When we first reviewed Pixels:3D at version 3.0, we thought it had enormous promise. Its unique shading and scripting abilities impressed us; however, some odd, cumbersome interface choices held it back. Pixels:3D 3.6 has shed much — though not all — of its peculiar baggage, making it desirable for 3D experts who need powerful scripting, rendering, and shading tools.
Pixels:3D now looks more like a real Mac app. The huge buttons are a big waste of space — you could get 24 normal tool icons in the space Pixels:3D uses for 6 — but in general the GUI is much less modal and offers a big improvement over the former look, inspired by Softimage and Lightwave. You no longer have to switch modes to get at a particular button; you can access all the controls firom the menu and button bar.
The animation timeline, previously one of the weakest features, is now easier to navigate. Streamline and simplify the viewing of keyframes in the timeline by hiding certain classes of objects (for example, you can choose to see only inverse-kinematics chains or lattice deformers). Most important, the timeline now has an autokeyframing button — formerly you had to create a keyframe manually or lose animation data. This version adds flat and constant keyframe interpolation to the function curve editor, providing new control over subtle movements.
Minor upgrades to the modeling tools include the addition of the Wrap tool, which wraps one surfece around another. You can also use this tool to trim a surface — making a hole in it — by wrapping a curve onto it and choosing that as the hole’s boundaries. On the rendering side. Pixels Animation Studios has added true ray tracing and adaptive antialiasing. The program’s rendering and shading tools remain about the most advanced you’ll find on the Mac...
One feature you won’t find anywhere else on the Mac is Pixels:3D’s built-in procedural scripting tools, which give experienced users complete 3D control. Script macros to do repetitive tasks, attach scripts to objects for detailed management of object interactions, and see operations in script form. A new editor can attach a script to an entire scene, and the new text-editing tools include Syntax Coloring, Undo, and line Numbering.
For all the program’s high-level tools, Pixels:3D still needs refinement. Simply moving objects around is a pain in the neck for anyone used to Macintosh (or even Windows) conventions. You can’t simply click and drag an object. Instead, you must go into Selection mode, select the object by clicking a control point or drawing a bounding box (aim very carefully or risk selecting nearby objects), and then go back into Move mode. Nor is this behavior consistent Some tools, like the Control-Point Reshaper, act in the expected way. You can get used to these idiosyncrasies, but they add extra steps to basic operations.
The powerful Pixels:3D 3.6 software offers many features other Mac 3D apps lack. We recommend it to 3D pros with programming smarts and a tolerance for rough edges.
Anzovin, Raf, Anzovin, Steve. (July 2000). Pixels:3D 3.6. MacAddict. (pg. 62).
Pixels Animation Studios, Inc.
Applications
out of 10 (0 vote)
30 / 
2021-12-03 / 
39bbb6fc7550db8c4ea783fe70c95c52bcd9abe5 / 
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PiXELS3D3.6.1.sit
Emulating this? It could probably run under: 
SheepShaver
