ZBrush 2027: Sculpting on the Train
ZBrush 2027 brings Spotlight and 3D Layers to iPad, proper UV editing to desktop, and a welcome contrast to Mudbox's farewell.
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3D animation
439 posts
Animatica Marionette: Pull Less, Pose More
Animatica brings offline posing and motion editing to Blender. We examine its Platige pedigree, practical limits and the Cascadeur connection.
Redshift 2027: More VRAM, Less Waiting
Redshift 2027 revamps GPU memory handling, speeds interactive feedback, adds procedural fur and expands DCC support, with launch-day fixes.
Cinema 4D 2027: Scatter, Foam and Fields
Cinema 4D 2027 adds native scatter, foam and bubbles, node-built effectors, CAD import upgrades and more detailed object-manager controls.
Autograph 2027 Lets Agents Join the Comp
Autograph 2027 gains an MCP server, Cinema 4D scene transfer, improved typography, integrated Maxon Studio and broadcast demo projects.
RenderJuice Contest: $5,000 for Speedy Blender Animators
RenderJuice's free Blender Speed contest offers $5,000 in prizes for 5–30 second animations. Entries run October 15–31, 2026.
KeyFlow Turns Maya Repetitions Into Buttons
Fenix Animator’s KeyFlow puts Maya animation chores into a customizable toolbar, from timing and mirroring to temporary rig controls.
Animcraft 6.0 Adds AI Rigging and Kimodo
Basefount adds automatic skinning and weight processing to Animcraft, plus NVIDIA Kimodo-based text-to-motion generation for character workflows.
ICE.ART 2026.II agenda is set
ICE.ART 2026.II has its final agenda: three online evenings covering animation, virtual production, architecture, materials and realtime worlds.
tyFlow 2.100 Adds PhysX Vehicles
tyFlow adds PhysX vehicle rigs to 3ds Max, plus 3DGS interchange for Max 2027+ and a lower-VRAM Inferno advection mode.
Spider Walker automates multi-leg animation
Spider Walker turns body motion into procedural multi-leg steps, raycasted surface contacts and bakeable Blender animation.
Softie Adds XPBD Collisions to Blender
Softie combines fast Geometry Nodes deformation with an experimental XPBD mode for soft contact, self-collision and interactive sculpting.
Marvelous Designer 2026.1 Rips Seams
Seam ripping, brush pinching, blend-shape animation and camera interchange give Marvelous Designer finer control over cloth and hand-offs.
Cascadeur 2026.1 adds Unreal Live Link, Filament rendering and AI root motion.
Cascadeur 2026.1 ships with a rebuilt Unreal Engine Live Link, full adoption of the Filament rendering engine and a new generative Root Motion tool. The release also adds collision penetration cleanup, point constraints in physics workflows and further work on quadruped posing.
HFF Munich seeks new mentor for 3D animation
HFF Munich is hiring a part-time 3D animation mentor for its VFX programme under Prof. Jürgen Schopper, starting 1 May 2026.
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.
Autodesk launches Maya 2026.3 & Creative 2026.3
Maya 2026.3 packs Bifrost rigid bodies, Graph Editor channel sets, Flow connectivity, and an upgraded USD asset resolver.
Mesh2Motion Update 6 Adds Explore Library and Rebuilt Rigs
Update 6 gives Mesh2Motion a new Explore Library, rebuilt Blender rigs, and smarter bones for birds, dragons, and quadrupeds.
Cascadeur Mobile 3D Animation Now on Android
Cascadeur Mobile is now on Android, bringing AI-assisted 3D animation tools to phones and tablets. From AutoPosing to AR previews, the mobile app shrinks desktop workflows into a pocket-sized package. Ideal for animating between train stops or polishing keyframes on the toilet break.
ICE.Art 2025: Virtual Worlds Meet After Hours
ICE.Art 2025 goes online in October. Two evenings of talks on 3D environments. Michael Shelton returns after his FMX Westworld talk.
Polishing Polygons: Animatrix Polisher for Maya
Sculpt, smear, polish: Animatrix Polisher adds direct mesh editing and non-destructive fixes to Maya for just 20 bucks.
Autodesk adds AI Assistants to Maya (and beyond)
Maya gets AI Assistants and Graph Assist. Autodesk outlines a larger AI push for artists.
TD-Meetup: Join us live, we talk about how VR Speeds Up Animation & Previz!
VR meets previs: Dan Franke shows how Quill VR fuels storytelling and rapid 3D iteration at the TD Meetup this thursday!
