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.
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Animation
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Normal Problem? Normal Solution: Free Blender Add-on “Shading Normal Editor” Now Available
Stylized shading made easier: "Shading Normal Editor" for Blender fixes normals for shading effects—free and ready for download.
SDF, UVs & STLs: Uniform 1.4 Goes All In
Uniform 1.4 introduces SDF modeling with full UV mapping, STL export for 3D printing, and new workflow tools for precise mesh editing and texture control.
SideFX Extends Houdini Labs: Free Procedural Bridge Tool Arrives
SideFX updates the free procedural bridge tool for Houdini, offering customizable, animatable bridge assets – ready for download on SideFX Labs.
EZ Tree: Your Next Tree’s Just a Click Away
Free, open-source, lightweight and Python-based: EZ Tree procedurally generates trees for 3D workflows – via GUI or command line.
Achoo-Free Effects: “3D Dust & Pollen Free” for After Effects
New free preset "3D Dust & Pollen Free" for After Effects simulates pollen, dust, spores, dander and other floating irritants – without triggering allergies.
Free Mech, Fully Armed: SideFX Drops Rigged & Ready Model for UE5
SideFX releases a free, fully rigged and animated mech model, optimized for Unreal Engine 5 and ready for animation, rigging and FBX workflows.
Lumion 2025: Rendering Realism Gets a Ray-Traced Makeover
Lumion 2025 introduces AI-powered upscaling, enhanced ray-traced water and fog, and a new Scene Inspector for streamlined workflows.
Neat Video 6.0.5: Noise Reduction Gets a Patch-Up
Neat Video 6.0.5 squashes bugs, improves GPU performance, fixes color channel issues, and updates presets – denoising stays smooth across video workflows, even in Resolve and Fusion 20
Marvelous 2025: Now with Extra Fur, Fewer Triangles
Marvelous Designer 2025.0 refines simulation and modeling: new IK, UVs for sides and back, fur preview in 3D, better quads, modular workflow, and more.
Corona 12 Update 2: Sunlight, Static Meshes & Setups
Corona 12 Update 2 adds support for Sun Directionality, static mesh export from Chaos Scatter, and a unified setup for the Corona Sky in 3ds Max and C4D.
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!
FMX 2025: AI, Arcane, and a Light Stage Walk into a Conference
FMX 2025 unleashes Arcane secrets, Houdini hocus pocus, and a swarm of AI panels onto Stuttgart. Turquoise flags and login buttons now live!
Saddle Up Your Scene: 260 Wild West Assets Ride Freely into Unreal
260 modular Wild West assets for Unreal Engine now free via Fab—includes saloons, stables, and tumbleweed-ready level design.
Unity 6.1: Surfing Waves and Shading Smarter
Unity 6.1 introduces 3D water deformation, Deferred+ rendering in URP, Variable Rate Shading, bicubic lightmap sampling, and experimental WebGPU support.
Greyscalegorilla Studio 1.3: Less Clicks, More Kicks
Greyscalegorilla Studio 1.3 streamlines 3D workflows with Smart Send, drag-and-drop model import, and a refined UI—boosting efficiency for artists.
Weight No More: Streamlining Blender’s Weight Painting with Robust Weight Transfer
Enhance your Blender workflow with Sent From Space's free Robust Weight Transfer add-on, simplifying weight painting and improving character rigging efficiency.
Express Delivery: Adobe, ComLine & the Speed of Content
Adobe and ComLine present Adobe Express as a fast-track content tool with Firefly AI and scheduling, live-demoed by Adobe’s Sven Brencher on April 29.
FMX Dives into Decay and the Delta: The Last of Us and Sinners
FMX reveals in-depth VFX insights into The Last of Us season 2 and Ryan Coogler’s supernatural period feature Sinners, shot on IMAX 65mm.
AI All-Inclusive: Adobe’s Firefly Goes Full Creative Suite
At Adobe MAX London, Adobe unveils Firefly Model 4, a new web app, enhanced video and vector models, and fresh APIs for creative professionals.
LightWave 2025!
LightWave 2025 introduces RIPR for real-time HDR previews, enhanced rigging tools like Steppit, Handdit, and Pickkit, and new modeling features including SuperPatcher and Construct.
iClone 8.53: Now in Sync
Reallusion's iClone 8.53 adds timecode support and streamlines scene export for Omniverse and Unreal Engine.
ICE.ART 2025.I: May Your Env Be Ever Procedural
ICE.ART 2025.I, the 3D Environment Conference, will return on May 21–22, 2025. The call for speakers is now open.
Eevee Enlightenment: Blender Guru’s New Course Shines Bright
Andrew Price releases a comprehensive course on mastering Blender's Eevee renderer, covering fundamentals, troubleshooting, and scene optimization.
