Browsing Tag
Blender
684 posts
Procedural Forest Generator for Blender
A new Geometry Nodes tool for Blender generates procedural forests across biomes, balancing photorealism with performance and fast iteration.
Blend Normals at Scale with Smart Mesh Blend Add-On
Smart Mesh Blend is a Geometry Nodes-based add-on for Blender and Bforartists that blends normals across collections using a drag-and-drop wizard setup.
botaniq 7.1 plants global reach in Blender
Polygoniq’s botaniq 7.1 adds 405 new assets, geographic filters, and scattering presets for Blender 3.6+, with a small 7.1.1 patch.
Workstations for Virtual Production
Virtual production wouldn’t be possible without high-performance workstations. These systems deliver the computing power required for rendering, simulations, and complex visual effects directly within the studio environment.
Your Phone, Blender’s Puppet: Blender Object Controller & Camera Controller Add-Ons now with Live View & World Tracking
Blender Object Controller and Camera Controller Beta receive updates: new UDP and live camera streaming, world tracking, timeline and keyframe controls, and more.
One Click Damage 2.5 Tricks up Blender’s Sleeve
VFXGuide’s One Click Damage 2.5 for Blender (4.5+) features procedural wear layering, masking, sync, and HERO Module enhancements.
Pixar Faces, Blender Spaces: SMIRK Lets Features Wander Free
Krysidian’s SMIRK toolkit brings detached Pixar-style facial features to Blender—free and Geometry Node-powered.
Blender on iPad Pro at Last—Without Losing Its Blender-ness
Blender Foundation has begun work on a full-feature iPad Pro app with sculpting, Apple Pencil support, and a live demo at SIGGRAPH 2025
River in a Click: Baga River Generator v2 Brings Automated Terrain Carving to Blender
Baga River Generator v2 for Blender adds terrain carving, procedural foam, and scatter modifier support for rapid river creation in 3D scenes.
Game Boy Robot: When Nostalgia Gets a Quad-Based Makeover
Game Boy nostalgia meets quad-based hard-surface modeling in Benavidmark’s detailed 3D robot tribute—every production step dissected.
Blender 4.5 LTS is here!
Blender 4.5 LTS has launched today, bringing two years of long-term support and a significant wave of upgrades.…
SDF Modeler 0.5.3: Sculpt, Blend & Trace – Refined Free SDF Concept Tool
SDF Modeler 0.5.3 adds push/avoid/emboss/deboss blends, spline curvature, 3‑axis mirror, export bugfixes and UI enhancements.
Blender on Android: Ported, Not Polished Yet
Blender runs on Android tablets via an unofficial port from developer epai, but major rendering bugs and feature gaps persist.
V‑Ray Developer Chaos Becomes Blender’s Gold Sponsor
Chaos joins Blender Foundation as Gold sponsor with a €30,000 annual pledge, coinciding with the release of V‑Ray 7 for Blender.
![A stylized blue cartoon character with big eyes and a wide smile, shown in a wireframe model. The background features a gradient from blue to purple, with text overlay indicating 'Blender [Addon] Rlg Creator [Beta]'.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Banner_Rig_Creator_A_free_Blender_add_on_for_creating_character_rigs.jpg?resize=380%2C250&quality=77&ssl=1)
Rig Creator Beta for Blender: Faces, Relationships, and a Fresh Start
Rig Creator’s beta rebuild adds facial rig, Relationship tool, overhauled bone generators, and English names—now free for Blender users.
Packer‑IO with Blender integration!
Packer‑IO 1.3 merges scale‑aware UV packing, multithreading, and smarter hole‑filling with UnwrellaConnect for Blender.
V-Ray for Blender: Chaos releases Renderer into the Open Source Universe
V-Ray for Blender lands with CPU, GPU, and Chaos Cloud support, plus 5,600+ free Chaos Cosmos assets. Special pricing for Blender users now available.
OpenVAT Adds VAT Encoding to Blender—Real-Time Asset Ready
OpenVAT encodes animated Blender geometry into VATs with normals, PNG/EXR output and real‑time engine support for Unity, Unreal, and Godot.
ScatterFlow Add-on brings gravity‑aware scattering to Blender
Apex Assets releases ScatterFlow, a Blender 4.4 add‑on enabling physics‑based scattering with optional asset pack.
