * http://opencircuitdesign.com/xcircuit/
 * Looks extensive, useful and increasingly so. Not terribly easy to install and maintain for a computer neophyte.


 * http://z88.uni-bayreuth.de/english.html
 * Finite element analysis package. Freeware with C source code downloadable. Program documentation available in English, German and Greek.


 * http://www.eetimes.com/news/design/resources/opensourcelinks.html
 * List of links to open source or free engineering assets.


 * http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/School_of_Mathematics:Software
 * List of Free Math tools maintained by the Wikiversity School of Mathematics


 * http://edu.kde.org/kig/
 * GUI based geometry editor. Includes some analytical functions, geometric shapes, conic sections and exports to several formats including SVG.  Good for sketching and diagrams.


 * http://edu.kde.org/kmplot/
 * Math analysis and plotting tool for Linux/KDE desktop environment. Superimposes functions on precise plots and allows export to bmp, png, and svg.


 * HeeksCAD
 * 3D CAD tool


 * FreeCAD
 * Computer-aided engineering platform (CAD, kinematics, analysis)


 * Electric Editor VLSI CAD system. Available under the GNU Public License.
 * Latest version at ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/electric.


 * Alliance CAD tools available under the GNU Public License.


 * LearnChemE Screencasts
 * Screencasts created by faculty at the University of Colorado to help students study engineering topics. Also includes resources for instructors.