ZibraVDB: Shrinking Volumes, Expanding Possibilities
ZibraVDB compresses OpenVDB files up to 100x, enabling real-time volumetric effects in Unreal Engine and Houdini for virtual production and game development.
Gear 5.0 Beta 6: Rigging Tool Gets 2026-Ready
mGear 5.0 Beta 6 brings Maya 2026 support, improved guide templates, updated Shifter components, and new logic for picker selection.
The Grove 2.2: Cutting-Edge Tree Tech Goes Cross-Platform
The Grove 2.2 brings a radical tech boost with a new Skeleton tool, optimized simulations, and unified naming for Houdini and Blender.
Brush for Free: Howler 2023 Now Costs Nada
Howler 2023 is now free. The GPU-accelerated painting and animation tool supports 3D painting, frame-by-frame animation, and video FX for Windows users.
Blueprints & C++: Epic’s New Tutorial Series for Unity Devs
Epic Games releases a 5-part tutorial series with Enduring Games to assist Unity developers in transitioning to Unreal Engine, focusing on Blueprints and C++ integration.
FMX 2025: Rebels, Randomness & Real-Time
FMX dives into the VFX secrets of “Andor” Season 2, “Severance,” “Vaiana 2” and much more – discover intricate workflows and innovative techniques in production.
Free Assets, High Tech – No splinters to be feared!
150 free, modular workshop assets for Unreal Engine. Get ready for precision, plug-and-play, and a cheeky tech upgrade
ZBrush for iPad Adds ZModeler
Maxon adds the ZModeler brush to ZBrush for iPad. Artists can now use the poly modeling toolset on iPadOS for mobile hard surface work.
Test: Xencelabs Pen Display 16
Let's test! Lightweight 16-inch graphics tablet with 4K OLED screen from Xencelabs
is said to be the industry's first 16-inch 4K OLED pen display. But ...
Thinkbox MX Plugin Suite: Open-Sourced Magic in current 3ds Max Versions
Thinkbox MX Plugin Suite for 3ds Max is now available, showcasing a finely tuned open source solution that champions usability, simplicity, and stability in production pipelines.
Blender’s Vulkan Venture: Community Call to Arms
Blender seeks community assistance to test its experimental Vulkan backend with a detailed supported platforms table included.
Dirty Shader Hands? Use MatCaps!
A free tool for Blender lets you paint PBR materials directly in 3D Viewport—without UVs, nodes or shaders.
Cineware for Unreal 2025-2: Rig, Animate, and Roll—No FBX Fuss
Maxon’s Cineware for Unreal Engine 2025-2 update delivers native rigging, skinning, and animation export from Cinema 4D to Unreal—no FBX or baking required.
Cascadeur 2025.1 tumbles in!
Cascadeur 2025.1 introduces AI-powered Inbetweening, upgrades AutoPosing and AutoPhysics, enhances Ragdoll interactions, and improves GLTF and FBX support.
Cinema 4D 2025.2: Feature Dump, Incoming
Cinema 4D 2025.2 delivers a host of new features—from enhanced camera modes to particle controls and Rocket Lasso Capsules—with extensive bug fixes.
Adobe’s Premiere Pro and After Effects 25.2
Adobe unveils Premiere Pro and After Effects 25.2 at NAB 2025, introducing AI-driven tools like Generative Extend, enhanced search capabilities, and HDR monitoring.
Maxon One Update: ZBrush for iPad, Redshift Resolve and More
Maxon's latest update for Maxon One introduces ZBrush for iPad, Red Giant tools for DaVinci Resolve, enhanced Cinema 4D splines, and Redshift upgrades.
OctaneRender 2025.1
OTOY’s OctaneRender 2025.1 introduces robust rest attributes, advanced Vectron displacement, native decals, a realistic lens camera, and an experimental server node for technical rendering workflows.
iRender Cloud Render Farm Enhances Redshift Workflows
iRender offers a cloud-based render farm for Redshift users with RTX 4090 GPUs and Cinema 4D licenses to streamline high-end rendering tasks.
Terrain3D 1.0: Godot’s Landscape Tool Levels Up
Terrain3D 1.0 for Godot Engine 4.4 introduces enhanced 3D projection, dynamic collision, and up to 10 LODs for foliage, optimizing landscape creation.
Arnold 7.4.1: Now with GPU Toon Shading and a Dash of HTML
Autodesk's Arnold 7.4.1 introduces GPU-accelerated toon shading, enhanced procedural instancing performance, and a new interactive HTML-based render statistics viewer.