Draw the Line: Octane Edge Tools Brings Outlines to Blender – For Free
Octane Edge Tools is a free Blender add-on from Otoy for creating mesh-based outlines with OctaneRender Toon Material. Controls for edge thickness, object selection, and NPR styles.
Polydex from Poliigon Tackles Asset Chaos
Polydex auto-indexes local 3D textures, models and HDRIs for easy import into Blender with one click.
Procedural Ferns in Blender
Alex Martinelli’s free Blender 4.3+ fern asset uses Geometry Nodes for non-destructive, procedural plant creation with material and instancing controls.
BlenderDay & Summer School 2025 return to Mannheim
BlenderDay and Summer School take over Mannheim July 25–27 featuring a keynote by Laura Körting and game‑focused workshops.
Basefount Animcraft: One-Stop 3D Animation Library & Bridge
Animcraft is a collaborative 3D animation library/editor with re‑targeting, facial rigging, mocap, and DCC/engine connections across Standard and Advanced editions.
Blender 4.5 Beta: Nodes Get Nifty, Collada Gets the Boot
Blender 4.5 Beta brings new Geometry Nodes, USD and glTF upgrades, and drops Collada in 5.0. Here's what's new - and what’s going away.
LiDAR scanning for Everybody!
Scanner veteran Lawren Bancroft-Wilson gives us a look behind the curtain on Lidar Scanning for VFX and Post.
Blender’s 2024 User Survey Results: The Good, the Bad, and the ?
Over 7,000 Blender users shared their thoughts in the 2024 survey, highlighting satisfaction levels and areas for improvement.
Ucupaint 2.3: Baking Bad Gets Better
Ucupaint 2.3 adds real-time Ambient Occlusion, rebake-all layers, and bakeable edge detect—because who needs sleep when you can have features?
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.
Wrap Gen: Because Your Mesh Deserves a Hug
Wrap Gen for Blender lets you procedurally wrap custom geometry around objects using curves and geometry nodes—no manual tweaking required.
Dogwalk: Blender’s Papercraft Pooch Takes Godot for a Spin
Blender Studio releases Dogwalk in early access, showcasing a papercraft-style micro-game built with Godot, emphasizing a streamlined Blender-Godot pipeline.
Wile E. Coyote Animates in UE5.6 – No Anvils Required
Stéphane Biava demonstrates Unreal Engine 5.6's new animation features, making in-engine animation a viable alternative to Blender or Maya.
RetopoFlow 4 Beta: Now With Less Pain Per Polygon
RetopoFlow 4 Beta for Blender is out - with improved usability, updated PolyStrips, and tighter integration. But it’s still a beta, so handle with care.
BagaPie 11: Blender’s Node Wrangler Gets 20 New Tricks
BagaPie 11 introduces 20 new tools, including parametric generators for doors, windows, and bolts, enhancing Blender's modeling and scattering capabilities.
Melt Simulator for Blender: Gooey Goodness Without the Mess
CGMatter's Melt Simulator for Blender 4.3 introduces particle, instance, and mesh modes, plus UV advection and time-based melting triggers.
Free Plugin Connects Blender to Nuke – Without Alembic Detours
Free plugin bridges Blender and Nuke via FBX and OBJ – no Alembic or USD needed. Geometry and camera data flow directly into your comp.
HairFlow: Bad Hair Days Are Simulated Now
HairFlow simulates hair in Blender using simulation nodes—wind, gravity, collisions, even goosebumps. Realtime playback included.
Free Rigs Attached: Learn Blender Rigging Fundamentals (Without Paying a Cent)
Free Blender rigging course breaks down constraints, parenting, bones and more. Hosted by CG Cookie and taught by animator Pierrick Picaut.
Free Blender Clouds Shader Floats into Your Scene
A free Blender clouds shader by Thomas Marco lets you dial in stylised volumetric clouds via intuitive custom parameters – no add-ons or plugins needed.
UDIM Planet: Free Globe Toolset Orbits Blender, Max, Maya, Houdini, Unreal and C4D
Free add-on "Figments UDIM Globe" maps UDIM textures to globe objects—UVs are auto-generated, PBR-ready.
