Nodebox

The first thing you need to know is that Nodebox is free and open source software released under a GNU GPL. Next up, you need to know that the free and open source Nodebox software works on multiple platforms. And last but not least, you need to know that the free and open source Nodebox software can be used on multiple platforms by designers for data visualization and generative design purposes.

Several Nodebox editions are available at the time of writing this: NodeBox 1, Nodebox OpenGL, and Nodebox3. Nodebox 1 is available for Mac OS X only. Nodebox OpenGL is available for Windows only. Nodebox 3 is available for Mac OS X as well as Windows. A Nodebox 3 package is not available for Linux yet. But instructions on how to get started with Nodebox 3 are available on the Download section on the Nodebox.net website.

Little time and effort will go into getting Nodebox 3 up and running on a Windows-powered PC. You just have to download an installer, run it, and then go through the instructions presented onscreen by a setup wizard. When you’re done and you run Nodebox 3, you will be presented with a fairly simple interface. To populate the interface, you could load one of the multiple examples that come bundled with the application.

You may need some help figuring out how to use this node-based software application for generative design. Lots of useful documentation is available on the Nodebox.net website (access it by selecting Help and Support from the application’s Help menu). You have convenient access to a handy Getting Started guide, some useful screencasts, and more.

Nodebox is a properly good node-based software application for generative design. It is free and it is available for multiple platforms.