N-World
 | |
 Nichimen N-World 3.1 geometry editor | |
| Developer(s) | Nichimen Graphics, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 3.2
/ January 1999 |
| Operating system | IRIX, Windows |
| Type | 3D computer graphics |
| License | Proprietary |
N-World was a commercial 3D graphics package available on Silicon Graphics and Windows NT workstations in the 1990s. Intended primarily for video game content creation, it offered polygon modeling tools, 2D/3D paint, scripting, color reduction, and exporters for several popular game consoles.
History
N-World's origins can be traced back to Symbolics, a computer manufacturer notable for producing LISP-based systems in the 1980s. Among the software packages available for Symbolics computers was S-Graphics, a 3D animation suite that included modules for polygon modeling, dynamics, paint, and rendering (S-Geometry, S-Dynamics, S-Paint, and S-Render, respectively).[1] In 1992, Japanese trading company Nichimen Corporation purchased the rights to S-Graphics, ported it to Silicon Graphics IRIX, and marketed it as N-World.
N-World retained the LISP-based underpinnings of its predecessor,[2] but was targeted at interactive content producers,[3] offering features useful for game developers. Pricing was set at $16,995 for the full suite of tools, later reduced to $9,995 when N-World as ported to Windows NT in 1997.[4]
N-World was used to create graphics for a number of console games in the mid-1990s, including Super Mario 64 and Final Fantasy VII.[5] N-World was superseded by Mirai in 1999.[6]
Features
The N-World package, like its predecessor S-Graphics, was divided into several components:[7]
- N-Geometry: 3D polygon-based modeling tools, including smoothing, "magnet" geometry editing, and instancing.
- N-Dynamics: Animation tools including scripting, curve-based animation, and skeletal animation.
- N-Render: Surfacing and rendering tools. Ray tracing and materials output to various game console formats.
- N-Paint: 2D & 3D paint. Mattes, effects, color reduction, and a visual VRAM editor for PlayStation.
- Game Tools: Utilities for game developers, including exporters for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Saturn consoles.
References
- ^ "Lemonodor: Symbolics Color Graphics System". lemonodor.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "Franz Inc Customer Applications: Nichimen Graphics". franz.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ Alias. "Nichimen Graphics and Alias Wavefront Announce Collaborative Agreement". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=1910481
- ^ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2474833
- ^ "> My primary focus in life has been computer graphics, and my first language... - Hacker News". ycombinator.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "N-World 3.0 Online Documentation". aaronjamesrogers.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
