Cargo 2.0: new importer, larger free library

KitBash3D has released Cargo 2.0, the rebuilt version of its asset manager for browsing and importing KitBash3D’s architectural and environment kits. The update arrives with a redesigned Houdini importer, co-developed with SideFX, that integrates natively into Solaris and exports all content in USD.

Alongside the importer, Cargo 2.0 expands its free offering. Users of the free Cargo Basic account now receive access to 364 free assets:

• 215 modular 3D models
• 141 materials
• 8 vehicles

All assets include textures up to 4K resolution in PNG or JPG. These files can be used in personal projects such as portfolios, student reels, or tests. Commercial use requires either purchasing the individual kit or upgrading to a paid Cargo subscription.

Houdini Solaris integration

The most significant change in Cargo 2.0 is the Houdini importer. KitBash3D rebuilt the plugin in collaboration with SideFX, ensuring that it works natively with Solaris. Assets imported through Cargo appear directly in Houdini’s Asset Catalog as USD files, complete with automatically generated thumbnails. Once imported, they remain in the catalogue across sessions, avoiding the need to reimport them for every new project.

Materials integrate through Solaris’ MaterialX system, making them usable within the Stage environment without additional setup. For larger projects, the Stage Manager node ties into the Cargo Asset Catalog, letting technical directors place and manage hundreds of assets procedurally inside the scene graph. For artists working in layout, the workflow is as simple as dragging and dropping assets into Solaris.

The importer works on both Windows and macOS. This marks the first time that Houdini users on macOS have had access to Cargo integration.

Other DCC integrations

Cargo 2.0 does not limit itself to Houdini. The application connects to a broad set of DCC hosts, including Autodesk 3ds Max, Blender, Maxon Cinema 4D, Autodesk Maya, Unity, and Unreal Engine. Version support starts with 3ds Max 2021, Blender 3.0, Cinema 4D 2023, Maya 2020, Unity 2021.3, and Unreal Engine 5.2. By centring its pipeline on USD, Cargo ensures a consistent workflow across platforms, while each DCC importer follows the conventions of its host application.

Free versus paid: what you actually get

Cargo remains free to download. With a Basic account, users can access all of the kits they have previously purchased as well as the newly expanded library of 364 sample assets. This is the only no-cost option, and it is explicitly limited to personal use.

Professional users face two subscription tiers. An individual licence costs $995 per year and grants access to the complete KitBash3D library of over 20,000 assets. A business licence costs $3,995 annually and is intended for studios requiring full access along with extended commercial rights. Both tiers include ongoing updates to the asset library as new kits are released.

Asset formats and pipeline alignment

All content in Cargo 2.0 is distributed in USD, accompanied by textures in either PNG or JPG format at resolutions of up to 4K. This decision to standardise around USD is consistent with how the industry is moving and directly benefits Houdini’s Solaris integration. By aligning its pipeline with USD, KitBash3D ensures that its content behaves predictably in other USD-based contexts such as Unreal Engine.

The generation of persistent thumbnails on import is a practical detail that benefits daily use. Assets can be previewed inside Houdini’s catalogues without the need to reload them. For larger studios, this feature saves significant time during layout when hundreds of assets may be in use simultaneously.

Workflow demonstration

KitBash3D has released a video walkthrough showing Cargo 2.0 in action with Houdini 21. The demonstration begins with importing a model, which automatically generates a thumbnail for Solaris’ Asset Catalog. Materials are imported in the same way, appearing within a persistent catalogue that remains available for future sessions.

Within Solaris, artists can either drag and drop assets into the Stage or make use of the Stage Manager node for larger setups. The video also shows how materials can be accessed through Solaris’ Material Linker, enabling them to be applied quickly to geometry in the scene. The goal of the redesign is clear: provide a simple workflow for generalists while supporting technical directors with procedural control at scale.

System requirements

Cargo 2.0 runs on Windows 10 or newer and on macOS 11.0 or newer. Plugins are available for all supported DCC hosts mentioned earlier. KitBash3D does not provide specific hardware requirements, but real-world performance will depend heavily on the host DCC and the size of the assets being loaded, particularly when working with USD datasets at scale.