Rodeo FX Saddles Up Mikros Animation Amid Technicolor’s Tumble
Rodeo FX acquires Mikros Animation, bolstering its animation capabilities following Technicolor's financial collapse.
MotionBuilder 2026: A little Leap
Autodesk's MotionBuilder 2026 enhances USD workflows, introduces animation retention, and adds new selection shortcuts for improved motion capture editing.
3ds Max 2026: New Features to Weld Your Workflow Together
3ds Max 2026 introduces OpenPBR as the default material, enhances the Vertex Weld Modifier for splines, and boosts performance across key modifiers.
CharMorph 0.4: Open-Source Character Creation Evolves
CharMorph 0.4 enhances Blender's character creation with Rigify support, real-time clothing fitting, and customizable skin and eye colors, all under a user-friendly open-source license.
Ready, Set, Animate: 120+ Game Animations Up for Grabs
120+ ready-to-use animations, compatible with Unreal Engine and Unity, available now—created using Xsens motion capture tech and Studio Recode’s rig.
Unity 6.1: Rendering the Future, One Pixel at a Time
Unity 6.1, set for release in April 2025, introduces Deferred+ rendering, Variable Rate Shading, and enhanced DirectX 12 ray tracing.
Wonder Studio Rebrands: Now Flowing with Autodesk
Autodesk rebrands Wonder Studio as Autodesk Flow Studio, integrating AI-driven VFX automation into its Flow cloud platform.
Trailmakers from Denmark!
Game trailers should make you interested in the game, obviously, and since we can't wait for Trialmakers 2, the trailer did its job - so, we are talking to the creatives behind the trailer!
Using 3D Objects in After Effects
Since 2024, it has been possible to integrate 3D objects into After Effects Beta. The updated version of the Adobe compositing solution now also has this functionality.
FMX 2025: AI, Animation, and Previs Take the Stage
FMX 2025 reveals a packed program featuring AI-powered VFX, animation techniques, sound design innovations, and the role of previs in action-heavy productions.
HandCraft Pro: Giving Animators a Hand – Literally
Animator Tal Minks introduces HandCraft Pro, a Maya plugin that captures hand movements via webcam, offering an alternative to traditional motion capture methods.
TD Meetup 15: Open Source Pipeline Plex
Plex is an Visual Effects, Animation and Games pipeline that manages critical workflows during production.
Good News!
Because the world is the way it is (Gesturing at ... everything), here is a collection of good news!
Oscars: ‘Flow’ and ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ Take the Spotlight
Latvia’s Flow wins Best Animated Feature, while Iran’s In the Shadow of the Cypress takes Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards.
Technicolor Studios on the Brink – MPC, The Mill, Mikros Animation at Risk
Technicolor Group faces potential closure of MPC, The Mill, and Mikros Animation, putting thousands of VFX and animation jobs at risk.
Assetify v.2: Turning Blender Assets into Game-Ready Gold
Streamline your Blender workflow with Assetify's automated texture baking, UV unwrapping, and multi-format exporting.
VES Awards 2025: Apes Ascend, Dune Dazzles, Robots Rule
Visual Effects Society Awards, VES Awards 2025, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes VFX, Dune Part Two visual effects, The Wild Robot animation, Shōgun TV series VFX, VES, Awards, VFX, Animation
Mufasa heads to MPC
The Prequel of a remake of a animated movie, based on a Shakespeare play... and still worth watching! We got a Chance to talk to Audrey Ferrara, MPCs VFX Supervisor for Mufasa
Richard Rosenman Unveils IK Studio: Advanced Inverse Kinematics Plugin for After Effects
IK Studio introduces sophisticated inverse kinematics capabilities to After Effects, enhancing animation rigging and VFX workflows for professionals.
Blender 4.4 Beta Makes a Splash
Blender 4.4 enters beta, introducing Slotted Actions for animation, an overhauled Glare node in the Compositor, and updates to Grease Pencil and Geometry Nodes.
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.
Blender’s New Add-on: Because Waiting Forever Isn’t a Workflow
Samuel Francis introduces the Animation Render Time Estimator, a free Blender add-on that predicts total render times for animations.
ASUS ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV
Let's not faff about: 5K Screens? Really? I tested one, and here are the results - the Use Case is not what you might think it is.
Autograph 2025: Sign Here for New Features
Left Angle's Autograph 5.1v0 introduces a revamped UI, 3D text extrusion, and enhanced interoperability with DaVinci Resolve and After Effects.
Supersplat! Open-Source 3D Editor Adds Animated Gaussian Splats
The open-source 3D graphics editor just upped its game with support for animated Gaussian splats, offering new possibilities for real-time graphics.
Free Metahuman Animation Tool: Rig It Right
A free animation tool for Metahuman rigs now supports UE5 Mannequin and CC4 skeletons.
