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Top News: the most relevant updates for post, VFX, and real-time production. Releases, acquisitions, funding, major industry moves, and deadline-relevant changes, curated for impact and practical relevance rather than volume. Fast to scan, links to sources, minimal fluff.
Texturing XYZ puts SKAP online, pores included
Texturing XYZ’s SKAP turns 2K to 8K inputs into 16K skin maps in a browser, priced in credits at $1 each.
MPC’s Cold Storage
MPC Paris delivered 575 shots on Cold Storage, from invisible fixes to slime, creatures and a nuclear finale. But how?
VFX School Closes and Leaves the Lights On
For those who don’t know the school: The VFX School was an online training platform focused primarily on…
tyFlow 2 adds CUDA fluid solver and 20 Infernos
tyFlow 2 integrates a CUDA fluid solver, adds 20 Inferno operators, and expands caching and collision features.
OmniStep 2.0 adds modules and dynamic collisions
OmniStep 2.0 adds a module system, dynamic collisions, and workflow tweaks for interactive animation inside Blender.
Cinema 4D plugin for organic line growth hits the web
AlgoMesh releases Differential Line Growth, a free Cinema 4D plugin that iterates splines into organic curves.
280 free automotive Substrate materials for UE 5.7
Epic’s new Automotive Substrate Materials pack on Fab bundles over 280 vehicle-focused Substrate materials plus templates, setup assets, and calibrated maps, targeting consistent results across Lumen and the Path Tracer in Unreal Engine 5.7.3 and later.
![A group of people in various poses, with a focus on a woman in white attire, overlayed with the text 'SWITCHX' and the tagline 'SWITCH [ANYTHING]. KEEP WHAT MATTERS.' The scene is set against a beach background at dusk.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/beeble-switchx-hero.png?resize=380%2C250&quality=72&ssl=1)
Beeble SwitchX focuses on easy background swaps
Beeble launches SwitchX, a cloud video-to-video model built for easy background swaps and relighting in 2K.
Adobe adds Quick Cut to Firefly Video Editor
Quick Cut auto-builds a first video draft from text prompts inside Firefly Video Editor. Beta starts now.
Nuke 17.0 rewires 3D and adds Gaussian Splats
Nuke 17.0 brings native splats, USD scene graph control, BigCat ML scaling and core performance gains.
VES Awards 2026 names winners and honours
VES Awards 2026 winners named across 24 categories, with Bruckheimer and Taylor receiving top honours.
5000 PBR materials, zero node wrangling
5000 PBR materials packaged for Blender Asset Browser, drag and drop, GPL licensed, priced for indies.
Revcut launches GDPR first Video-review platform
Revcut launches a European GDPR focused video review platform positioning itself as an alternative to US hosted services.
Grading Kraken: insights from the colour grade
Senior Colourist Dylan Hopkin (Shortcut Oslo) outlines the grading process behind the new sci-fi film Kraken, and how contrast, colour and AI-assisted tools were used to support storytelling.
Hive adds joint facial rigs to Maya
Hive Auto Rigger now builds full joint based facial rigs in Maya, priced at 40 dollars for the first month.
Lutbake adds one-key LUT export to Resolve
Time in Pixels releases Nobe LutBake, a macOS tool for one-key high resolution LUT export from Resolve Studio.
SynthEyes 2026 Speeds Up
SynthEyes 2026 adds a Mocha-powered affine point tracker, real-time GeoH previews and expanded USD support to cut solve iteration time.
Blackmagic Schedules Free Resolve School
Blackmagic runs free live Resolve training from February to April covering edit, Fusion, colour and audio.
Foundry buys Griptape to “orchestrate AI”
Foundry acquires Griptape to add "AI orchestration" to Nuke and broader VFX pipelines.