What it means in practice

For independent artists and students, Cargo 2.0’s primary draw is the free library. The 364 included assets provide enough variety to build test scenes, practice workflows, and assemble portfolios. The new Solaris importer is especially relevant to Houdini users, since it finally closes the gap between KitBash3D’s content and a USD-native pipeline.

For studios, the decision is more financial. The $3,995 business licence gives access to the full catalogue, but the value depends on how heavily a team relies on KitBash3D assets in production. For layout-heavy pipelines, or for studios that regularly need large-scale architectural assets, the cost is justifiable. For occasional use, it may not be.

Test before production

KitBash3D claims that Cargo 2.0 improves both stability and pipeline alignment. These claims have not been independently verified at press time. As with any new tool, teams should test Cargo 2.0 carefully in their own production conditions before relying on it. This includes validating asset import behaviour, thumbnail persistence, and compatibility with existing USD workflows.

The post KitBash3D Cargo 2.0 lands with Houdini Solaris importer and 350 free assets first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Ikea without the meatballs

Polygoniq has released Interniq 2.0, a Blender asset library designed to fill virtual interiors without a single Allen key. The collection now holds over 800 assets, including 457 new additions. The assets cover furniture, decoration, lighting, and small props for interior design, archviz, and set dressing. Unlike a Saturday afternoon in Ikea, everything fits on first try.

What’s inside the box

The library includes:

• Fully pre-made interiors for instant drop-in use
• Categorised assets for faster browsing
• Parametric controls for colours, materials, and lighting
• Fabric assignment for furniture
• Working clocks powered by Geometry Nodes

Interniq’s goal is practical: speed up scene dressing in Blender while avoiding external downloads or scattered file management.

VRAM, spawning, and optimisation

According to Polygoniq, Interniq 2.0 is optimised for modern GPUs with at least 10 GB of VRAM. Asset spawning and placement have been tuned to reduce lag. Whether this optimisation holds up in complex production pipelines must be verified individually.

Pricing without the showroom maze

Interniq 2.0 is sold via Superhive in three tiers:

• Starter Pack ($2): one complete apartment scene
• Lite ($49): 300+ assets
• Full ($99): entire library with 800+ assets, including all new additions

Licensing is mostly royalty-free, but some assets are limited to editorial use. Exact licence terms are provided per tier on Superhive.

Installation: no flat-pack, no panic

Interniq integrates directly into Blender’s Asset Browser. Installation consists of downloading the pack, placing the library folder in a user-defined location, and linking it via Blender’s preferences. Assets then appear in the Asset Browser, sorted by categories. No add-on scripts are required, and the process avoids version mismatches with Blender updates. There is a plugin available called “engon”, but that doesn’t seem to be required.

Categories to reduce choice paralysis

The asset pack covers standard interior categories:

• Seating, tables, and storage
• Kitchenware, bathrooms, and electronics
• Lighting fixtures
• Decoration, plants, and fabrics

Polygoniq also includes several fully staged rooms. These can be used for quick previews or as a base for custom interiors.

Promotional discount

At press time, Polygoniq is offering a 33% discount on Interniq 2.0 with the promo code boostiq. This applies across tiers but is subject to change.

Production reality check

Interniq 2.0 offers variety and speed, but, like all assets, it should be tested inside actual pipelines before production use. File size, shading behaviour, and render times can vary depending on hardware and project complexity.

The post Interior assets without flat-pack stress first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Devices like the Game Boy rarely get the treatment they deserve: tears, hugs, and apparently, quad-based 3D modeling. Digital artist Julio Benavides—aka Benavidmark—has turned the iconic handheld into a stylized robot, blending 8-bit nostalgia with technical precision. This isn’t just an emotional tribute; it’s a detailed showcase of a clean, production-grade pipeline—suitable for animation, 3D printing, or simply staring at and wishing for your childhood back.

Concept and Reference: Pureref to the Rescue

Benavidmark’s process started, as many do, with references. The artist’s method of choice: Pureref—a reference management tool favored for juggling large piles of inspiration. Images forming the visual backbone of the project are clearly visible in the background, testifying to a production process rooted in visual research, not fever dreams.

