Tripo P2.0 adds quad output, adjustable mesh budgets and local regeneration. A practical starting point for testing image-to-3D assets in your own pipeline.
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.
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!
Silhouette 2026 upgrades AI mattes, adds Head Track ML and better tracking, boosts paint tools and performance, and finally gets serious about pipelines.
Foundry’s new Mari Texture Library offers more than 120 free assets, including Smart Materials, Smart Masks, textures, brushes and HDRIs for Mari and general DCC workflows.
Abstract has released public preview Linux builds of InstaMAT and InstaLOD, adding native support for RHEL-compatible production environments, Blender and Maya integrations, GPU acceleration, and automation-friendly deployment.
Chaos has released a free Community Edition of V-Ray for Blender
, giving solo users access to the renderer for learning, portfolio work, teaching and smaller freelance tasks. The catch is not especially well hidden: the free tier comes with clear limits on output, support and production features, while the paid version keeps the heavier pipeline machinery.
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.
Dosch Design adds detailed defense logistics trucks to its 3D asset library, quietly acknowledging that modern realism now includes military vehicles in everyday urban environments.
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!
Teya Conceptor’s toolset for quick 3D geometry creation has broadened free edition capabilities while retaining time-based limitations and a brush-centric workflow.
Plasticity 2025.3 drops a full toolset refresh: live instancing, SVG export, real-time curvature and continuity feedback, new materials and precision tools.
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.
Houdini 21 polishes the chaos: production-ready MPM, neural surfacing, smarter Pyro, and Vulkan viewport upgrades: all taste-tested for real-world use. (Part 1 of ???)
3ds Max 2026.3 arrives with more precise Conform modifier controls, dynamic material switching, USD workflow improvements and an updated Arnold plugin.
lender 4.5 LTS arrives with studio-grade support; the Blender survey shows where users stand; and Blender 5.0 beta is already here, so its time to plan your upgrade.
All talks and panel recordings from ICE.ART 2025.II are now live online: set aside a free weekend and dive into environment, historical racing,, city simulation, film nostalgia (including dinosaurs) and Unreal workflows.
Free node setup Easy Photorealism turns Blender’s compositor into a one-stop post-processing station with glare, noise, vignetting, and colour tweaks included.