Cascadeur on physics, AI and control
Cascadeur explains how physics solvers and local AI shape modern keyframe animation. Physics-assisted keyframing and AI-generated Inbetweening sound like shorthand for automation. In practice, they describe a layered system that revolves around explicit poses, timing and animator intent.
Neat Video 6.1 updates OFX and host support
Neat Video 6.1 adds Baselight 7 support, new default profile controls and OFX updates across Windows, macOS and Linux.
EIZO Previews First OLED ColorEdge
EIZO is bringing OLED into the ColorEdge lineup. The company is previewing an OLED ColorEdge model under development, positioned for 4K HDR workflows and featuring refined ABL luminance control, a status indicator, built-in calibration sensor technology, and ColorNavigator software demos at NAB and MPTS 2026.
InstaLOD 2026 Targets VR and Animation Pipelines
InstaLOD 2026 adds VR delivery targets, raytraced shadows and full GLTF USD animation support for real-time pipelines.
Hawaiki Keyer – for those who don’t trust all the magic of AI
Hawaiki Keyer 5 brings AI tracking and dual-key control to Resolve, handling messy greenscreen shots more reliably than Magic Mask. Or does it?
D5 Works launches with 42K models and no comission ?
D5 Works
lists 42K models and 2.2K materials and claims zero commission, with D5-native delivery via D5A and D5M.
Arnold adds lines, points and faster volumes
Arnold update adds NPR shaders and accelerates OpenVDB volumes up to five times in official tests.
Mnemonica sets out to fix digital cinema memory
Mnemonica Archive addresses digital film by treating preservation as an active, monitored process rather than passive storage.
Live FX 9.9: New Unreal Engine workflows, in a 3-part tutorial
Assimilate has published a short three-part tutorial series for combining Live FX 9.9 with Unreal Engine in virtual production. The videos cover GPU Texture Share on a single system, an nDisplay workflow that outputs multiple render streams, and a Switchboard setup that enables live Unreal edits
Kangaroo Builder learns to move faces between meshes
Kangaroo Builder for Maya adds Landmark Warp, a topology transfer tool aimed at moving blendshapes between meshes without matching topology.
Katana 9 deepens USD and previews Hydra 2
Katana introduces UsdSuperLayer, new USD lighting and material nodes, and alpha Hydra 2 viewer support.
Modeler 26 for Houdini released
Modeler 26 for Houdini introduces a significantly expanded PolyPen, Bezier-based deformation, curve-driven boolean operations, viewport card drawing, and a new object layer system.
Blender 5.1 Beta Improves Performance, Workflow, and Compositing
Blender 5.1 enters public beta with a familiar focus on refinement rather than disruption. The update brings targeted improvements across animation, compositing, UI, and USD export, offering a smooth and predictable upgrade path for artists already working in Blender 5.0.
Download IKEA furniture as 3D models, minus the trolley
A community script allows direct downloads of IKEA’s web 3D models, skipping the store visit and the measuring tape optimism.
One click exports and zero patience for menus from Blender to Unreal, Unity and more.
A free Blender add-on offers fast exports to Unity, Unreal and Godot using collections and selection logic.
BlendShape Monitor puts Maya rigs under a heat lamp
A new Maya plugin visualises blendshape influence in real time, targeting riggers dealing with dense and poorly documented rigs.
MetaTailor adds engine bridges and less FBX fatigue
MetaTailor 2.5 introduces official engine bridges and workflow updates for realtime character clothing pipelines.
Animate re-animated
The King is dead, long live the King: Adobe caves, and Animate remains available with support and fixes, but no new features.
glTF learns to splat without losing the plot
Khronos proposes a glTF extension for Gaussian splats, aiming to standardise how splat data is stored and exchanged.
Unreal Reality: Building A New Specimen
Director Dimitri Vallein breaks down the real-time production of his Unreal Engine short film New Specimen, from motion capture to cloth sims.
Adobe pulls the plug on Animate at last
Adobe has confirmed the end of life of Adobe Animate, setting clear dates for sales, access, and support wind-down.
