MagicaVoxel
MagicaVoxel is a free, lightweight voxel art editor with an integrated GPU-accelerated path tracing renderer, created by independent developer Ephtracy. It lets users build 3D models, characters and scenes by placing small cubes (voxels) on a grid — essentially 3D pixel art. The editor includes both a Model Editor for sculpting individual objects and a World Editor for arranging multiple models into complete scenes. It is used by game developers for prototyping low-poly assets, digital artists for illustrations and dioramas, and hobbyists for creative projects. Models export to standard 3D formats like OBJ and PLY, compatible with game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine. The built-in renderer produces photorealistic images with soft shadows, global illumination, depth of field and atmospheric effects without requiring external software.
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1 suggestionMagicaVoxel has not received a native Apple Silicon build and the last official macOS release (version 0.99.6.2, released in 2016) is Intel-only. The app runs under Rosetta 2 today on M-series Macs, but Apple is removing Rosetta from macOS 28 in September 2028, so MagicaVoxel will stop launching entirely after that release. The developer Ephtracy has not updated the macOS version in nearly a decade while continuing to release Windows builds, and there is no indication that an Apple Silicon native version is planned. If voxel editing is essential to your workflow, consider Blender as a native Apple Silicon alternative — it has a steeper learning curve than MagicaVoxel but offers voxel sculpting capabilities, is actively maintained with native M-series support, and is also free and open-source. For now you can continue using MagicaVoxel under Rosetta, but you should begin planning a migration well before the September 2028 deadline.
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