For those who don’t know the tool: Kiri Engine is a photogrammetry app for iOS, Android, and web, built by Kiri Innovations. It processes 3D captures into textured meshes, often used in VFX, games, and AR. The firm now adds produce to its growing scan library.

A produce aisle for 3D artists

Kiri Innovations has released a new asset collection featuring over 140 3D-scanned fruits and vegetables. The pack contains 141 individual models captured using photogrammetry, sourced from users of the Kiri Engine mobile and web app. The assets include both common produce such as apples, bananas, and tomatoes, and less typical items such as mangosteens, lychees, and dragonfruit. Each model comes with production-ready geometry that has been retopologised and UV unwrapped. The data is supplied in both FBX and native Blender formats, making the pack directly usable across most 3D content creation tools.

Properly textured and LOD-ready

Every scan includes PBR (physically based rendering) texture sets with colour, normal, ambient occlusion, roughness, and height maps. Texture resolutions reach up to 4K, and the files are provided in JPEG, PNG, and EXR formats for compatibility across different render pipelines. Three levels of detail (LOD) are provided per model, simplifying the use of these assets in realtime engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity. No additional setup appears to be required.

Commercial use without restriction

All 141 assets are distributed under a CC0 licence. This places them in the public domain, allowing full commercial use with no attribution or licensing restrictions. Downloads are available via the Kiri Engine Web platform. A free user account is required to access the pack.

Production reality check

While the scans appear clean and the assets are retopologised, Kiri does not specify polygon counts or per-asset texture resolutions. Artists should test the files in their preferred DCCs before using them in a live production pipeline. File size and compatibility can vary across applications. This release continues Kiri’s ongoing effort to promote user-generated 3D scan sharing and expand its public library. The company positions these assets as examples of the quality achievable with its mobile scanning technology. New tools and content packs like these should always be tested in production environments before use to confirm performance, scale accuracy, and shading consistency.

The post Free 3D Fruit: Fresh Assets, No Pesticides first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the site: BlenderKit is a built-in asset library for Blender. It loads materials, models, HDRIs, scenes and brushes straight into the viewport, no dragging, no file hunting, no tears.

Brush bonanza in Blender

The asset library BlenderKit has quietly added more than 1,000 free sculpting brushes to its growing database. The brushes target a wide range of 3D workflows, from organic modelling and creature detailing to hard-surface wear and tear. These free brushes are part of a total collection exceeding 5,000 sculpting presets now listed in BlenderKit. Free brushes include assets for wrinkles, pores, fabric seams, stone cracks, and mechanical surfaces. Most are licensed under CC0 or royalty-free commercial licences, allowing unrestricted use in paid work.

Everything inside Blender

BlenderKit runs directly inside Blender, so artists can browse and import models, materials, HDRIs, scenes and now brushes without leaving the application. The plugin’s tight integration means no external downloads or add-on juggling. The full BlenderKit library now contains more than 114,000 assets, with roughly 54,000 of them available for free. Paid plans unlock the remaining content, offer 2 GB of cloud storage and include optional extra add-ons. The plugin requires Blender 3.0 or later.

Free, legal, and plenty

All assets on BlenderKit’s free tier can be used commercially, provided the creator’s licence allows it. The site distinguishes between CC0 (public domain) and royalty-free assets. For users on budget-tight pipelines or smaller indie teams, this is one of the most extensive legally clean asset pools available directly inside a DCC.

The newly added sculpting brushes fit well with Blender’s growing use in creature and environment design for both games and film work. The convenience of in-viewport access saves a good amount of tme compared to manual brush setup and file import routines.

Try before you rely

As always, new tools should be tested before being used in production environments. Brush performance, texture resolution and stroke response vary depending on the sculpting engine version and system hardware.

https://www.blenderkit.com/

The post Over 1,000 free sculpting brushes land in BlenderKit first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

KitBash3D has released its DieselPunk environment kit—normally priced at US $245—for free download via Epic Games’ Fab marketplace. The offer runs until 18 November 2025. The kit targets artists building cinematic-quality, retro-futuristic environments in Unreal Engine 5, and is described by the studio as a “high-poly asset collection intended for use in cinematics within UE5.”

