Panda3D 1.0.3 Engine Released

The Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center and Disney have announced the release of Panda3D 1.0.3, the latest version of its 3D engine. The 1.0.3 update contains a collection of new sample programs ranging from 100 to 300 lines of code each, each explaining one or two techniques used by Panda3d programmers. According to the creators, Panda3D is unusual in that its design emphasis is on supporting a short learning curve and rapid development. The Panda3D library is C++ with a set of Python bindings. Game development with Panda3D usually consists of writing a Python program that controls the the Panda3D library. Panda3D was developed by Disney for its massively multiplayer online game, Toontown Online. The Panda3D engine was released as free software in 2002, and is now developed jointly by CMU and Disney.