Cheetah3D for Mac

Powerful but affordable 3D editor

The problem with most 3D editors is that they're either prohibitively expensive or extremely complex to learn. Cheetah3D aims at producing an affordable option with a more gently learning curve.

The first thing that strikes you about Cheetah3D is that it's a relatively small download for such an app and the interface is cleaner, better presented and simpler than many similar efforts such as Carrara or AC3D. It does, however, still take some getting to grips with, which is why there is both a full user manual and a convenient quick start guide to teach you the basics. However, this Quick Start guide still doesn't go far enough to produce anything impressive and there is a general lack of basic tutorials associated with Cheetah3D.

However, if you do invest the time and effort, most users find that you can produce amazing results that would be infinitely more complex in other packages. Some compare it favorably with 3DStudio Max, although there is no way that the all-important rendering will be quite as good as that. Bear in mind that you'll need a lot of processing power to use Cheetah 3D due to this rendering process. The Cocoa interface looks great though, meaning this is a program that has been specifically designed for Mac users in mind.

If you're taking your first steps into 3D modeling or can't afford the major packages out there, Cheetah3D is remarkably effective and generally, very user friendly.

Many including:Added 64-bit support for Intel MacsAltivec/SSE accelerated raytracing coreAltivec/SSE accelerated wire frame material nodeRedesigned UI of render manager (with thumbnail preview, job manaeger in main window, etc.)Moved pose manager functionality to new pose tagTool settings can be saved to preferences (small factory icon in tool editor)

Changes

• Many including:Added 64-bit support for Intel MacsAltivec/SSE accelerated raytracing coreAltivec/SSE accelerated wire frame material nodeRedesigned UI of render manager (with thumbnail preview, job manaeger in main window, etc.)Moved pose manager functionality to new pose tagTool settings can be saved to preferences (small factory icon in tool editor)