Month: March 2025
57 posts
Lumion View: Real-Time Rendering Now Inside SketchUp
Lumion introduces Lumion View, a real-time visualization plugin for SketchUp, enabling photorealistic 4K renders directly within the modeling environment. Now in early access.
Arnold 7.4.1: Now with GPU Toon Shading and a Dash of HTML
Autodesk's Arnold 7.4.1 introduces GPU-accelerated toon shading, enhanced procedural instancing performance, and a new interactive HTML-based render statistics viewer.
Mustafa Morad’s Datacolor LightColor Meter Adventure
Discover how Datacolor's LightColor Meter can enhance your workflow and save you from unnecessary post-processing in a free webinar on April 3.
ICity 1.3.0: Building Blender Cities Faster Than a Coffee Run
ICity 1.3.0 for Blender introduces major performance enhancements and visual upgrades to its Grid and Terrace Block systems, streamlining 3D city creation.
Rodeo FX Saddles Up Mikros Animation Amid Technicolor’s Tumble
Rodeo FX acquires Mikros Animation, bolstering its animation capabilities following Technicolor's financial collapse.
Final Cut Pro 11.1: Subtle Updates
Apple's Final Cut Pro 11.1 introduces adjustment clips and AI-driven enhancements, streamlining video editing without major overhauls.
MotionBuilder 2026: A little Leap
Autodesk's MotionBuilder 2026 enhances USD workflows, introduces animation retention, and adds new selection shortcuts for improved motion capture editing.
Plasticity 101 – Modeling a Watch – Part 1
In this engaging tutorial I will walk you through the first steps in Plasticity, a CAD modeler for easy hard surface modeling. In part 1 we create the watch-case in an easy to follow fashion.
Adobe Photoshop 26.5: New Tool
Adobe’s Photoshop 26.5 introduces new tools for VFX artists, from better 3D painting to enhanced compositing functions. These features promise smoother workflows for digital artists.
3ds Max 2026: New Features to Weld Your Workflow Together
3ds Max 2026 introduces OpenPBR as the default material, enhances the Vertex Weld Modifier for splines, and boosts performance across key modifiers.
Zen UV 5.0: Unwrapping the Future of UV Mapping in Blender
Zen Masters unveils Zen UV 5.0, introducing the Zen UV Touch Tool, Auto Unwrap operator, and new selection features for enhanced UV mapping in Blender.
Maya 2026: Is Golaem the Lone Star in a Sparse Update?
Autodesk's Maya 2026 introduces Golaem integration, but offers minimal other enhancements, leaving users questioning the value amid rising subscription costs.
Red Poppies, Bears and Open Source!
Polish war drama Red Poppies (Czerwone Maki) brings the Battle of Monte Cassino to the big screen with over 400 VFX shots, 120 of which were crafted by Polish VFX studio Imaginary Pixels. And the team relied on open-source tools?
CharMorph 0.4: Open-Source Character Creation Evolves
CharMorph 0.4 enhances Blender's character creation with Rigify support, real-time clothing fitting, and customizable skin and eye colors, all under a user-friendly open-source license.
Unlocking the Mysteries of FX-Map: A Free Guide That Doesn’t Require a Map
Dive into Andrei Zelenco's free four-part video series demystifying Substance 3D Designer's FX-Map node, from basics to advanced procedural techniques.
Blackmagic’s URSA Cine 17K 65: The Camera That’s More ‘K’ Than Your Keyboard
Blackmagic Design's URSA Cine 17K 65 camera showcases its 17K resolution and 65mm sensor in new films "Iceland" and "The Ranch," offering unparalleled cinematic depth and flexibility.
Chaos Project Arena: Ray Tracing Without the Hassle
Chaos introduces Project Arena, enabling direct V-Ray rendering on LED walls—no rasterization, no baking. Full ray tracing in real-time, straight from DCC apps.