Here’s Character Creator 5 — Now in Hero-Quality, MAya-Friendly, MetaHuman-Friendly, and Armed with ActorMIXER
Reallusion launches Character Creator 5 featuring HD subdivision, upgraded facial animation, ActorMIXER Pro, and integration with Maya, Marmoset, and Unreal.
Houdini 21: SideFX pushes for production readiness across the CG pipeline
SideFX releases Houdini 21, promoting Apex, Vulkan, Otus, and major animation and rigging upgrades to production-ready status.
Rumba 2.0: No More Animators’ Elbow
Rumba 2.0 from Mercenaries Engineering launches, promising faster, artist-friendly Maya-compatible character animation and seamless USD, Alembic, and FBX support.
Animation for All: Reallusion AccuRIG 2.0 and Friends Keep Things Moving
AccuRIG 2.0 puts 4,500+ animations a click away. Reallusion’s animation and rigging ecosystem is picking up speed.
Unreal Engine Freebie: 350‑Piece Flying Fantasy Town Kit
Epic Games offers 358 free Unreal Engine‑ready meshes from George Shachnev’s Flying Fantasy Town kit. Available via Fab until 15 July 2025.
ICE Nexus: Now Streaming, Pixel by Pixel
ICE Nexus launches June 25 with Arcware, exploring real-time 3D pixel streaming, digital humans, and virtual showrooms in a free online event.
Odyssey: Toons on the Unreal Engine Timeline
Odyssey is now free on Fab: 2D storyboarding and vector animation, baked right into Unreal Engine 5.6.
Step Into the Unknown: ‘Worlds Next Door’ Invites Digital Artists to Create and Collaborate
The Blender challenge Worlds Next Door starts June 8. Artists remix a template into looping shorts—no AI, transparent background required.
CEUM 2025.1 Videos are online :)
CEUM 2025.II follows on 17 September, and if you missed the last one: no worries, the CEUM 2025.I talk videos are already online and ready for your next coffee break.
Mark Your Calendars: ICE & CEUM Return
ICE 2025.I is coming up on 21–22 May—mark your calendar and grab your spot now, registration’s already open. CEUM 2025.II follows on 17 September!
The First Look at Character Creator 5: Prelaunch Offer Starts NOW
Reallusion is set to redefine real-time 3D character creation with the upcoming launch of Character Creator 5 (CC5) this summer. Key updates feature HD character bases, enhanced shaders, and an advanced facial animation system.
CityEngine User Meeting 2025: Registration Open for CEUM
Registration for the CityEngine User Meeting 2025 is now live. The online event takes place on April 16, 2025, from 5–8 pm CEST.
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.
LightWave 2025: Something is coming
LightWave Digital unveils LightWave 2025, introducing RIPR for real-time HDR previews, enhanced Rhiggit tools, LW Construct for rapid asset creation, and a versatile Cel Shader for stylized rendering.
iClone 8.52: A Major Leap for Animation Editing
iClone 8.52 delivers a highly anticipated update for professional animation editing, packed with groundbreaking features driven by user feedback. Despite its numerical step from 8.51, this release introduces transformative tools to elevate animation workflows.
Fly Blender Like a Drone – For Free!
A free Blender add-on turns your camera into a drone-style controller, bringing a new perspective to 3D animation and VFX.
MoonRay 1.7: DreamWorks’ Renderer Gets a Shiny Update
DreamWorks Animation releases MoonRay 1.7, introducing PortalLight, enhanced NVIDIA GPU acceleration, and Cryptomatte support in hdMoonRay.
SideFX Offers Free Houdini Muscle Masterclass
If you already know your New Years resolution to get "fit" will fail as miserably as always: Why not change the objective and build muscles in Houdini?
Hff’s Little Star
Every year, the VFX programme at HFF Munich produces various projects that break new creative ground. These include the animated mixed-media short film "Little Star", which brings a touching encounter to life through a combination of traditional hand-drawn 2D animation and 3D computer animation. But how exactly was the film made?
Blender 4.3: Updates for Animation, VFX, and Rendering
Blender 4.3 introduces light linking, a Metallic BSDF node, F82 Tint, enhanced compositing features, and updates for geometry nodes and simulations.
“Grease Pencil” hPaint for Houdini
hPaint now extends Grease Pencil-like features for Houdini 20.5 in one easy to use HDA.
New Cloth Creation Toolset for Houdini: A First Look
Houdini Artits introduce a new cloth and curves creation toolset basend on the drawing of Curves.
Forest Pack 9 for 3ds Max Released: What’s New?
iToo Software has rolled out Forest Pack 9 for 3ds Max, and the latest update is packed with new tools and improvements aimed at artists working on environment creation, visual effects, and architectural visualization
Castle In The Sky Hommage
We all think Studio Ghibli is great - and if you want to learn what makes it so charming and appealing, a homage is always a good way to go. And I had the opportunity at Ostfalia University,
to really immerse myself - a
an experience report.