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.
Specviewperf 15: Now with Extra Blender and a Dash of Unreal
Graphics benchmark Specviewperf 15 adds test suites for Blender and Unreal Engine 5 – plus support for RTX 6000 Ada, Radeon Pro W7900 and Intel Arc GPUs.
Scaling New Heights: Blender Users Summit on the Blender Mountain
On May 24, 2025, Blender enthusiasts will gather in Wiggensbach, Germany, to ascend the Blender mountain together.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ICity 1.3.0: Building Blender Cities Faster Than a Coffee Run
ICity 1.3.0 for Blender introduces major performance enhancements and visual upgrades to its Grid and Terrace Block systems, streamlining 3D city creation.
Zen UV 5.0: Unwrapping the Future of UV Mapping in Blender
Zen Masters unveils Zen UV 5.0, introducing the Zen UV Touch Tool, Auto Unwrap operator, and new selection features for enhanced UV mapping in Blender.
Red Poppies, Bears and Open Source!
Polish war drama Red Poppies (Czerwone Maki) brings the Battle of Monte Cassino to the big screen with over 400 VFX shots, 120 of which were crafted by Polish VFX studio Imaginary Pixels. And the team relied on open-source tools?
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.
Blender 4.4 Arrives: Slots, Planes, and Glare—Oh My!
Blender 4.4 launches today, introducing slotted Actions, a versatile Plane brush, an overhauled Glare node, and enhanced Cycles rendering. Dive into the details!
Zen UV 5.0: Unwrapping the Future of UV Mapping in Blender
Zen UV 5.0 introduces the Touch Tool, Auto Unwrap, Zen Sync, and full support for Blender 4.4, enhancing UV mapping workflows.
MPFB 2: Blender’s New Character Generation Sidekick
MPFB 2 integrates seamlessly with Blender, enabling artists to create custom 3D characters with ease.
KitBash3D’s Gaea: Free Fantasy on Fab
KitBash3D’s Gaea fantasy architecture pack is free on Fab in March, featuring modular medieval buildings for Unreal, Blender, and more.
Good News!
Because the world is the way it is (Gesturing at ... everything), here is a collection of good news!
OpenScatter: Scattering Objects in Blender Just Got Breezier
OpenScatter, a free Blender add-on, offers advanced object scattering with features like texture masks, guide curves, wind animation, and object collision.
Blender: 3ds Max-Inspired Material Editor Now Available
Blender users can now streamline their workflow with a new 3ds Max-inspired Material Editor, offering features like node-based material creation and one-click shader access.
Mesh Cleaner for Blender
VFX artist Rob Dickinson releases Mesh Cleaner, a free Blender add-on that fixes common 3D model errors with a single click.
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.
Architectural visualisation in a war zone
Let's do a 3D reconstruction of the Museum of Western and Eastern Art with Rhino and Blender in Odessa (Ukraine)!
Illuminate Your Blender Scenes with Free God Ray Generator, no prayer necessary
Add atmospheric god rays and glimmering dust particles to your Blender projects effortlessly with Giorgi's free setup.
HouseCraft: Your New Architectural Sidekick
Transform basic geometry into detailed, destructible structures in Blender with HouseCraft, now featuring FBX export for seamless integration into game engines.
Ucupaint 2.2: A Fresh Coat of Paint for Blender Texturing
Ucupaint 2.2 introduces a revamped UI with direct layer channel adjustments.
Blender Gets Lit: Free Tools to Manage Your Render Passes
VFX artist Robert Rioux releases Render Manager and Light Editor add-ons to streamline complex scene management in Blender.
Real-Time Node Previews in Blender—Because Guesswork is So Last Year
Tired of blind node adjustments in Blender? Shader View offers real-time previews directly above each node, streamlining your shader creation process.
Simplify Your Blender to Unreal Workflow
Scott Rafferty's BlenderCollection2Empty script automates the conversion of Blender collections to empties, streamlining the export process to Unreal Engine 5.
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.
Tiny Hair Shader: Making Blender Hair Shine
Tinocky (of Tiny Eye Fame) introduces Tiny Hair Shader, a procedural tool for Blender enabling easy creation of stylized hair with adjustable properties.