Ready, Set, Animate: 120+ Game Animations Up for Grabs
120+ ready-to-use animations, compatible with Unreal Engine and Unity, available now—created using Xsens motion capture tech and Studio Recode’s rig.
DaVinci Resolve 19.1.4: ProRes Support Now on Windows and Linux
Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve 19.1.4 update introduces ProRes support for Windows and Linux, enhancing cross-platform workflows.
Godot 4.5 Dev 1: The Feature Freeze Thaw Begins
Godot 4.5's first development snapshot introduces a "Mute Game" toggle, enhanced UID support, and addresses over 400 bug fixes.
Unity 6.1: Rendering the Future, One Pixel at a Time
Unity 6.1, set for release in April 2025, introduces Deferred+ rendering, Variable Rate Shading, and enhanced DirectX 12 ray tracing.
FumeFX 6.7 for 3ds Max: Stoke Up Your Sims
FumeFX 6.7 delivers fire presets, Arnold 2024 support, and Stoke MX compatibility for 3ds Max—now available for $695.
Cinemon 1.0: Signal Correction Done Right
Cinemon 1.0 is here. Color pipeline analysis, waveform monitor, and Scopes — now out of beta and ready for your iPad workflow.
KitBash3D Assets Now on Envato: Worlds for Sale
Kitbash3D and Envato partner up: 3D assets now available via Envato Elements’ subscription.
Feather 1.1: Sketchsoft’s Plugin Now Adds the Missing Softness
Feather 1.1 adds Photoshop feathering based on masks, per-layer settings, and real-time previews, now supporting older Photoshop versions.
GIMP 3.0: Free Image Editor Gets Non-Destructive—and a Bit Fancy
GIMP 3.0 lands after seven years of development: Non-destructive filters, real-time previews, improved PSD export, and layer multi-selection included.
ACES 2.0, Deinterlacing and Topaz: Mistika’s Triple Threat Update
ACES 2.0, AI deinterlacing, Topaz Labs and SDK support: Mistika Boutique and Ultima update integrates new tech for color, footage, and pipeline flexibility.
Dash 1.9 Makes a Splash in UE5 Asset Management
Polygonflow's Dash 1.9 update enhances Unreal Engine 5 asset management with a free content browser, advanced shaders, and improved organizational features.
Blender 4.4 Arrives: Slots, Planes, and Glare—Oh My!
Blender 4.4 launches today, introducing slotted Actions, a versatile Plane brush, an overhauled Glare node, and enhanced Cycles rendering. Dive into the details!
Wonder Studio Rebrands: Now Flowing with Autodesk
Autodesk rebrands Wonder Studio as Autodesk Flow Studio, integrating AI-driven VFX automation into its Flow cloud platform.
Painter, Designer, Modeler: Adobe Refines the 3D Toolbox
Adobe presents updates to Substance 3D Painter and Designer, expanding integration, realism, and control—with unmetered assets and indie pricing.
Zen UV 5.0: Unwrapping the Future of UV Mapping in Blender
Zen UV 5.0 introduces the Touch Tool, Auto Unwrap, Zen Sync, and full support for Blender 4.4, enhancing UV mapping workflows.
Trailmakers from Denmark!
Game trailers should make you interested in the game, obviously, and since we can't wait for Trialmakers 2, the trailer did its job - so, we are talking to the creatives behind the trailer!
Calibration for less – Part 3
Part 3 of the "Calibration for Less" series - we get into the settings with DisplayCal, Connect Software, Hardware and Wetware, and are chasing the elusive perfect colours!
MPFB 2: Blender’s New Character Generation Sidekick
MPFB 2 integrates seamlessly with Blender, enabling artists to create custom 3D characters with ease.
Using 3D Objects in After Effects
Since 2024, it has been possible to integrate 3D objects into After Effects Beta. The updated version of the Adobe compositing solution now also has this functionality.
FMX 2025: AI, Animation, and Previs Take the Stage
FMX 2025 reveals a packed program featuring AI-powered VFX, animation techniques, sound design innovations, and the role of previs in action-heavy productions.