On concept art duties: Cameron Sewell, a freelance illustrator based in Florida. Sewell’s clear, detailed style informed both the spirit and design of the project, aiming for animation- and game-industry relevance.

Blocking: Camera Matching with fSpy and Blender

For scene blocking, Benavidmark employed fSpy, a piece of open-source software designed for matching camera positions and perspectives from photographic reference. The workflow is methodical: load a still image, match the camera parameters, export those to Blender (version 4.2 in this case), then adjust the camera and background for blocking.

Blender’s fSpy importer add-on automates most of this, importing camera parameters directly and simplifying the setup. With the image in place, Benavidmark moved on to blocking out the character, ready for the actual modeling.

Modeling in Autodesk Maya: Quads, Not Triangles

The modeling phase occurred in Autodesk Maya, a platform not exactly lacking in polygon options. Here, the watchword is “quads”: polygons with four sides, essential for clean edge flow, predictable deformation, and subdivision in animation and VFX pipelines.

Benavidmark’s approach is textbook: begin with a rough blockout, define major shapes, then add details—all while maintaining quad-only topology wherever possible. Separate components were modeled individually, then assembled with an obsessive focus on all-quad geometry. This isn’t just purism; triangles are prone to causing pinching and artifacts during subdivision or deformation, a headache familiar to anyone who’s ever tried to animate a mesh built from triangles.

Quads allow for easier editing, smoother deformations, and subdivision with algorithms like Catmull-Clark. Triangles, by contrast, are reserved for low-poly, real-time, or background assets where subdivisions are unnecessary.

UVs: The Blueprint for Texture

Once the geometry was ready, Benavidmark generated UVs—the essential mapping from 3D to 2D for texturing. Accurate UVs allow textures, colors, and details to be applied cleanly and without distortion. A checker material in Maya verified that the layout was free from unwanted stretching before proceeding.

Texturing: Illustrator Alphas, Substance Painter Layers

Texturing was completed in Substance Painter, but not before creating high-resolution alpha masks in Adobe Illustrator. These alphas provided the fine details required for accurate, high-res detail placement on the model.

With the model and UVs imported into Substance Painter, the workflow followed a familiar sequence: apply a UV checker, lay down the base color, layer on custom alphas, then finish with carefully constructed dirt and wear layers. The result is a stylized surface with a convincing illusion of depth, use, and history—just like the real Game Boy after a few years in a school backpack.

Final Scene: Rendering in Blender 4.1

For final renders, the model returned to Blender (version 4.1). Materials and high-res textures were assigned, HDRI lighting was introduced for realistic reflections and highlights, and the scene was composed in a manner that leaves everything organized and ready for further revision.

The Whole 3D Pipeline on Display

Benavidmark’s project is a classic hard-surface pipeline: visual research, camera matching, quad-based modeling, UV mapping, layered texturing, and final rendering. Each step is documented, every tool named, and the logic behind every production choice is explained. Professionals looking to audit, learn, or simply critique every polygon will find all the necessary evidence.

Availability and Further Details

The complete Game Boy Robot scene is available for download and study on Gumroad. Extended breakdowns, high-res renders, and additional assets can be found on ArtStation, with an even deeper dive into the process on the project website. If you want to see it all in motion, check out the YouTube channel.

And to see, what he is up to in the meantime, check his Instagram: instagram.com/benavidmark

The post Game Boy Robot: When Nostalgia Gets a Quad-Based Makeover first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The 12th iteration of the Car Render Challenge, hosted by 3DModels.org, is now underway under the new name One Car Challenge. Participants must download a standard, base car model and create a single compelling render without the use of AI. Submissions are accepted from now until September 30, 2025 .

Same Base Model. Different Visions

Every entrant must start with the identical 3D template provided by 3DModels.org. From there, submissions may include environment, textures, lighting, and context, but all stem from the same underlying geometry . The emphasis lies in creative adaptation, technical execution, and visual storytelling, rather than geometry-only skill.

Open to All

Both seasoned VFX professionals and hobbyist CGI enthusiasts may participate, provided they transform the common model into a unique piece. No category restrictions are noted, beyond the prohibition of AI-generated content .