RGB sliders now judge your colour skills
A free Android game turns RGB value matching into a timed test of colour perception. No scopes. No mercy.
Infinity Hotel: Endless Rooms, Endless Renders
HFF Munich’s VFX students built Infinity Hotel, a hybrid short film merging live action with CGI, LiDAR scans, and Dolby Atmos sound.
FMX opens ticket shop and confirms collaboration track talks
FMX opens ticket sales, confirms new speakers, details pass options and highlights ongoing PANEURAMA industry research.
World Creator 2026.1 polishes the boring bits
World Creator 2026.1 focuses on stability, pen input and modest performance gains rather than new features.
Sequoia 2026 gives audio post a video engine
Sequoia 2026 introduces GPU accelerated video, OSC control, Soundly integration and stability focused audio engine updates.
InstaMAT Test: Painting, Procedurals and Pasta
InstaMAT merges painting, materials, and mesh editing into one node-based tool that connects Substance-style workflows with procedural control. Sounds great, so we'll get our hands dirty and test it!
Virtual Production Without the Disney Budget
A Rhode Island studio proves virtual production isn’t just for sci-fi. Door G’s team talks LEDs, Unreal, and the human side of real-time filmmaking.
Godot 4.6 Arrives With Major CG-Friendly Updates
Godot Engine 4.6 ships with polished workflows, Modern UI, Jolt physics as default, improved reflections, debugger tools and LibGodot support.
Storm HydroFX ships water without the node graph
Storm HydroFX 1.0 launches as a standalone GPU FLIP fluid solver for Windows with whitewater, mesh export and annual subscriptions.
Simply Cloth Studio 2.0 rebuilds cloth in Blender
Simply Cloth Studio 2.0 is a full rebuild for Blender with new UI, adaptive wrinkle tools, and faster, more stable cloth simulation.
Teya Conceptor Free and Pro Editions Expand 3D Concept Workflow
Teya Conceptor’s toolset for quick 3D geometry creation has broadened free edition capabilities while retaining time-based limitations and a brush-centric workflow.
Material Maker 1.5 adds DDS, FBX, CLI, 10 new nodes
Material Maker 1.5 adds common game formats, command-line export, workflow upgrades, and more nodes in this free procedural texturing tool.
Blender LTS patches, still no surprises
Blender 4.5.6 LTS and 4.2.17 LTS deliver bug fixes only, confirming Blender’s long term support policy for production use.
Liquid Thinking: Paradigm Brings GPU Speed to Houdini
Theory Accelerated releases Paradigm, a GPU liquid solver for Houdini, now in open beta and free until February 2026.
UVPackmaster 4 unwraps a smarter way to pack
UVPackmaster 4 for Blender refactors its core, adds Dynamic Tiles, new texel density control, and better group layouts.
Baselight v7 refines the colourist’s toolkit
FilmLight’s Baselight v7 adds smarter mattes, new depth tools and workflow upgrades for complex grading and VFX-heavy productions.
Adobe After Effects 2026 Lands With 3D, Text and Performance Boosts
After Effects 26.0 debuts 3D parametric meshes, Substance 3D materials, SVG import and core workflow improvements.
Premiere drops the “Pro” and picks up some serious AI
Adobe has released the Creative Cloud 26.0 updates for its video apps, headlined by a big shift in Premiere. The “Pro” label is gone, and in its place comes a more capable editor. The new release centres on automated masking, improved tracking, and a creative pipeline that’s tighter than ever.
Animcraft 5.5: Stability, ribbons, and MetaHumans
Animcraft 5.5 improves mocap stability, rewrites the Dragon Breath Ribbon System, and expands MetaHuman and Maya tools.
LumaFusion for Android catches up with iOS sibling
LumaFusion 2.5 for Android introduces faster transitions, smarter clip location, and APV codec export support.
