| N-World, Mirai, and Nendo | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Nichimen N-World 3.1 geometry editor | |
| Developers | Nichimen Graphics, Inc. |
| Stable release | 3.2 / January 1999; 27 years ago (January 1999) |
| Written in | Common Lisp |
| Operating system | IRIX, Windows |
| Type | 3D computer graphics |
| License | Proprietary |
N-World is a 3D graphics package developed by Nichimen Graphics in the 1990s, forSilicon Graphics andWindows NT workstations. Intended primarily for video game content creation, it has polygon modeling tools, 2D and 3D paint, scripting, color reduction, and exporters for several popular game consoles.
After its initial release on Windows NT, N-World was renamed Mirai. Thewinged edge 3D modeler in N-World inspired the development at Nichimen Graphics of Nendo, a standalone 3D modeler, which in turn inspired the open source modelerWings 3D.
N-World originated withSymbolics, a computer manufacturer notable for producingLisp-based systems in the 1980s. Among the software packages that were produced for Symbolics computers areS-Graphics, a 3D animation suite that includes modules for polygon modeling, dynamics, paint, and rendering — titled S-Geometry, S-Dynamics, S-Paint, and S-Render, respectively.[1] In 1992, Japanese trading companyNichimen Corporation purchased the rights to S-Graphics, ported it to Silicon GraphicsIRIX, and marketed it as N-World.
N-World retains theLisp-based underpinnings of its predecessor,[2] but was targeted at interactive content producers,[3] with features useful for game developers. It was priced atUS$16,995 (equivalent to $33,300 in 2024) for the full suite, later reduced to$9,995 when ported toWindows NT in 1997.[4]
N-World was used to create graphics for many console games in the 1990s, includingSuper Mario 64 andFinal Fantasy VII.[5] It was superseded byMirai in 1999.[6]
The N-World package, like its predecessor S-Graphics, is divided into several components:[7]
The following games were created using N-World.[8]
