A new version of Cheetah3D, v5.1, has been published online. The software handles 3D modeling, animation and rendering tasks, including various texturing functions. The update adds a new automatic skinning algorithm, claimed to generate "almost perfect" weight-maps. In the app's timeline, users can now select, move and delete keys for object hierarchies, as opposed to just individual objects.

Cheetah's polygon, edge and point selections can be newly copied and pasted, and all node types can now be previewed. Performance has meanwhile been significantly enhanced, such that scenes may load up to 10 times faster, also consuming as much as a third less RAM. The maximum rendering resolution has been increased to 5000x5000.

Miscellaneous bugfixes and minor improvements round out changes. Cheetah3D 5.1 is $149 new, or $69 as an upgrade from v4.x or earlier. Mac OS X 10.4 or later is required.