Blackmagic Shrinks 12G-SDI I/O
Three Thunderbolt 4 boxes cover 12G-SDI ingest, monitoring, fill and key, and replay up to 2160p60 without demanding half a rack.
Animates Suite tunes Blender keys
Blender animators get key selection, retiming, Key Amp, onion skins, editable motion paths and world-space locks in one add-on.
SmartUndo+ makes Blender Undo excellent
The Blender add-on adds per-object histories, per-F-curve undo, node-tree tracking and checkpoints for less Ctrl+Z Shenanigans.
Sisir Free Hair Grooming Tool
Free standalone grooming for Windows adds guide styling, procedural controls, masks, DCC bridge scripts and Alembic export.
Ripple Pro for 3ds Max
Ripple Pro brings modern ripple, wake and rain controls to 3ds Max, without relying on its ageing built-in modifier stack.
3DCoat 2026.11 Lets the Nodes Loose
The final 3DCoat 2026.11 release brings GPU node texturing, sculpt-time look development, voxel lattices and a sizeable modelling overhaul.
SideFX Teaches KineFX in Houdini 22
SideFX’s Max Rose presents two free Houdini 22 sessions on KineFX animation, Motion Mixer, secondary motion and retargeting.
B4D Tools Adds Blender 5.2 Support
B4D Tools 1.5.1 targets Blender motion graphics with cloners, effectors, fields, object tools and tiered licenses.
AutoRemesher Final Goes MIT
AutoRemesher reaches its final release under MIT, adding target quads, CLI operation and builds for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Hurricane puts multiphysics in Blender
Hurricane brings fluid, fabric, soft body, sand and grain simulation to Blender, with paid tiers, support and future GPU plans.
LaCie 8big Pro5: The Big Box
Fast, vast and decidedly audible: we tested the 192 TB LaCie 8big Pro5 with RAID 50, Thunderbolt 5 and real production workloads.
InstaMAT adds 2D UV painting
The July update brings 2D UV painting, UDIM handling, faster rebakes and fresher DCC support for texture-heavy work.
CameraMatch Adds Cinema 4D Workflow
CameraMatch AutoSetup v6 now supports Cinema 4D, adding automated camera matching for photomontage and archviz workflows.
Maya 2027.2 trains MotionMaker
Maya expands MotionMaker with custom model training, horse animation, cleaner path tools and wider DCC updates for artists.
3ds Max 2027.2 Adds Editable Splats
3ds Max 2027.2 brings editable 3DGS workflows, Points, Point Instance, Arnold 7.5.2 support and USD path diagnostics.
Material Maker 1.7 improves graph workflow
Material Maker 1.7 improves graph editing, adds a Dynamic Sky material, updates nodes and brings the open-source tool to Steam.
Acid Pro 2026 Returns to the Timeline
Acid Pro 2026 brings more loops, editable MIDI song projects, DLS patches and fresh licensing for quick music beds and beat assembly.
Character DNA Goes Free
Poly Hammer’s Character DNA base edition is free, GPLv3 source is public, and release 0.10.3 adds Blender 5.2 support.
Dehancer Brings Film Dirt to SCRATCH
SCRATCH users get Dehancer’s OFX film-emulation stack, with camera profiles, film stocks, print films and analogue damage for tasteful decay.
Free Crowd Reaction Mocap Pack
A free crowd reaction mocap pack brings 22 clips, about six minutes of claps, cheers, selfies and phone fiddling.
Blender 5.2 LTS lands with node physics
The LTS release brings XPBD hair and cloth, texture-aware Cycles rendering, new Geometry Nodes tools and EEVEE cleanup.
TXTRCast syncs Photoshop to Blender
TXTRCast syncs 2D paint strokes from apps such as Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop into Blender, with GPL-3.0 code and Windows-only limits.
das element 2.3 speeds library browsing
Version 2.3 adds AVIF import, popularity data, gallery navigation and CLI fixes aimed at large studio media libraries.
Howler 2027 adds 3D, Outpaint Fill and timeline curves
Howler 2027 adds Howler 3D, Outpaint Fill, editable timeline keyframes and a new curve system for animation work.
Open glTF Roundtrip Lands in 3ds Max
Khronos releases a free open-source glTF 2.0 importer and exporter for 3ds Max, with PBR, compression, animation and extension support.
InstaLOD Extends Geometry Toolchain to C4D and Omniverse
InstaLOD's July update adds two host integrations, adaptive quad topology, folder conversion, scene merging and import-axis control.
