Aladdin4D is a

computer program A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to Execution (computing), execute. It is one component of software, which also includes software documentation, documentation and other intangibl ...

for modeling and rendering three-dimensional graphics and

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

s, currently running on

AmigaOS AmigaOS is a family of proprietary native operating systems of the Amiga and AmigaOne personal computers. It was developed first by Commodore International and introduced with the launch of the first Amiga, the Amiga 1000, in 1985. Early versions ...

and

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

platforms. A-EON Technology Ltd owns the rights and develops current and future versions of Aladdin4D for AmigaOS, MorphOS & AROS. All other platforms including macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Linux & Windows are developed by DiscreetFX.

History

Aladdin4D was originally created by Greg Gorby at Adspec Programming in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and was an updated version of an earlier 3D program called Draw4D Pro, which integrated elements of

desktop publishing Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using dedicated software on a personal ("desktop") computer. It was first used almost exclusively for print publications, but now it also assists in the creation of various forms of online co ...

into its environment. In 1996, the 3D program was then acquired and updated by Nova Design, Inc. Nova Design added many modern features and made it easier to use. It was one of the first 3D animation programs on any platform to employ volumetrics, which were primarily used to create volumetric gas. However, unlike the majority of

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

3D programs, it used

scanline rendering Scanline rendering (also scan line rendering and scan-line rendering) is an algorithm for visible surface determination, in 3D computer graphics, that works on a row-by-row basis rather than a polygon-by-polygon or pixel-by-pixel basis. All of ...

instead of the more photo-realistic ray tracing technique. Scanline rendering is similar to the rendering technique used in most Pixar movies. On December 17, 2007, Nova Design sold all inventory, source code and intellectual property rights to DiscreetFX LLC. DiscreetFX is developing a new 6.0 version for

Mac OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

, Android &

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

. On December 12, 2014, DiscreetFX sold the AmigaOS source code and development rights for Aladdin4D on AmigaOS, MorphOS & AROS platforms to A-EON Technology Ltd. DiscreetFX retains the rights to other non-Amiga platforms.

Features

This software was one of the few 3D applications for AmigaOS, and not just the Amiga platform--in the sense that it uses an OS-compliant GUI, supports RTG displays, utilizes the AmigaGuide Help system and features an

ARexx ARexx is a Rexx interpreter for Amiga, written in 1987 by William S. Hawes, with a number of Amiga-specific features beyond standard Rexx. An ARexx script can communicate with software that implements an ''ARexx port''. An Amiga application can ...

port for scripting. Concerning the 3D features of the application: * Infinite layering of surfaces: A surface of an object may have a virtually infinite amount of textures, shaders etc. layered on it. * Spline modelling tool. * Importing of most postscript files, making the creation of logos easier. * Unlimited number of working layers: multiple working areas containing only a portion of the scene, easing out the management and pace of objects during the creation of animation. * Gaseous volumetrics with adjustable mass. * Built-in particle system to simulate various effects like fireworks. * Morphing capabilities in the animation system. * Spline animation controls. Also, Aladdin4D has rendering features like motion blur, multiple pass supersampling, lens flares, 32-bit color support and a highly optimized 68k rendering engine.

Format support

Aladdin4D supports the following 3D formats: Aladdin 4D, LightWave 3D, GEO, EPS, DEM, Draw4D-Pro and Draw4D, 3D Studio for either loading or loading and saving. Image formats supported for loading and saving: IFF/ ILBM (palette mapped and 24-bit formats), JPEG and Video Toaster Framestores. Aladdin 4D was one of the first rendering/animation packages to support video editing/post production hardware on any computer platform ( NewTek's Video Toaster/Flyer).

Interoperability

Aladdin4D 5.x supports exchange of data with ImageFX, Amiga Lightwave 3D/Video Toaster, World Construction Set and all programs that support Nova Design's "Magic" protocol for buffer sharing.

Versions

* 1991 Draw4D Pro * 1992 Aladdin 4D 2.0 * 1993 Aladdin 4D 3.0 * 1995 Aladdin 4D 4.0 * 1997 Aladdin 4D 5.0 * 2011 Aladdin4D 6.0 Internal Beta * 2014 Aladdin4D 6.0 AROS Stable Release 6.0.0.27 (Internal Beta) / February 2nd, 2014

References

External links

Aladdin 4D
- 3D Animation Packages website.
CU Amiga Magazine November 1997
- Magazine cover created with Aladdin 4D.
Amiga News Site Report from December 12th 2014
- Mainstream Amiga news site Amiga.org reports about Aladdin4D IP sale of AmigaOS, MorphOS & AROS versions. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aladdin4d Amiga Amiga raytracers 3D graphics software AmigaOS 4 software 3D animation software MorphOS software Amiga software