Game engine
Panda3D
Panda3D is a BSD 3D engine. Games are written in Python or C++. Disney and Carnegie Mellon were behind the original project.
Developer: Panda3D contributors
Overview
You load models into a scene graph and attach tasks to the clock. Python is the usual language. C++ is there for lower-level work.
Art comes from standard 3D tools. The engine does not try to be the place you sculpt.
Technical specifications
Specs checked 2026-10-05. Version lines move; the download link is the source of truth.
- Developer
- Panda3D contributors
- Version line
- Current release
- License
- BSD
- Business model
- Panda3D is BSD licensed. Commercial games do not pay a royalty.
- Releases
- Releases are tagged on GitHub and announced on panda3d.org. Pin the version you develop against.
- Editor platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Export targets
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Languages
- Python, C++
- 2D / 3D
- 3D
- VR
- No first-party headset product.
- AR
- No.
- Visual scripting
- No. You write Python or C++.
- Beginners
- Mixed. Python is approachable. You still build the game without a scene editor as the main tool.
- Learning curve
- Moderate for Python developers. The scene graph and the asset pipeline are the new parts.
- Graphics
- A real 3D scene graph: models, lights, and shaders. Not a modern material-editor suite.
- Team size
- A programmer who is comfortable in Python.
- GitHub stars
- 5,235 · panda3d/panda3d
- Documentation
- https://docs.panda3d.org
- Community
- https://www.panda3d.org/community/
- Assets and examples
- https://docs.panda3d.org
Where it fits
- BSD license and Python gameplay.
- A mature scene graph rather than a thin wrapper over a graphics API.
- Desktop builds on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Where it does not
- No full visual editor as the center of the workflow.
- Mobile and web are not the targets to promise.
- The community is smaller than the big commercial engines.
Matching source
No sample projects are listed for this engine yet.
How does it compare?
An editor if Python-plus-code is not enough.
3D in the browser instead of a desktop engine.
Questions
Is Panda3D free for commercial games?
Yes. The license is BSD.
What language is it?
Python is the common path. C++ is supported.
Does it include an editor?
Not as the way you build the game. You work in code and external art tools.