ArcGIS CityEngine is a commercial three-dimensional (3D) modeling program developed by Esri R&D Center Zurich (formerly Procedural Inc.) and specialises in the generation of 3D urban environments.
CityEngine works with architectural object placement and arrangement in the same manner that software like VUE manages terrain, ecosystems and atmosphere mapping.
Unlike the traditional 3D modeling methodology which uses Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools and techniques, CityEngine takes a different approach to shape generation via a rule-based system.
Due to this unique feature set, CityEngine has been used in academic research and built environment professions, e.g., urban planning, architecture, visualization, game development, entertainment, archeology, military and cultural heritage.
In 2008, the first commercial version of CityEngine was released by the Swiss company Procedural Inc[6] and was used by professionals in urban planning, architecture, visualization, game development, entertainment, GIS, archeology, and cultural heritage.
Parametric Modeling Interface: An interface to interactively control specific street or building parameters, such as the height or age (defined by the CGA rules) Dynamic City Layouts: Interactive design, editing and modification of urban layouts consisting of (curved) streets, blocks and parcels.
360 VR Experience: The scenarios of urban environments can be used to generate a series of panoramic photos for publishing them online.
(Currently, it only supports Samsung Oculus Gear)[9] Python Scripting Interface: CityEngine provides ce.py as a built-in library.
The rules are defined through a CGA shape grammar system enabling the creation of complex parametric models.
[12] Garsdale Design were early pioneers of ArcGIS CityEngine in the creation of city master plans in Iraq pre-2013.
With CityEngine, the designers and clients of projects can communicate via craft fluid, data-rich, and real-time rendered experiences.
[16] When urban designers/planners enjoy the quantitive analyst, environmental scientists also like the instant 3D model generation in CityEngine, leading to more convenient informative research out of the time-consumption on creating a city from each building.
[19] Zootopia, which won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, used CityEngine to establish an impressive metropolis where humans don't exist.
[20] ArcGIS CityEngine due to its integration with the Esri product suite and its ability to process geospatial data to create 3D scenes/maps is being used within military/defense organisations.
Studios and companies rarely state what software they use in their pipelines, when CityEngine is mentioned as a tool in production it's often in a small reference in a larger article.