Free Drawing Program for Math & Physics Books

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the search for free drawing programs that can be effectively used alongside LaTeX for creating illustrations in math and physics books. Participants explore various software options, their capabilities, and compatibility with LaTeX.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest tikz and asymptote as potential drawing programs for use with LaTeX.
  • Geogebra is proposed by multiple participants as a suitable tool for geometrical figures, with one noting its advantages over Mathematica for their needs.
  • There are mentions of xfig, with some participants reminiscing about its use, while questioning its current capabilities for 3D perspectives.
  • Gnuplot is briefly mentioned as another option.
  • XY-pic is introduced as a method to draw diagrams directly within a LaTeX document.
  • Questions arise regarding the ability of Geogebra to export drawings for LaTeX, with references to its manual and external resources suggesting compatibility.
  • There is a discussion about the feasibility of coupling LaTeX with WordPad, with differing opinions on the suitability of MS Word as an alternative.
  • A plugin for OpenOffice that allows LaTeX usage is mentioned, with a suggestion to search for more information online.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of opinions on the best drawing programs to use with LaTeX, with no clear consensus on a single preferred option. The discussion includes both support for certain tools and questions about their functionalities.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the capabilities of xfig for 3D images and the integration of Geogebra outputs with LaTeX. There are also differing views on the appropriateness of using WordPad versus MS Word for LaTeX integration.

kq6up
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Is there a widely used free drawing program that is used in conjunction with LaTeX for math books and physics text?

Thanks,
Chris
 
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First, I would look into tikz.

There is also asymptote.
 
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Ahhh, I remember xfig.

Chris
 
gnuplot?
 
Filip Larsen said:
For geometrical figures I believe geogebra [1] would be very suitable.

This Geogebra seems to be very good. Better than Mathematica for my needs.
Thanks Filip.
 
I am playing with xfig as I used it a long time ago. Is this able to do perspectives to make 3-d looking images, or would I just have to rely on my freehand skills.

Geogebra seems really cool. Can that output be incorporated into LaTeX?

Chris
 
XY-pic is another possibility, it is invoked from within the tex document to draw diagrams etc.
 
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kq6up said:
Geogebra seems really cool. Can that output be incorporated into LaTeX?

I have never tried it myself, but according to the manual [1] it should be possible both to annotate your drawings with LaTeX equations as well as export it to formats usable with LaTeX. Also, the sharelatex site [2] has a nice little video on how to use Geogebra to generate LaTeX figures [3] that seems to explain it well.

[1] http://wiki.geogebra.org/en/LaTeX
[2] https://www.sharelatex.com/
[3]
 
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  • #10
Is it possible to couple LaTeX and WordPad?
 
  • #11
vjacheslav said:
Is it possible to couple LaTeX and WordPad?

No need of that. You can use MS Word and it's equation editor.
 
  • #12
WordPad isn't the same as MS Word, and, besides not so suitable, as We wish.
 
  • #13
There is a plugin for OpenOffice that allows you to use LaTeX. It has been a while since I have used it, so Google is your friend on that one.

Regards,
Chris
 
  • #14
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