Trash, Dance & Robots
In winter 2021, we decided to make a film as a group of three under the guidance of our professor Jürgen Schopper about a robot whose purpose in life is to pick up rubbish. A lot has happened in the meantime: the robot is now controlled by an old lady and can - surprise! - dance very well. We have spent many enjoyable, stressful and also funny days at the HFF with our robot and the old lady. The original idea resulted in a four-minute animated film. We - three visual effects students (Valentin Dittlmann, Hannes Werner, Felix Zachau) at the University of Television and Film in Munich - developed, realised and completed this film in the course of our first year of study.
Flight of fancy | Retro article
Review: In DP 06 : 2014, the second instalment of Planes rotated its way into the inbound flight path. Disneytoon Studios increased the budget for software licences and personnel at the time - but does the film come close to Disney-Slash-Pixar major productions such as Frozen or Brave?
Blender’s animation toolbox is about to get a makeover!
Doctor Sybren Stüvel & team announce: Blender's animation tools will be significantly improved by the end of 2025.
The Cascadeur animation software is available as a full version!
The beta tests have been successfully completed - now the full version is being released. A five-minute video shows which new functions are coming.
MetaHuman Creator 1.3 and DNA Calibration Library !
Double release from Epic Games: Version 1.3 of MetaHuman is released as Early Access, then the calibration library expands creative freedom for artists.
Unity’s Digital Human Package gets an update!
At the Unity 2022 industry event, Unity CEO John Riccitiello announces new features for the package, which can be used to create realistic human characters. The download is free of charge.
Character Rendering in Unreal Engine 5
Lead character artist J Hill demonstrates the complete UE5 workflow, from importing a model and building materials to final renders.
Epic Games Publishes Animation Field Guide
Epic Games' free 100-page guide collects pipeline advice and interviews for animators working with Unreal Engine.
Adobe releases Character Animator 22.5!
The convenient software for anyone who wants to enhance their content with animated cartoon characters. The latest version of the real-time tool for motion capturing and character animation.
Recreating Skyfall in Unreal Engine 5
Jay H. Patel recreated the Skyfall estate and Aston Martin DB5 with 3ds Max, Unreal Engine 5, Lumen, Niagara and Megascans.
Building a Digital Human in Unreal Engine
A 20-minute behind-the-scenes film traces Renderpeople's digital-double workflow through photogrammetry, motion capture and Unreal Engine.
Pixel Art Shaders in Unreal Engine 4 and 5
Artist and developer Yoan-Dako Petkov presents a series of pixel-art environments and shaders created in Unreal Engine 4 and 5.
Whispy Boom VFX Project Files
VFX artist Simon Trümpler released free Unreal Engine project files for a stylised explosion built with hand-painted Krita textures.
Plask | Great tool
With this free tool you can animate in the web browser - including motion capturing function.
Maya 2022.3 Expands Morph Workflows
Maya 2022.3 adds morph retargeting, mirrored deformation, tangential constraints, GPU jiggle playback and sculpting updates.
Geometry Nodes Workflow in Blender 3.0
Satendra Saraswat's 15-minute tutorial builds a stylised scene while explaining Geometry Nodes workflow and node setup in Blender 3.0.
Lycra Moves You: CG Cloth and Dance
Glassworks London combined CG cloth and dance in the award-winning Lycra Moves You commercial using Softimage, Flame and Nuke.
Reallusion Joins Blender Development Fund
Reallusion becomes a Corporate Silver partner and outlines Blender links for selective character updates, live iClone data and Rigify.
U-Render Volumetrics Tutorial
Part seven of U-Render First Steps covers real-time volumetrics, fog, haze and volume scattering in Cinema 4D R19 or later.
Turbopera: An Operatic CG Fish
The two-minute CG short Turbopera turns a fish into an operatic singer; the film was nominated for an Animago award in 2019.
ZBrush Changes Perpetual Upgrade Policy
ZBrush perpetual licences bought after 29 December 2021 no longer include free feature upgrades, while critical fixes remain available.
U-Render Multipass Tutorial
Part six of U-Render First Steps covers Object ID, Material ID and Depth passes for Cinema 4D R19 or later.
Bookmarks Adds Timeline Markers to 3ds Max
Kinematic Lab's Bookmarks tool adds custom scene and object markers for navigation, time isolation, key editing and retiming in 3ds Max.
None of That | Animago Afternoon
The award-winning animated short None of That turns museum censorship into a brisk, technically polished comedy.
