N-World originated with Symbolics, a computer manufacturer notable for producing Lisp-based systems in the 1980s.

Among the software packages that were produced for Symbolics computers are S-Graphics, a 3D animation suite that includes modules for polygon modeling, dynamics, paint, and rendering — titled S-Geometry, S-Dynamics, S-Paint, and S-Render, respectively.

[1] In 1992, Japanese trading company Nichimen Corporation purchased the rights to S-Graphics, ported it to Silicon Graphics IRIX, and marketed it as N-World.

N-World retains the Lisp-based underpinnings of its predecessor,[2] but was targeted at interactive content producers,[3] with features useful for game developers.

[4] N-World was used to create graphics for many console games in the 1990s, including Super Mario 64 and Final Fantasy VII.