Houdini 22: How Right Were We?
Houdini 22 arrived earlier than expected and confirms nearly all our keynote findings, with two experimental features carrying caveats.
D5 3.1 Turns Design Reviews Interactive
D5 Render 3.1 adds interactive presentations, ACEScg, seasonal vegetation and embedded D5 Lite workflows for Rhino and Revit.
“Comp” enters public alpha
Comp enters alpha on Windows and Apple silicon, with an optional AI worker and a firm warning against production use.
3DF Zephyr 9 Adds Gaussian Splatting
3DF Zephyr 9 integrates Gaussian Splatting and adds map tiles, faster photoconsistency, improved navigation and new export options.
Colour Awards deadline approaches
Entries for the 2026 colourist awards close 31 July, with documentaries folded into Spotlight and clear ProRes upload specs.
CityEngine 2026 expands Python and streets
CityEngine 2026 brings its Python 3 API out of beta, improves CGA authoring and adds more precise street editing tools.
Thinkbox MX reaches 3ds Max 2027
Krakatoa, Frost and XMesh community builds now cover 3ds Max 2018 to 2027. Stoke remains capped at 2026 for now.
EasyWaterscape Brings FFT Water to UE5
EasyWaterscape is a UE5.7+ water tool with FFT oceans, presets, CoastMaker, buoyancy and beta underwater/lake modes.
Nukepedia Rebuilt, nuBridge Reloaded
An interview with Nukepedia founder Frank Rueter, one of the long-standing Nuke community voices, about the platform rebuild, nuBridge and the next steps for 2D Compositing tools.
Matcha maps photo refs in Maya
Matcha for Maya manages reference cameras, projects photos onto models, paints masks and exports organized PSD stacks.
Adobe Premiere Beta Adds Generative Media Tool
Premiere beta adds Generative Media for timeline-based video and sound effects, with Firefly and partner models using credits.
ICE.ART 2026.II Gets September Slot
ICE.ART 2026.II is scheduled for 8-10 September online, with 3D environment topics across games, VFX, GIS and AEC/BIM.
Adonis 2.1 Gives Digital Anatomy a Machine-Learning Layer
Inbibo’s Adonis 2.1 splits the digital anatomy framework into AdonisFX and AdonisML, adding machine-learning deformation, SmartTissue dynamics, topology-independent anatomy transfer and cleaner solver output for Maya and Houdini.
FilmLight fl-enhance: Baselight Tools Escape Into Python
FilmLight’s fl-enhance repository brings Baselight and Daylight scripts, shaders and FLAPI tools to GitHub, including LUT wrapping, ACES EXR transcoding and colour utilities.
Overgrown targets an open feature pipeline for Blender
Blender Studio is pushing Overgrown as a feature project with production logs, tools and docs, funded first through subscriber growth.
Fairlight Live 1.0 Goes Final
Blackmagic’s live audio mixer reaches 1.0 with ATEM USB, Core Audio, ASIO, SMPTE 2110, ASAF and free software pricing.
Roji Goes Deep on USD Rendering
Roji beta registration is open for a nodal USD workflow with MaterialX lookdev, Hydra review, path tracing and AI render support.
Flicker Free Gets Ghosting Fix Tips
Digital Anarchy adds practical Flicker Free video advice for ghosting, Time Radius, Motion Compensation and tricky repeating flicker.
FloorGen 2 hits the C4D boards
C4Dzone’s FloorGen 2 creates procedural floors, wall coverings, tile layouts and baseboards inside Cinema 4D for €27.
ARRI ALEXA 35 Live Xtreme adds 8x SDI HFR
ARRI's ALEXA 35 Live Xtreme outputs HFR over SDI for live production, keeping slow motion inside the same camera pipeline.
ByHand Makes Digital Sculpting Free on Windows
ByHand is a free, early-alpha Windows sculpting app for form studies, character work and commercial projects.
PR2XML Turns .prproj Into a Service
PR2XML converts Premiere project metadata online, previews timelines in the browser and sells export downloads via a €75 lifetime license.
Beeble adds SDR to HDR on the web
Beeble’s SDR to HDR tool converts short 8-bit clips into 16-bit ACES EXR sequences with masks, prompts and credit-based cloud processing.
Quick Finger Collision for Blender
Blender hand posing gets a tiny helper: finger bones stop at mesh contact, wrap around props, and cost $7.99.
