After some poking and prodding, Microsoft has finally open-sourced its 1995 3D animation creation tool Microsoft 3D Movie Maker. At the time, wherein such animated classics as Ghost in the Shell, Whisper of the Heart, Toy Story, and even Pocahontas debuted, the viability of computer-generated films proved to be at its highest popularity, making 3D Movie Maker an absolute hit for all but about two years.
Microsoft's own 3D movie creation software gave users a suite of enhanced tools for making 3D animated films at a whopping 6 to 8 frames per second. It was initially launched by Microsoft's now-defunct Microsoft Kids department and really never became an actual focal point for the company, aside from some assorted Nickelodeon offshoots released later on.
Thus, bears the question, why is Microsoft returning to it now? In early April, Twitter user Foone, whose bio reads "hardware/software necromancer," reached out to Microsoft with a hopeful possibility of receiving 3D Movie Maker's source code. In regards to why, Foone merely said, "I want to expand and extend it," adding that they would be pleased to assist in any capacity for making 3D Movie Maker open-sourced. pand and extend it," adding that they would be pleased to assist in any capacity for making 3D Movie Maker open-sourced.
hey @Microsoft give me the source code to 3D Movie Maker. You released it in 1995 and I want to expand and extend it. my DMs are open, I'll help you open source it.
— foone🏳️⚧️ (@Foone) April 6, 2022
Amid the background, several Microsoft employees, main among them being Microsoft Developer Division Community Manager Scott Hanselman, worked with the firm's legal department to ensure the viability of freeing 3D Movie Maker's source code. Assisting Hanselman's endeavors was Microsoft's Open Source Programs Office Manager Jeff Wilcox.
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The main conundrum of bridging the source code of 3D Movie Maker onto GitHub, where it currently lives today for anyone to download freely, is its utilization of third-party 3D renderer BRender. The software was owned primarily by Argonaut Software and utilized in such PC experiences as FX Fighter and Carmageddon, two relatively well-known PC games from the late 1990s.
Luckily, amid their long string of Tweets initially prodding Microsoft in early April, Foone was able to acquire the source code for BRender, as well, from Argonaut's own former CEO Jez San. BRender, too, now lives on GitHub through an MIT license, just like Microsoft 3D Movie Maker.
The interesting bit is the history behind 3D Movie Maker. While not necessarily a mover of mountains, the software alone proved to be somewhat ahead of its time. It gave us such oddities as the font Comic Sans, yet never actually made it onto the released iteration. The font, which was utilized on dialog boxes, would inevitably be integrated in late 90s Microsoft platforms, most prominent among them being Internet Explorer.
Hey friends - we've open sourced the code to 1995's Microsoft 3D Movie Maker https://t.co/h4mYSKRrjK Thanks to @jeffwilcox and the Microsoft OSS office as well our friends in legal and those who continue to put up with me being a nudzh. Thanks to @foone for the idea! Enjoy. https://t.co/6wBAkjkeIP
— Scott Hanselman 🌮 (@shanselman) May 4, 2022
Thus, Microsoft's 3D Movie Maker has some interesting history, alongside seemingly a rather dedicated cult following. Although Foone's request was pushed to the forefront of the story, several various other creators still use the base 3D Movie Maker product to this day, while even more attesting to its incredible resource as an initial step toward their occupations of today.
But of all, when asked about the whole why of it all via ArsTechnica, Hanselman simply responds with, "Because there's never been an app like it. Even now 25 years later, there is a community excited about this tool."
