Microsoft open source 3D Movie Maker

Microsoft is making the code for 3D Movie Maker open source, a version compatible with modern PCs is coming soon.

Managing our software code, whatever it may be, is a complex thing. Licensing and other intellectual property protections sometimes make this very difficult. Unless you choose to make it open source. Today it is the symbolic software, 3D Movie Maker, that has the right to do so. And the reason is quite unusual.

Microsoft makes 3D Movie Maker code open source

If it were enough to ask for the source code of the software, it would be known. But he who tries nothing, of course, has nothing. The @Foone tweet just asked Microsoft to code 3D Movie Maker, the 27 year old software, open source so they can add new building blocks to it. Microsoft does not own the BRender engine that runs the program, which could be a problem, but the owner of the rights to that engine said he would be happy to do so if he could find a copy. Fortunately, someone had a copy of the engine, and Microsoft was able to make all the code open source.

A version compatible with modern PCs should see the light of day soon.

Released in 1995, 3D Movie Maker allowed users to easily create movies by placing cartoon characters and other objects in pre-rendered environments. According to PCGamer, Foone wants to make the software compatible with modern PCs and add features, including sharing created videos. “I’m hoping to get a basic upgraded version next month or in a few months, depending on the issues I run into.”

The original source code for the project is now on GitHub under the MIT license. As RockPaperShotgun points out, the program’s BRender engine was also used for games such as Carmageddon 1 and 2. In other words, the discovery of this code could also lead to fan-made enhanced versions of these games.