Cheetah3D is a
computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
program for
3D modelling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, an ...
, animation and rendering. It is written in
Cocoa for
macOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
. The program is aimed at beginning and amateur 3D artists.
It offers a number of medium and high-end features in conjunction with an intuitive
user interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...
. Its simplicity is what makes it stand apart from other programs.
It was initially released in 2003 and is currently available on
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
based Macs. A single user license is $99
US. A free demo version is available, with the limitation of the ability to save or export models.
Features
Cheetah3D is aimed primarily at amateur artists, and so focuses on providing features for creating simple 3D scenes. Its selection of features is narrow but focused to add in its usefulness and simplicity.
It supports a variety of geometric primitives, including
polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...
meshes and
Bezier curves. Its features also allow for
box modeling with
subdivision surfaces
In the field of 3D computer graphics, a subdivision surface (commonly shortened to SubD surface) is a curved surface represented by the specification of a coarser polygon mesh and produced by a recursive algorithmic method. The curved surface, ...
In addition, it has some simple animation support, including spline-based camera paths and targeted objects, skeletal deformations,
morph targets, and
subdivision surfaces
In the field of 3D computer graphics, a subdivision surface (commonly shortened to SubD surface) is a curved surface represented by the specification of a coarser polygon mesh and produced by a recursive algorithmic method. The curved surface, ...
, making its character animation effective.
The program also has several advanced rendering settings, which allow for
antialiasing Anti-aliasing may refer to any of a number of techniques to combat the problems of aliasing in a sampled signal such as a digital image or digital audio recording.
Specific topics in anti-aliasing include:
* Anti-aliasing filter, a filter used be ...
,
raytraced shadows,
depth of field,
HDRI,
ambient occlusion
In 3D computer graphics, modeling, and animation, ambient occlusion is a shading and rendering technique used to calculate how exposed each point in a scene is to ambient lighting. For example, the interior of a tube is typically more occluded ...
,
caustics lighting, soft shadowing and photon-mapped caustics.
Many common 3D file formats are supported, including 3ds, obj, sia, and FBX. Media produced by the program can also be used in
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; ...
, which is a
game development tool
A game development tool is a specialized software application that assists or facilitates the making of a video game. Some tasks handled by tools include the conversion of assets (such as 3D models, textures, etc.) into formats required by the g ...
.
Cheetah3D 5.0 was released on 8 October 2009
[cheetah3d.com/news](_blank)
/ref> and requires at least Mac OS X v10.4
Mac OS X Tiger (version 10.4) is the 5th major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Mac computers. Tiger was released to the public on April 29, 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. Som ...
. This was also the last version to support the PowerPC. Features include a node-based material system, an improved render engine, new modelling tools such as a bevel tool and a bend modifier, and Collada file format support.
Official video tutorials ''Cheetah3D for Beginners'' are currently available based on this version.
Cheetah3D 6.0 was released on 13 April 2012rigid body
In physics, a rigid body (also known as a rigid object) is a solid body in which deformation is zero or so small it can be neglected. The distance between any two given points on a rigid body remains constant in time regardless of external fo ...
and soft body simulation and integration with the existing particle system, isosurfaces, and support for Mac OS X Lion.
A third-party manual ''Learn 3D With Cheetah 3D''loewald.com/c3dbook
/ref> was released simultaneously with this version.
Cheetah3D 6.0.1 - 6.3.2 were released between 26 July 2012 and 28 September 2014.
References
External links
Official Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheetah3d
3D graphics software
Animation software
MacOS-only software
2003 software