LotPixel drops 1,300+ free PBR textures in Hub app
LotPixel Hub beta gives 3D artists free access to 1,300+ PBR textures up to 8K, with Blender integration and more DCCs to come.
No More 2D Smoke and Mirrors: Volumetric Noise for Nuke
Compositing Academy releases Volumetric Noise for Nuke, a raymarched plugin generating true 3D volumetrics with lighting and occlusion.
Foundry locks in full subscription future for 2027
Foundry drops perpetual maintenance: from 2027, all Nuke, Mari, and Katana users will be on subscription only.
Ocean, clouds, and splats: D5 Render 3.0 sets sail
D5 Render 3.0 introduces new environment tools, expanded AI generation, and a lightweight D5 Lite for SketchUp users.
DIY Gravity: Make Your Own Black Hole (In After Effects)
Free After Effects plugin creates cinematic black holes using ray marching, volumetric fog and physically-based parameters.
How I Spent Five Years Making a Solo 3D Film
Maxim Gehricke spent five years creating his solo 3D short film SEN. Here’s how he did it without funding, team, or sleep.
Reallusion expands licences for iClone and Character Creator
Reallusion now offers subscription or perpetual licences for key tools and repositions AccuPOSE INFINITY as a standalone purchase.
Apple Bundles Its Ageing Pro Apps in Subscription
Apple groups its older creative tools under the new Creator Studio plan, mostly for Apple-loyal users rather than working pros.
Free Browser Based Procedural Tree Generator Released
EZ-Tree is a free, open source, browser based procedural tree generator with over 50 parameters and exports to GLB and PNG.
Assimilate Live FX: The VP-Stages’ very, VERY nervous system.
Live FX turns a laptop into a virtual production media server, driving LED walls, lights, compositing, and colour.
Better Bend: A Gentler Way to Deform in Blender
Blender’s Simple Deform walks so Better Bend can twist: cleanly, controllably, and without breaking your mesh in half.
Poser 14 drops Cloth Room, gains simpler PBR setup
Bondware releases Poser 14 with simplified PBR and environment tools, SuperFly update, and no Cloth Room or macOS edition.
Digital Domain welcomes IT to Derry
Digital Domain supervisors break down the design, rigging, lighting, and animation challenges behind the Skeleton Man creature for HBO’s return to the Stephen King universe.
Hover, Don’t Click: Outliner Preview Lands in Blender
Free Blender add-on Outliner Preview shows 360° model thumbnails on hover in the Outliner.
Cinebench 2026: Benchmark therapy
Cinebench 2026 updates the classic benchmark with full GPU support and new SMT tests. Time to see if your workstation is still worth its power bill.
AOUSD Releases OpenUSD Core Specification 1.0
The Alliance for OpenUSD publishes the first ratified core standard defining composition, data models, file formats, and compliance for OpenUSD.
That’s It for This Year: Digital Production Wishes You Happy Holidays
Digital Production is taking a short end-of-year break. Back up your data, sort out the chaos folder, enjoy the holidays, and we will be back next year.
Blackmagic Camera 10.0 brings fan brains and pre-record tricks
Blackmagic Camera 10.0 adds pre-record, smarter cooling, and new API tools for PYXIS and URSA cameras.
Plasticity 2025.3: Now with Instances, Curves and Clouds
Plasticity 2025.3 drops a full toolset refresh: live instancing, SVG export, real-time curvature and continuity feedback, new materials and precision tools.
SMPTE updates its AI report: a roadmap for media engineers
SMPTE’s revised AI report defines where AI stands in media: open source, agentic systems, security, ethics, and data. Read before you automate.
SynthEyes Essentials Training is here and Free for the Holidays
Boris FX unwraps a holiday gift: SynthEyes Essentials, a free, three-hour matchmove training course for VFX artists, free until 31 December.
