Cheetah3D is a
computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images and art with the aid of computers. Computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, digital art, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. ...
program for
3D modelling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and ...
, animation and rendering. It is written in
Cocoa for
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 ...
. 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 fro ...
. Its simplicity is what makes it stand apart from other programs.
It was initially released in 2003 and is currently available on Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2 and M3 etc.)-based Mac computers. A single user license is $79
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 made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain.
The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
meshes and
Bézier curve
A Bézier curve ( , ) is a parametric equation, parametric curve used in computer graphics and related fields. A set of discrete "control points" defines a smooth, continuous curve by means of a formula. Usually the curve is intended to approxima ...
s. Its features also allow for
box modeling
Box modeling is a technique in 3D modeling where a primitive shape (such as a box, cylinder, sphere, etc.) is used to make the basic shape of the final model. This basic shape is then used to sculpt out the final model. The process uses a number ...
with
subdivision surfaces
In the field of 3D computer graphics, a subdivision surface (commonly shortened to SubD surface or Subsurf) is a curved surface represented by the specification of a coarser polygon mesh and produced by a recursive algorithmic method. The curve ...
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 or Subsurf) is a curved surface represented by the specification of a coarser polygon mesh and produced by a recursive algorithmic method. The curve ...
, 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
The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus (optics), focus in an image captured with a camera. See also the closely related depth of focus.
Factors affecting depth ...
,
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 occlude ...
,
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, which is a
game development tool
A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art (su ...
.
Cheetah3D 5.0 was released on 8 October 2009
[cheetah3d.com/news](_blank)
/ref> and requires at least Mac OS X v10.4. This was also the last version to support the PowerPC
PowerPC (with the backronym Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC – Performance Computing, sometimes abbreviated as PPC) is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture (ISA) created by the 1991 Apple Inc., App ...
. 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 negligible, when a deforming pressure or deforming force is applied on it. The distance between any two given points on a rigid body rema ...
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''
References
External links
Official Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheetah3d
3D graphics software
Animation software
MacOS-only proprietary software
2003 software