Timeline & Entry Details

The challenge runs from July 1 to September 30, 2025. Artists must submit one render using the shared model from 3DModels.org, adhering to technical guidelines available on their site.

Judging & Prizes

Although the details on judging criteria and prize tiers remain sparse, prior contests have involved industry panels evaluating originality and technical finesse (including yours truly). Previous Car Render Challenges offered equipment, software licenses, and visibility across partner platforms.

Community & WIP Sharing

Forums attached to 3DModels.org currently host WIP threads, showcasing over 830 ongoing discussions among artists sharing progress on the One Car Challenge. This implies a highly active and engaged community aspect alongside the contest – just sayin’ …

The post Artists Must Adapt: 3DModels.org Launches “One Car Challenge” first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Technicolor Games India: Back in Business

After its recent acquisition by Mumbai-based PFW, Technicolor Games India is reopening its Bangalore facility, inviting employees back on-site. This move signals stability after last year’s Technicolor Creative Studios breakup, which left many in limbo. While details on long-term plans remain scarce, the reopening suggests that at least parts of the former Technicolor empire might find new footing under different ownership. Whether this marks a trend for other divisions remains to be seen—but for now, it’s a rare piece of good news in an industry that’s seen too many closures.

On of our favourite directors ventures into animation!

Renowned for his cinematic odysseys into the human psyche, Werner Herzog is now charting new territory: animation. At the age of 82, Herzog is set to direct his inaugural animated feature, “The Twilight World,” adapted from his own novel. This project delves into the extraordinary true story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese intelligence officer who, steadfast in his duty, continued guerrilla warfare in the Philippine jungles for thirty years after World War II had officially ended.

International Collaboration

This ambitious project is a French-German co-production between Psyop and Sun Creature Studio. Psyop, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is acclaimed for its advertising and short-form content, while Sun Creature Studio has garnered recognition for works like the Oscar-nominated animated documentary “Flee” and the Cartoon Network series “The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe.” Both studios will contribute their animation expertise to bring Herzog’s vision to life.

Script and Production Details

The screenplay is a collaborative effort between Michael Arias, known for “Tekkonkinkreet” and “The Animatrix,” and Luca Vitale, working closely with Herzog. Herzog will also lend his distinctive voice as the film’s narrator. Production is slated to commence in 2026, following the completion of Herzog’s live-action film “Bucking Fastard,” with a targeted release in 2028.

Herzog’s quote: I always felt that Hiroo Onoda’s story, having spanned almost 30 years of fever dreams in the jungle, was best suited for literature, not cinema — which is why I chose to tell it through a novel. It wasn’t until the producers at Psyop approached me about adapting Onoda’s story into an animated film that I realized the potential that animation had to tell this story in a truly compelling and imaginative way. I am very much looking forward to the challenge of working in what is for me, a totally new medium.

And, if you need a bit of Herzog talking in your day to day: Here is an AI-Generator generating a never-ending discussion between Werner Herzog and Slavoj Žižek. Everything you hear is fully generated by a machine. The opinions and beliefs expressed do not represent anyone. They are the hallucinations of a slab of silicon.

A good boy, ready for zoomies!

VFX Grace has launched a 3D German Shepherd model, designed for animation and VFX projects. Created in Blender, the model features a detailed rig, realistic fur with hair cards, and high-quality 4K textures. It supports real-time rendering and cinematic-quality animation, making it suitable for film, games, and visualization projects.

The model includes a full-body rig with IK/FK switching, allowing smooth movement and natural deformations. The fur is crafted using Blender’s particle system, providing a lifelike appearance without excessive performance costs. The UV-mapped 4K textures enhance realism, ensuring the model integrates seamlessly into various pipelines.

The German Shepherd 3D model is available for purchase (400 rigged, 650 fully animated) on the VFX Grace website. And whoever owns a dog knows that is comparatively cheap, because with this doggo you won’t have to replace the couch, doors and whatever is the newest chew toy. Before using it in production, artists should test compatibility with their specific workflows.

And another bit of good news: Season 4 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds started filming today!

The post Good News! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.