When you think of 1995, you probably imagine shopping malls, JNCO baggy jeans and MTV. But what are you should picture is Microsoft’s weirdly fantastic 3D Movie Maker animation program. While the software was short-lived, now you can dive back into it because Microsoft has it open source!
Back then, 3D Movie Maker did not survive long after its release. However, software enthusiasts have made efforts to keep it operational. Now, thanks to a Twitter user effort Fooneanyone can access the software and become the next Spielberg.
Hey friends – we’ve opened Microsoft 3D Movie Maker code from 1995 https://t.co/h4mYSKRrjK Thanks to @jeffwilcox and the office of Microsoft OSS as well as our friends in the legal world and those who continue to support me for being a nudzh. Thanks to @foone for the idea! Enjoy. https://t.co/6wBAkjkeIP
— Scott Hanselman 🇺🇦 (@shanselman) May 4, 2022
Animation Studio made it easy for users of all ages to create their own animated movie and came with a library of voice clips, 3D character models, pre-rendered backgrounds and short movie clips. music. Of course, you also had the option of uploading your own assets, if you wanted, then donning your director’s hat as you build your dream movie, frame by frame.
We know you can’t wait to get to work, and you can find the source code for the original program on Microsoft’s 3D Movie Maker repository, which is released under the MIT License. The company states that “this project is unlikely to build successfully under modern hardware/software, but you can start compiling and get partially completed binaries.” He encourages developers to fork it, experiment with it, and update it as needed, and even notes that he won’t provide updated builds because the “open source repository will be static.”
via XDA Developers