Seamlessifier Rips Photo Textures
Seamlessifier turns photo snippets into seamless PNG textures, atlases included, with useful knobs and some honest rough edges.
Free Sci-Fi Desert City Kit on Fab
LAYA DESIGN’s Science Fiction Desert City Kit adds 120 Unreal Engine meshes, interiors, foliage, rocks and editable materials to Fab’s free rotation.
Real Clay and Digital Ice Cream at Uber Eck
Clay sculptures, photos, Houdini MPM and Redshift made Kayak’s Greek ice cream statues melt on cue. Real dairy was less cooperative.
Boris FX Buys iZotope
RX and Ozone get a new roof at Boris FX, while licenses and support stay active. Post now has more audio in the tool shed.
VectorayGen Goes Free Again
JangaFX has brought VectorayGen back as a free tool for authoring vector fields for real-time VFX and GPU-particle workflows.
Ancient Relics, Modern Splats
Ten free splats bring statues, ruins and dinosaur skulls into Octane and After Effects, complete with captured texture and scene lighting. Or, whatever you use Splats for.
Cadrage Directors Viewfinder NO AI
Cadrage Studio sits in creative pre-production for directors and DPs, between script breakdown, previs and location prep. It…
Adobe Sampler 6.0 Adds OpenPBR
Substance 3D Sampler 6.0 adds OpenPBR defaults, preset material templates, USD material export and updated HP Z Captis capture tools.
Callipeg Studio Heads to Desktop
Callipeg goes desktop with macOS and Windows builds, familiar 2D tools, beta caveats and a price that avoids subscription bingo.
Substance 3D Painter 12.1 bakes smarter
Painter 12.1 targets baking pain with skew maps, auto rebake, OpenPBR defaults and cleaner hard-surface UVs for asset teams.
RealityScan 2.2 Widens GPU Support
RealityScan 2.2 widens accelerated reconstruction, adds mixed GPU use, 360 camera workflow notes and scan-life fixes.
Adobe buys Topaz Labs
Adobe plans to acquire Topaz Labs, bringing AI upscale, denoise, restore and local model tech closer to Firefly and Creative Cloud.
Optics 2026.5 gets more photo hosts
Optics 2026.5 plugs into three more photo hosts and adds analog burns, face masks, particles and a Victorian pet preset pack.
Arnold 7.5.2 Adds Gaussian Splats
Arnold 7.5.2 renders Gaussian Splats, adds relighting, NPR nodes and Flow Render tweaks. Nice, but test before splats bite.
Maxon turns 40, subs get lighter
Maxon celebrates 40 years with 40% off first-year annual subscriptions. Great for carts, less great for anyone remembering Amiga disks.
DaCaPo Opens DCP Authoring Beta
DaCaPo bundles DCP authoring, OV/VF versioning, subtitles, KDMs and verification into a desktop tool for cinema delivery. Give the Beta a Spin!
Godot 4.7 turns up HDR
Godot 4.7 goes practical: HDR output, rectangular lights, mobile builds, XR work and editor polish. Less fireworks, more knobs.
Arri LUKA lights Unreal previs
ARRI LUKA puts virtual fixtures, camera logic and Lumen rendering inside Unreal Engine. Previs gets less guessy.
MetaHuman gets markerless mocap
Free markerless body capture lands for MetaHumans, using standard video, local processing, and Unreal Engine 5.8.
Beeble Canvas gets a Topaz split
Canvas now compares Topaz upscales in-node, adds 30 plus generation models, Markdown notes, magnetic snap, and describer updates.
QC Kitchen Brings Broadcast QC Online
Upload a master, choose a QC menu, get a report and a bill. QC Kitchen targets UK broadcast checks without booking a post house.
Unreal Engine 5.8 Tidies Up
Unreal Engine 5.8 brings production-ready rendering, virtual production and simulation tools, alongside experimental systems for digital crowds, terrain and character animation.
SMPTE Opens Its Standards Library
SMPTE has opened its complete standards catalogue, giving engineers and developers free access to current and future documents.
EDIUS 11.50 Patches Exports Faster
EDIUS 11.50 repairs parts of finished exports, transcribes locally and adds practical timeline tweaks. The new crossgrade even lowers the entry price.
RadialZ Gives ZBrush a Brush Wheel
RadialZ turns the ZBrush brush library into cursor-side wheels, reducing palette trips and keyboard gymnastics.
