3D Engines List
API & SRC: All

This list contains 23 engines with programming API and source code.




Texture-mapping Engines


02.02.2000 OpenGL 06.09.1995
OpenGLŪ is a software interface for applications to generate interactive 2D and 3D computer graphics. OpenGL is designed to be independent of operating system, window system, and hardware operations, and it is supported by many vendors. OpenGL is available on PCs, Macintosh and workstations.
OpenGL provides a wide range of graphics functions: from rendering a simple geometric point, line, or filled polygon, to texture mapping NURBS curved surfaces.
The OpenGL functions described are provided on every OpenGL implementation to make applications written with OpenGL easily portable between platforms. All licensed OpenGL implementations are required to pass the Conformance Tests, and come from a single specification and language binding document.
More information and the source of the sample implementation can be found on the OpenGL Sample Implementation Homepage.

22.12.1999 Quesa 22.12.1999
Quesa is a high level 3D graphics library, released as Open Source under the LGPL, which implements Apple's QuickDraw 3D API on top of OpenGL. Quesa was started by Dair Grant (dair@webthing.net), although substantial amounts of code have since been contributed by other developers. More information, screenshots and links to download the source can be found on the Quesa Homepage

18.10.1999 DDJ: RaveKit 15.07.1997
RaveKit is a portable 3D framework by Mark Carolan presented in Dr. Dobb's Journal July 1997 . The source (for Mac and Windows including the RAVE library) can be found on ftp.ddj.com.

28.09.1999 Gizmo3D 28.09.1999
Gizmo3D is a high performance 3D scene graph and visualisation toolkit for Linux, Win32 and Irix from Anders Moden ( anders@linux3d.net ). More information, screenshots and the source can be found on the Gizmo3D Homepage.

22.04.1999 Mesa 01.01.1995
Mesa is a 3-D graphics library with an API which is very similar to that of OpenGL by Brian Paul (brianp@ssec.wisc.edu). More info and links to download the source can be found on the Mesa Homepage

23.07.1998 JawMD2 16.02.1998
JawMD2 is a Quake2 Model Viewer by Jawed Karim ( jkarim@students.uiuc.edu ). More information, screenshots, the executables and the source can be found on the JawMD2 Homepage.

16.09.1997 Project SpandeX 01.01.1995
Project SpandeX (previously known as Latex) is a 3D engine from Paul Nettle (midnight@www.grafix3d.tzo.com). More information, screenshots, the source and demos can be found on the Project SpandeX Homepage.

08.07.1997 Player Project 08.07.1997
The Player Project is a C++ class wrapper to Direct 3D and OpenGL from Eric Victor Powers ( powerg@deltanet.com ). More information and the source can be found on the Player Project Homepage.

15.04.1997 TAG 01.10.1996
The TAG (TBA Advanced Graphics engine) is a commercial 3D engine for the Acorn Archimedes from TBA software (tba@tbalond.demon.co.uk). More information can be found on the TBA Software Index Homepage. There was also a news from TBA Software in rec.games.programmer that contained a perspective texture mapping scanliner using the TAG library.

11.03.1997 Virtual Reality Toolkit Lightning Eagle 08.07.1997
VLE is a OpenGL / CosmoGL C++ / Mesa class wrapper from Martin Faust (faust@informatik.uni-bremen.de ). More information, the source, libraries and documentation can be found on the (german!) VLE Homepage.

12.11.1996 GRAFICA NATURA 20.09.1996
GRAFICA NATURA is a 3-D realtime rendering system which was primarily designed for realistic visualization of natural objects and phenomena, e.g. plants, landscapes, clouds and water. GN is written by Steffen Hauser (stephen@cs.tu-berlin.de). The source and more information can be found on the GRAFICA NATURA Homepage.

19.04.1996 TAGL 01.01.1995
TAGL (Threedee Advanced Graphic Libraryis) a portable 3D C++ class library from Bruno Levy (bruno@ensg.u-nancy.fr). The full source can be found at sunsite.unc.edu. More information in the TAGL Readme.

01.01.1995 Dore 01.01.1995
Dore' is a powerful 3D graphics subroutine library, made freely available by the Kubota Graphics Corp. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for creating graphics applications. It is also easy to use, portable, and extendable. This version has interfaces/drivers to X11-Windows, PEX, IrisGL, OpenGL, Postscript and more. It has been ported onto most Unix systems, including Linux, NetBSD, and FreeBSD. It has also been ported to Windows NT 3.5. Dore is available on the Dore FTP Server


Gouraud-shading Engines


12.03.1998 MegaGraph Graphics Library 01.01.1995
The MGL is a 3D graphics library for PCs from SciTech. More information and source can be found on the MGL Homepage.

07.03.1996 Free3d (Link Problem!) 07.03.1996
F3D is a portable, object-oriented real-time 3d rendering library from Brandon Van Every (vanevery@blarg.net). More information and the source can be found on the Free3d Homepage.

01.11.1995 Avril 01.01.1995
AVRIL is A Virtual Reality Interface Library, written entirely in ANSI C, except for the very low-level routines that actually write to the display. AVRIL was written by Bernie Roehl (broehl@sunee.uwaterloo.ca). Source: Official AVRIL site sunee.uwaterloo.ca or at ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de
More info on the Avril Homepage or in the Avril Readme.
There is also a Internet Virtual Reality project from Lepton Incorporated that uses the AVRIL rendering engine.


Flat-shading Engines


24.02.1997 Mirage 22.01.1997
Mirage is a unix port and followup of VR386 from Christophe Maurel ( maurel@electech.polymtl.ca ). More information and the source can be found on the Mirage Homepage.

19.04.1996 WatRend 19.04.1996
WR is portable scanline-based 3D rendering engine from Gavriel State (gav@mag1.magmacom.com). More information and the source on Gav's Homepage.

01.09.1995 REND386 01.01.1995
A 3-D Polygon Rendering Package for the 386 and 486 written by Dave Stampe (dstampe@sunee.uwaterloo.ca) and Bernie Roehl (broehl@sunee.uwaterloo.ca). Source: sunee.uwaterloo.ca or at ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de. More info in the REND386 Readme.

10.07.1995 VR386 01.01.1995
VR386 is the other followup to REND386, it was written by Dave Stampe (dstampe@sunee.uwaterloo.ca). Source: psych.utoronto.ca or at ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de


Wireframe Engines


12.06.1995 VOGLE 12.06.1995
VOGLE (very ordinary graphics learning environment) is a device portable graphics library that is loosely based on the Silicon Graphics Iris GL. VOGL was done by Eric H. Echidna (echidna@munnari.OZ.AU). The source can be found on munnari.oz.au .

12.06.1995 VOGL 12.06.1995
VOGL (very ordinary GL Like Library) is a device portable graphics library that tries to be Silicon Graphics Iris GL compatible. The intention is that any VOGL program will compile unchanged on a machine running SGI GL (the examples do). VOGL is based entirely on the other graphics library VOGLE. VOGL was done by Eric H. Echidna (echidna@munnari.OZ.AU). The source can be found on munnari.oz.au .


Non-realtime Engines


12.06.1995 SIPP 12.06.1995
SIPP (SImple Polygon Processor) is a scanline z-buffer rendering library from Equivalent Software HB. the authors are Jonas Yngvesson (jonas-y@isy.liu.se) and Inge Wallin (ingwa@isy.liu.se). The source can be found on isy.liu.se . There is also a version with TCL interface available at ftp.uu.net.


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