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.
Celsys Announces Clip Studio Paint 4.0: A Feature-Rich Update
Clip Studio Paint 4.0, releasing in March 2025, introduces puppet warp, enhanced 3D capabilities, improved filters, and animation features tailored for professionals.
Moho 14.3: Mantis Shrimp Packs a Colorful Punch
Moho 14.3, the Mantis Shrimp update, introduces advanced brush features like Color Drift and Opacity, enhancing 2D animation with natural media effects.
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.
From Sketch to Scene: Clay Pencil Turns 2D into 3D in Real Time
Clay Pencil transforms 2D sketches into 3D animations in real-time, leveraging Blender’s node-based Geometry Nodes system.
TD Meetup 12: Technical Interview
What Does It Take to Nail a Technical Interview in VFX, Animation, and Games?
Breakdown Maker for Blender: Get your showreel ready!
Breakdown Maker, a $25 Blender add-on, simplifies VFX breakdowns by automating render pass exports and offering professional animation presets.
Free 3D Looping Animated Tree Asset
"VFXAssets" on Gumroad offers a free procedural 3D looping animated tree for VFX, game design, and CGI workflows—ideal for environment animation projects - a larger library is also available!
Submit Projects Now for Animation Production Days 2025
Animation Production Days 2025, Europe's key animation co-production platform, opens submissions for film, TV, and transmedia projects. Deadline: February 4, 2025.
Through the Woodlands
Creatures made of tree branches and roots seem to have a firm place in the history ofVFX. Just…
Free Update: Reallusion’s Blender Auto Setup Plugin Enhances CC4 Workflows
Reallusion updates its free Blender Auto Setup plugin, improving rigging, shader setup, and character import workflows for Character Creator 4 and iClone.
Cascadeur Mobile Brings AI Animation to iOS
Create keyframe animations with AI-assist on your iPhone or iPad. Cascadeur Mobile adapts desktop tools for on-the-go workflows.
WRetargetTool: Free Animation Retargeting Tool for Maya
Discover WRetargetTool, a free and adaptable animation retargeting solution for Maya, focused on simplifying character animation and mocap transfer.
VFX Reel 2024: HFF Munich’s Visual Effects Students Showcase Their Latest Work
Experience the latest in visual effects and digital storytelling at HFF Munich's VFX Reel 2024 on November 28.
TD Meetup 11: Capture Reality for Visual Effects
Let's us look on how capturing reality will improve our own creative output.
Blender Conference 2024: Mastering Topology and Retopology
Blender Conference 2024 covered practical topology techniques for 3D workflows, with a free PDF guide on efficient modeling for diverse applications.
Wonder Dynamics Brings Real-Time Animation to VFX
Wonder Dynamics releases Wonder Studio, an AI tool promising real-time animation for 3D characters in VFX pipelines. Production-ready? Time will tell.
3ds Max Plug-In: Tree Generation
Looking for streamlined tree generation and animation in 3ds Max? This plugin offers an efficient approach to plant animations and environment design.
Free Adobe MAX 2024: Access all Talks from Last Week’s Event
Adobe MAX 2024's key sessions are now available online for free, providing creatives with tutorials on VFX, animation, filmmaking, and post-production tools.
Free Houdini Animation Tutorial Now Available
A new free tutorial for learning animation in Houdini has been released. Ideal for artists looking to expand their skills in procedural workflows.
TD Meetup 10: ComfyUI in Nuke
What if we could create AI images directly in Nuke using ComfyUI?
QD-Oleds by Asus
ASUS launches its ProArt Display OLED PA32UCDM, a 32-inch QD-OLED monitor aimed at creators, offering precise color accuracy
Unreal Engine 5.5 Preview Introduces New Lighting System
Unreal Engine 5.5 Preview is now live, bringing a new Global Illumination lighting system and Nanite updates!
TD Meetup 09: Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is an important part of digital asset creation and has helped countless projects create realistic digital actors, assets and environments.
Cascadeur 2024.2 Release Set for September 12
Cascadeur 2024.2 will be released on September 12, offering significant improvements for character animation, including new Auto-Physics tools and enhanced support for non-humanoid characters.
Animating images with Resolve
"Breathing life" into static images with effects from DaVinci Resolve - so-called Cinemagrams - are easy to do - and in our new series "Resolve Tricks for Beginners" we'll start with them!
Blender add-on “Quad Maker” for more efficient retopology
Quad Maker facilitates retopology in Blender. The add-on offers automated functions that can significantly speed up the retopology process.
Text-to-Animation-Generator?
Just say how the animation runs and it will be generated? That's possible, at least according to the makers of Saymotion. How well? You'll have to see for yourself.