FMX 2026: First Talks Confirmed and APD Project Submissions Open
FMX 2026 confirms early talks including VFX for Woodwalkers 2 and AI debate, and reminds industry to submit to Animation Production Days by February 4.
Shapelab Max 2026 bends reality with Elastic Move
Leopoly’s hybrid sculpting tool grows up: Shapelab Max 2026 adds a smarter gizmo, Pixar-inspired Elastic Move, and faster voxel remeshing.
Live FX 9.9: More Walls, More Nodes, More Fun
Bigger volumes, smarter nodes: Live FX 9.9 brings multi-GPU HDR output, Unreal integration, and new stage tools for virtual production.
Real-time Chaos: Vantage now inside Maya and Houdini
Chaos Vantage enters the DCC viewport. With V-Ray 7 updates, real-time feedback, volumetrics and AI materials now reach Maya and Houdini.
INSYDIUM Fused 2025.4: Faster NeXus, New GPU Sims, And a Procedural Animation Toolkit
The release of INSYDIUM Fused 2025.4 introduces a rebuilt NeXus core that accelerates GPU simulation performance while reducing…
Mocha Pro 2026: Refined, re-solved, re-edged
AI-assisted mattes, cleaner camera solves, and the return of the curve editor: Mocha Pro 2026 refines your roto and tracking life without reinventing the wheel.
CityEngine 2025.1 Expands CGA Geometry Tools and Introduces Python 3 API
CityEngine 2025.1 arrives with a broadened toolset for procedural modeling, architecture, and urban layout work. The update focuses…
VES Handbook of Visual Effects, Fourth Edition, coming soon
The VES Handbook enters edition four with 95 contributors, new chapters on AI, NeRFs, real time engines and more. Pre orders open now, release Dec 18.
Work Hard, Sort Fast: Project Sorter 1.75
Project Sorter 1.75 auto-sorts your Premiere and After Effects imports by type, path, or metadata. Fewer bins to drag, more time to cut.
Beeble Studio: 4K AI relighting on YOUR desktop
Beeble Studio puts 4K AI-powered relighting and full PBR pass generation on your own machine, no cloud uploads, no credits, just local GPU power.
World VFX Day is starting Now!
World VFX Day 2025 kicks off today at 11 AM CET. A 15-hour livestream unites 65+ speakers from across global VFX, animation and CGI.
Netflix buys Warner Bros.
Netflix will acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios, HBO/HBO Max and content libraries in a $82.7 bn deal, a massive consolidation that may reshape streaming and media production.
Mari 7.5: Multi-Paint, Texture Transfer and the Death of the Single Channel
Multi-Paint and Bakery-based Texture Transfer redefine Mari 7.5: eight channels per stroke, faster asset reuse, and fewer excuses for misaligned maps.
Lofted Surfaces and Retopo in 3DCoat 2025.15
3DCoat 2025.15 expands plane controls, improves Smart Retopo, updates Blender Applink to 5.0, and fixes sculpting bugs.
ZBrush 2026.1: Retopo & Assets
Retopology arrives as a sculpting native system, photogrammetry lands on iPad, and ZBrush’s assets finally move out of Program Files.
RealFX Part 2: From the loading bar to the keyboard
Three scripts, one goal: easyRulers, LoadUP and keyboardFX bring clean, functional motion graphics utilities for everyday After Effects work.
Redshift 2026.2: Texture Displacement and UV Context Arrive
Redshift 2026.2 delivers texture displacement, new UV context tools, IES light refinements, and better Mac stability.
Cinema 4D 2026.1: Fluids, Distributions, and Practical Fixes
Cinema 4D 2026.1 introduces Liquid Flow for GPU-based fluids, new MoGraph distributions, a refined Take System, and numerous quality-of-life fixes.
Rendering the Inferno at RiseFX: The Lost Bus
128 shots, 15 sequences, and GPUs on the brink: RISE FX’s Oliver Schulz explains how his team built the burning world of The Lost Bus.