Blender Roadmap Puts Plans in One Place
Blender gets a central Roadmap for active projects and recent features, giving artists and studios a clearer view beyond release-note excavation.
O3DE 26.05 Gets Native Particles
O3DE 26.05 adds native particles, AgX, automatic LODs and PhysX 5 defaults. The particle Gem still carries a production warning.
Fifty Ultimate Generators Enter the Node Garden
Over 50 procedural contraptions tackle cities, fluids, fractures and magic trails. Manual library wrangling remains entirely optional.
MPC Joins The Mill
MPC and The Mill become one global studio, combining commercial production and film VFX under The Mill name.
Cloud Paint Shapes Painterly 3D Skies
Casey Sheep and MeiU release a $12 Eevee-only cloud generator for Blender, with mesh conversion, ten presets and built-in sky assets.
Sneeze Brings a Browser Engine to Spatial 3D
Sneeze applies the browser-engine model to spatial services, combining multi-origin 3D scenes, WASM isolation and proximity discovery.
Adobe trims Premiere and After Effects
Premiere adds faster masks and timeline tools, while After Effects tackles roto, SVG and 3D work. Deadlines keep their poker face.
RealTransforms gives Unity props gravity
RealTransforms uses editor physics to drop, rotate and arrange props, with proxy colliders and a beta hull generator for difficult meshes.
NeXus Beta Lands in Blender
NeXus arrives in Blender with GPU particles, fluids, smoke, fire and live viewport feedback. The beta is paid, perpetual and already patched.
Free Komodo Rig for Fun
Free Komodo rig for portfolio work, plus paid tiers for commercial pipelines. Big lizard, small invoice, careful license.
Mocha Pro 2026.5 Tracks Through Trouble
Point Track ML tackles occlusions, shadows and drifting surfaces, while smarter matte tools and exports reduce routine cleanup.
DroneSiteBuilder adds Google 3D Tiles option
DroneSiteBuilder Enterprise v1.2 turns original drone DNG or JPEG folders into a 3ds Max site plus matched cameras, in one run.
Let’s Animate Splats in 3DGS Render?
3DGS Render 5.0 lets Blender artists drive Gaussian splats with proxy meshes, bake lighting and export animation as PLY sequences.
Free Sci-Fi Station Lands on Fab
Fab gives Unreal artists 147 modular sci-fi assets, 4K textures and LODs for free until 16 June. Space rent remains mercifully absent.
Cinema 4D 2026.3 Rebuilds UV Editing
Version 2026.3 rebuilds UV editing and adds practical tools for particles, rivets, edge cloning and UV-driven animation.
BadFX Packs Assets Into Adobe Panels
BadFX puts stock media and adjustable animation presets inside Adobe timelines. The plugin is free, though an account is compulsory.
Imagen Video brings AI grading to timelines
Imagen Video applies AI-based colour correction to Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve timelines using AI Profiles or uploaded LUTs. The pitch is less Hollywood finishing suite, more high-volume editor.
Houdini 22 Teaser Fuels Guesswork
Houdini 22 looks ambitious, but the teaser is maddeningly brief. Treat every feature reading as informed fan speculation, not documentation.
Splat happens: Volinga 3DGS workflow for Unreal
Volinga turns photo sets into Gaussian splats for Unreal, with local processing, PLY and NVOL export, cleanup tools, and relighting support. But what does that actually mean? Let's ask some questions!
Mush3D 3.0 Adds Soft Tissue Tools
Mush3D 3.0 adds pose-trained corrections and tetrahedral soft tissue simulation for artists polishing cached character animation.
NukeRef Adds References to Nuke
NukeRef lets compositors paste image references into Nuke’s Node Graph as interactive backdrops. Tiny script, big sanity gain.
3DCoat 2026 gets GPU nodes
3DCoat 2026 beta adds GPU node texturing, procedural smart materials and masks. Shiny, useful and still beta-shaped.
DaVinci Resolve 21 Leaves Beta
Resolve 21 turns four public betas into a final release and brings the Photo page, selected AI tools and wider grading controls to iPad.
These are the Bugs You Were Looking For (in Blender)
Flying Bugs Generator brings 10 insect types, three motion modes, and Asset Browser-ready drop-ins for fast and vast bug swarms in Blender.
Stair Builder brings parametric stairs to C4D
A €25 Cinema 4D generator for stairs and railings, with presets, UV handling, and all of it parametric.