What do I use?

Programming

Godot 4.5

I always thought I would use a heavy commercial game engine for my blockbuster AAA games. Then I found Godot. Not only does it offer all I need, it is lightweight and open source. 2D, 3D, physics, lighting, flexible sound system...I should be able to get my ideas out into the world.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2022

This website is a web app I coded in Visual Studio. It is overpowered for such a project, but I like having the functionality of an IDE. Nothing says "professional" like getting lost in menus. Visual Studio can also be used for games since Godot can use libraries I code in VS.

Back to Top

2D Software

Paint Shop Pro 2022

I have used this program since it was in version 5 under Jasc. For me, it was much easier to use than Photoshop (and much cheaper). I stopped upgrading at version 9. I did not like the direction Corel took it. I upgraded to version 2022 after PSP9 became too incompatible with Windows. Why stick with PSP? With my blindness, I do not want to learn something new. Version 2022 is still familiar enough for me to get the job done.

Filter Forge 12

I got this on a half-off sale as a "just in case I ever need it" purchase. After sitting on my hard drive for six months, I put it to use adding more detail to my fantasy maps. I used it mostly for wood grain and stones. As projects demand, I will explore this powerful procedural texture generator more deeply.

Campaign Cartographer 3+

You might guess from its name that this is my map making tool. Based on FastCAD, it provides very precise drawing tools. Its CAD foundation makes it ideal for making maps to a grid, but not be constrained to it. Add in image and texture tools, and I have software capable of very pretty maps.

Back to Top

3D Software

Carrara 8.5 Pro

I used Carrara since version 2. I love this software for its ease of use, shallow learning curve, vast plugin library, and incredible versatility. Unfortunately, this is dead software - version 8.5 (its last version) was released in 2013. Despite this, Carrara is still used by some die hard enthusiasts. Unfortunately, Carrara does not support modern model, animation, and texture formats.

Hexagon 2.5

Back in the day, this was often used as a companion program to Carrara. Hexagon is a dedicated modeler that was lightyears beyond anything less than professional studio packages. It is also dead software, but even today is very powerful. Blender can match it, so it might finally be time to move on. Maybe.

Back to Top

Music and Sound

Reason 12

I started with version 9 in 2016. I was considering a few digital audio workstations, but could not aford any of them. Dad wanted to play with making music too, so he fronted the money. He who has the money, picks the DAW. Being an old school hardware geek, he was drawn to Reason's hardware paradigm. Over time, I grew to like it too. I just wish it supported music notation. The standard "piano roll" view of the music is very difficult for my blind eyes to see. Notes look like stacks of rectangles that blend together.

Audacity 3.7

This is a great simple-to-use audio recorder and editor. I have never done more than scratch the surface. I just use it as a workhose basic editor for cropping and normalizing files. However, I know if a project needs more, Audacity will have the tools to get the job done.

Sound Library and VSTs

Oh my, the size of my sound library. From 2016, I have collected over 650GB of sounds and instruments. These sounds cover everything from a cat meowing and kazoos to full choirs and an orchestra. There are plenty of non-Western instruments as well, from East Asia to Africa to the Middle East and Central Asia. I also have a large collection of VST plugins that emulate synthesizers and effects units.

Back to Top

Putting It All Together

Back to Top