Blender 3.0 Begins a New Series
Blender 3.0 launches the 3.x series with faster Cycles rendering, Geometry Nodes work and Asset Browser improvements.
War of the Worlds in Unreal Engine
Chris Farkouh built a War of the Worlds film project with Unreal Engine, Maya, Marmoset Toolbag and Substance 3D Painter.
U-Render Tutorial: Final Rendering
Part five of U-Render's first-steps series covers final resolution, the dashboard and output from Cinema 4D.
Sprite Fright: Blender Open Movie
Blender Studio's free ten-minute horror comedy Sprite Fright sends five visitors into a forest with murderous mushroom sprites.
Moves Adds Object Capture
Maxon's Moves update adds guided photo capture for textured 3D objects and transfer into Cinema 4D on supported Macs.
Procedural Jet Thrust for Blender
Raisy Clutch's Blender add-on generates adjustable real-time jet-thrust effects for distant game and film shots.
Modelling a Vintage Ticket Dispenser
Pulkit Jain explains a Maya, Substance and Marmoset workflow for a vintage ticket dispenser built to practise subdivision modelling.
Octane 2022.1 Previews Faster Caustics
Octane 2022.1 previews a photon-tracing kernel for cleaner, faster caustics plus an expanded subscriber software bundle.
Noisy Night, Senseless Stuff
Review: In DP 01 : 2017, we discovered the true spirit of Christmas with the animated musical "More Stuff" from London. But how is Brexit affecting everyday animated life?
U-Render Tutorial: Camera Controls
Part four of U-Render's first-steps series covers depth of field, motion blur and spherical camera rendering in Cinema 4D.
3ds Max 2022.3 Refines Modelling
3ds Max 2022.3 updates Smart Extrude, viewport filtering, pipeline configuration, OSL wood and file-save performance.
Unity Acquires SyncSketch
Unity acquires browser-based review platform SyncSketch, adding real-time annotation, whiteboards and 2D, video and 3D review.
Sweet Nothing Selected for Sundance
Lucerne animation graduates Joana Fischer and Marie-Christine Kenov take the four-minute Sweet Nothing to Sundance 2022.
Creative Cloud Express Replaces Spark
Adobe Creative Cloud Express combines templates, Stock assets and quick image, video and PDF operations across web and mobile.
Louis’ Shoes: An Autistic Perspective
The five-minute French animated short Louis' Shoes follows an autistic eight-year-old entering a new classroom.
FMX 2022 Announces First Speakers
FMX 2022 announces sessions on Foundation, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Igraine and Dragman, plus HaZ Dulull's keynote.
Cinema 4D Lite R25 for After Effects
Cinema 4D Lite R25 arrives with After Effects, providing basic modelling, texturing, lighting and animation for motion graphics.
Digital Production 01:2022 Arrives
DP 01:2022 covers plug-ins, student VFX, camera comparisons and production work on Dune, Raised by Wolves and Encanto.
Maxon Agrees to Acquire Pixologic
Maxon agrees to acquire Pixologic and bring ZBrush under the same roof as Cinema 4D, subject to closing.
Cinema 4D Halloween Project
Creative director Sabour Amirazodi breaks down a personal Halloween project and the Cinema 4D techniques behind it.
Building an Abandoned Tunnel in UE5
Environment artist Emiel Sleegers explains composition, assets, vegetation, texturing and lighting for an Unreal Engine 5 tunnel.
U-Render Tutorial: Post Effects
Part three of U-Render's first-steps series covers ambient occlusion, bloom, tone mapping and chromatic aberration.
Ten Standout Sketchfab Models
A ten-model Sketchfab selection spans retro computers, an antique telephone and a moon-bound Clefairy.
BOA Dist Distributes Objects in 3ds Max
The free BOA Dist script places small numbers of object instances along surfaces, splines and references in 3ds Max.
Procedural Hair with Blender Geometry Nodes
Character artist Irakli Kupunia demonstrates procedural hair and secondary clumping with Blender's Geometry Nodes field system.
Free Guide Maps Creative Careers
Escape Studios' free Industry Beginner's Guide outlines production basics, terminology and career paths in art and games.
Procedural Ivy Generator for Blender 3.0
Antoine Bagattini's free Blender 3.0 generator controls procedural ivy density, surface distance and spread.
Quixel Assets for Abandoned Interiors
A curated Quixel Megascans selection supplies statues, cushions, metal tables, stools and fireplaces for decayed environments.
Cinema 4D Capsule Assets Explained
Athanasios “Noseman” Pozantzis explains procedural Capsule Assets built with Cinema 4D Scene Nodes.