Panda3D is a 3D engine: a library of subroutines for 3D rendering and game development. The library is C++ with a set of Python bindings. Game development with Panda3D usually consists of writing a Python program that controls the Panda3D library.

Panda3D is unusual in that its design emphasis is on supporting a short learning curve and rapid development. It is ideal whenever deadlines are tight and turnaround time is of the essence.

For example, in a class called Building Virtual Worlds at the Entertainment Technology Center, interdisciplinary groups of four students are asked to create virtual worlds in two weeks each. Screenshots of their projects are visible throughout this site. Panda3D is what makes this rapid turnaround possible.

Panda3D was developed by Disney for their massively multiplayer online game, Toontown. It was released as free software in 2002. Panda3D is now developed jointly by Disney and Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center.

Panda3D's Free Software License

Panda3D has a very simple License, which classifies as a free software license. That means that with few restrictions, anyone is free to download and use Panda3D at will: for commercial purposes, for teaching, or most any other use. Also importantly, anyone may view, use, and alter the source code. This allows for a strong community to work together to improve the engine.

Who is Working on Panda3D

There are a number of developers in the commercial and open-source community. Currently, the two most active members of the development community are Disney and the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon. Because both organizations have specific goals, Panda3D must necessarily serve both:

• Disney's primary interest in Panda3D is commercial. Panda3D is being used in the development of a number of Disney games and amusement-park exhibits. To serve Disney's needs, Panda3D must be a fully-featured engine, capable of all the performance and quality one expects in any 'A-grade' commercial title.
• The Entertainment Technology Center's primary goal is education. To serve the Entertainment Technology Center's needs, Panda3D must be well-suited for use in student projects. Since students have a unique talent for causing crashes, bulletproof reliability is needed. Since projects only last one semester, the learning curve must be very short, and prototyping must be very rapid.

As it turns out, the two sets of goals are complementary. The rapid development and high reliability needed by the Entertainment Technology Center are also highly advantageous in a game-development studio, since they lower development time and costs. The good visual quality and full feature set needed by Disney to make a professional-quality game also turn out to be useful in a university setting: with a broad range of features at their disposal, students can explore their creativity more fully than they could with a more limited engine.