The DieselPunk kit channels Edwardian and interwar industrial design: cathedrals and palaces meet refineries and fuel stations. The architecture is “darkly beautiful,” filled with “greasy machinery, rugged materials, and industrial spires,” according to the official KitBash3D description.

Inside the kit

The package contains 316 unique actors built from 1,395 unique meshes, totalling approximately 17.8 million polygons. Mesh collision is enabled and automatically generated, but no LODs are included. There are 90 materials and 637 textures, all at 4K resolution. Texture and mesh quality clearly target cinematic or offline rendering rather than performance-constrained realtime scenes.

Formats provided include FBX and OBJ (on kitbash3d.com), and the Unreal build supports UE 4.26–4.27 and UE 5.0–5.4. Supported platforms are Windows, macOS, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One. The DieselPunk release date for this update is 8 November 2025; distribution is via the Fab marketplace as an “Asset Package.”

World-building details

The kit’s scope covers both civic and industrial architecture. Included are hotels, palaces, distilleries, apartments, mansions, towers, oil derricks, fuel stations, factories, pubs, stores, trams, bridges, storage tanks, walkways and chimneys. KitBash3D describes it as ideal for “retrofuturistic dystopias or grungy post-modern noir,” designed to help artists “make cohesive fuel-powered worlds.”

Licensing and restrictions

The Fab release uses the Fab Standard Licence, which allows both personal and commercial use across engines and tools, within Fab’s terms.

By contrast, KitBash3D’s own “free asset” policy states that assets downloaded via its Cargo app are for personal use only, whereas kits obtained directly from kitbash3d.com can be used commercially. Because DieselPunk is distributed through Fab, users should confirm commercial rights under Fab’s EULA before production use.

Technical notes for production artists

The assets are high-poly, built for cinematic fidelity. Artists targeting realtime or VR projects should expect to retopologise or create custom LODs. The automatic collision setup is adequate for blockouts, but may require manual refinement for gameplay environments.

Since materials are 4K, expect heavy texture memory use; production teams should test streaming and compression settings within Unreal Engine.

Why it matters

For concept, film, and cinematic environment work, this kit provides a time-saving foundation of consistent industrial architecture. The cohesive design language can accelerate set-dressing, look-dev and lighting passes for any diesel-era or noir-futuristic aesthetic.

Reminder

As always, test all assets in your pipeline before relying on them in production. Confirm file format compatibility, check materials and UVs, and validate licence terms before commercial deployment.

The post KitBash3D’s “DieselPunk” kit free till 18 Nov – retro-futurism ahoy! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

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.

Anderson Rohr, known for ultra‑realistic photogrammetry assets, has gifted the Unreal Engine community a free pack of 17 scanned meshes via Fab Marketplace. Compatible with Unreal Engine 5.0–5.6, the pack includes high‑resolution textures (4K–8K) and fully functional Blueprints.

A Feast of Meshes

The pack comprises a diverse set of assets: food, decor, plants, rocks, and wood. Among the highlights are two food items—bread and chocolate panettone—alongside plant vases, ceramic figures, rocks, wood logs, crochet cacti, and more.

Texture and Material Power

Rohr has included 34 textures (Base Color, Normal, etc.) with ultra‑high resolution and material instances allowing artists to quickly adjust contrast, roughness, and specular values. The Blueprints also enable swapping of mesh tops and bottoms—such as switching between bread, rock, or wood tops.

Nanite-Enabled with No LODs

Each mesh is optimized for UE5’s Nanite technology. The pack requires no traditional LODs, thanks to Nanite’s handling of micro‑geometry. Small‑scale scene testing on moderate hardware proves viable, though users are advised to monitor GPU performance on heavier scenes Epic Developer Community Forums.

Community Gesture

Anderson Rohr releases these assets as a gesture of appreciation to the community. The pack is free, accessible on Fab.

Production Use Advice

UE artists looking to drop high‑detail scanned props into cinematic sequences, real‑time scenes, VFX setups or product visualizations can benefit from this pack. Test performance per mesh, especially with Nanite enabled; disable Nanite on problematic assets if necessary.

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Testing Reminder: Always prototype assets in your build and verify GPU performance before use in production environments.

The post Photogrammetry Parlor: Free 17-Mesh UE5 Asset Pack first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.