Flow’s Custom Blender Plug-In: Water Sim That Made a Splash
The Blender plug-in behind Flow’s water scenes is now public—get ready for technical precision in your water simulations!
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.
“Node-It”: Organize Your Blender Shaders with (Almost) Zero Fuss
Blender add-on "Node-It" simplifies shader workflows with automated organization, color coding, and labeling tools. Designed to save time and frustration.
Delta Quad: The Add-On That Tames N-Gons in Blender
Delta Quad, a Blender add-on, turns N-gons into clean quads with ease, optimizing 3D modeling workflows for professionals.
Import-Maya-Shaders: Bridging Maya and Blender
Tired of re-creating shaders from scratch? Import-Maya-Shaders offers a free solution to convert Maya's aiStandardSurface shaders to Blender's Principled BSDF—just don't expect it to handle your shader spaghetti.
Blender 2025: New Features, Same Blender Charm
Blender reveals exciting updates for 2025, including simulation nodes 2.0, Online Remote Assets, and Sculpting Layers.
BlenderCraft: Bringing Minecraft-Style Worlds to Blender
BlenderCraft merges Minecraft-style environments with Blender’s tools. With 300+ blocks, a draggable inventory, and procedural magic, it’s a voxel dream.
Let’s Fix it in Pod 04 Industry Societies and Associations
In this episode, Bela and Christoph discuss means of staying connected - from informal groups and meetups to the Societies and Associations that define our industry.
Paint Your Blender: Free Add-On Brings Photoshop-Like Layers
A new free Blender add-on lets you paint directly on 3D objects using Photoshop-like layers. Precision meets simplicity for digital artists.
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.
3DCoat 2024.30: New Year, New Tools for Your 3D Arsenal
Pilgway's 3DCoat 2024.30 introduces RealityCapture integration, enhanced boolean operations for 3D printing, and new array tools for streamlined workflows.
The nightmare before Christmas: Horrendous Blender Interfaces
The Colleagues from Lvl80 collected some of the most horrendous interfaces for Blender – thanks for the nightmares,…
Cell Fluids 2.0 Released: A Splashy Update for Blender
Cell Fluids 2.0 brings new features for fluid simulation in Blender, targeting VFX and real-time workflows. Check it before jumping in!
Blender to Unreal Exporter: Free Tool Promises Simpler Workflows
A free Blender-to-Unreal Engine exporter aims to streamline workflows between the popular 3D creation tool and Epic's game engine.
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.
Chaos Brings V-Ray Beta to Blender
V-Ray for Blender beta is here—free and packed with pro-grade tools from Chaos, including lighting, rendering, and shader features, plus OSL support.
Blender Holograms: Gaussian Splats Meet Real-Time Magic
Splattering Holograms and skeletons sounds like a Slasher-Movie, but it might be the most efficient way to get your "Ghosts of Christmas" done before Christmas. CHeck out the Tutorial by BlueNile 3d!
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.
Procedural Scene Generation in Blender: AAA Nodes Add-On
AAA Nodes offers a powerful procedural modeling toolkit for Blender, simplifying the creation of detailed 3D scenes and assets with a node-based approach.
LayerPainter Update Enhances Painting Workflow in Blender
The LayerPainter add-on for Blender gets updated with improved UI, new features for texture painting, and added functionality for VFX workflows.
Let’s Fix it in Pod 03 Open Industry Standards with Jonas Kluger and Arne Palluck
In this episode, Bela and Christoph discuss the benefits of Open Industry Standards, but also the hurdles and processes in establishing these.
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?
Through the Woodlands
Creatures made of tree branches and roots seem to have a firm place in the history ofVFX. Just…
3dgs Render 2.0 Adds 3D Gaussian Splats Editing to Blender
3DGS Render 2.0 introduces Blender support for 3D Gaussian splat editing, streamlining real-time graphics workflows for VFX and game development.
Population V2 Add-on for Blender Enhances Crowd Simulation
The lightweight Blender add-on Population introduces updates for faster, more flexible crowd simulations tailored for VFX and animation workflows.
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.
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.
Free Brushstroke Tools Now Available for Blender from Blender Studio
New brushstroke tools for Blender—free from Blender Studio—offer expanded control for digital sculpting and painting.
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.