KitBash3D’s Gaea: Free Fantasy on Fab
KitBash3D’s Gaea fantasy architecture pack is free on Fab in March, featuring modular medieval buildings for Unreal, Blender, and more.
HandCraft Pro: Giving Animators a Hand – Literally
Animator Tal Minks introduces HandCraft Pro, a Maya plugin that captures hand movements via webcam, offering an alternative to traditional motion capture methods.
TD Meetup 15: Open Source Pipeline Plex
Plex is an Visual Effects, Animation and Games pipeline that manages critical workflows during production.
Baselight Goes Mac: FilmLight Introduces Baselight S and M
Baselight S and Baselight M bring FilmLight’s high-end grading tools to macOS with subscription-based access for freelancers and facilities.
16.03.25: DESIGN FOR FILM: Bridging Art, Costume & VFX @ HFF Munich
The symposium Design for Film at HFF München explores the intersection of Art and Costume Departments with VFX, tackling workflows, communication, and education.
Let’s fix it in Pod 06 Plugins with Brian Fox
In this episode, Bela and Christoph glint and glow a little bit brighter than usual... Thanks to plugins. They talk about the history of plugins, their place among other software extensions like Gizmos and Shaders and ask themselves if OpenFX is really the API to rule them all.
DaVinci Resolve 19: Free Beginner’s Guide Now Available
Blackmagic Design releases a free beginner’s guide for DaVinci Resolve 19, including training materials and free assets for hands-on learning.
Autograph Starter: Free Motion Graphics Tool with a Twist
Autograph Starter offers a free, feature-rich motion graphics and VFX compositing tool with seamless DaVinci Resolve integration, enabling professionals to create high-quality projects without some limitations.
Colour Monitoring for Cheapskates! Part 2
Now that your I/O-Hardware should be up and running, let’s get into equipment for profiling the screen (aka…
Marmoset’s Material Library Drop: Free Textures for Toolbag 5
Marmoset releases a new batch of free materials for Toolbag 5, including textures and assets for game development, animation, and VFX artists.
D5 Render 2.10: Path Tracing in Real-Time—No, You’re Not Dreaming
D5 Render 2.10 introduces real-time path tracing, an automated City Generator, enhanced night skies, weather effects, and new AI features.
Inspiring Artists – Episode 08 | Ft Alexander Richter
In this episode, we dive into Alexander Richter’s inspiring journey as he shares insights into his career as…
Godot 4.4: The Engine That Could (and Did)
Godot Engine 4.4 introduces Jolt Physics integration, embedded game windows, interactive in-game editing, and more, enhancing usability and performance.
Unwrella-IO: UV Mapping Made Unbelievably Easy
3d-io introduces Unwrella-IO, a standalone application offering automated UV unwrapping and packing, streamlining workflows for 3D artists and game developers.
SketchUp 2025: Better Visuals, Smoother Workflows
SketchUp 2025 enhances realism with photorealistic materials, environment lighting, ambient occlusion, and improved interoperability with Revit and USD export.
Good News!
Because the world is the way it is (Gesturing at ... everything), here is a collection of good news!
OpenScatter: Scattering Objects in Blender Just Got Breezier
OpenScatter, a free Blender add-on, offers advanced object scattering with features like texture masks, guide curves, wind animation, and object collision.
Color Monitoring for Cheapskates?Part 1
Colour Monitoring is cheap, easy, and fast. As usual, you can pick two of those adjectives — and in this series, we are going for cheap and will make it easy for you!
Oscars: ‘Flow’ and ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ Take the Spotlight
Latvia’s Flow wins Best Animated Feature, while Iran’s In the Shadow of the Cypress takes Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards.
Road Creator Pro: Paving the Way in Unreal Engine 5
Road Creator Pro introduces a versatile spline-based workflow for creating realistic roads in Unreal Engine 5, featuring customizable components and seamless terrain integration.