MechaPaint 2.0 Paints Pixels and Plastic
MechaPaint 2.0 combines PBR painting, physical-paint matching, image-derived geometry, local AI and engine-ready delivery in one 3D workflow.
Browsing Tag
shading
93 posts
Colormass Scans 177 Reasons to Check Your Shader
Colormass offers free scanned materials for look development. The maps deserve a close look, and the licence deserves an even closer one.
Flair Heads for Unreal, Maya 2027 Ready
Flair is closing in on its Unreal Engine debut while the Maya renderer adds Maya 2027 support and clears out several workflow gremlins.
KitBash3D Paris: City Break, No Airport
The Kitbash3D Set "Paris" brings Haussmann blocks, landmarks, street props and a game-ready Unreal path. Your next city break may require 32 GB of RAM.
Cloud Paint Shapes Painterly 3D Skies
Casey Sheep and MeiU release a $12 Eevee-only cloud generator for Blender, with mesh conversion, ten presets and built-in sky assets.
If you yearn for the pines, go Blender
Stylized Tree update 2.0 adds pine trees, optimizes nodes, and bundles wind plus scatter tools, with pricing tiers from $12.50.
OpenPBR BSDF reference code from Adobe
OpenPBR BSDF reference implementation for Substance is public as a small library with prepare, sample, eval, pdf API and multi-target compilation.
How Pixar Cheats a Skunk Tail
Kranzler talks Hoppers grooming and shading, including a layered wet-fur look and why skunks got a “cheated” tail.
RenderMan 27.2 adds USD and XPU updates
RenderMan 27.2 ships with USD, XPU and workflow updates aimed at production use.
5000 PBR materials, zero node wrangling
5000 PBR materials packaged for Blender Asset Browser, drag and drop, GPL licensed, priced for indies.
RealBlend brings mesh painting back to Unity
New Unity mesh painting tool targets Polybrush users with in editor vertex colour and mesh editing features.
Arnold adds lines, points and faster volumes
Arnold update adds NPR shaders and accelerates OpenVDB volumes up to five times in official tests.
normalMagic 1.0: Advanced Mesh Normal Control in Blender
SpaghetMeNot releases normalMagic 1.0 for Blender, a toolkit of 16 modifiers that give artists complete control over mesh normals. With features like Surface Insert, Boolean Pro, Smooth Normals, and Normal Transfer, the add-on introduces new modelling workflows, fixes common shading issues, and integrates as a Blender asset library.
Pencil Pro sharpens Blender with hand-drawn precision
Pencil Pro v1.1 turns Blender meshes into living pencil sketches: faster, procedural, screen-space, edge-aware. Works on any mesh, no UVs.
DomeMaker 1.0 streamlines HDRI dome lighting for 3ds Max (V-Ray)
DomeMaker 1.0 converts Jonas Noell’s custom HDRI dome workflow into a one-click tool for 3ds Max (V-Ray). Expect instant viewport feedback, automated floor matching, water/wetness effects, and matched CPU/GPU rendering—priced at a studio-friendly $30.
Retro Dithering Goes Full‑Color: Dither Boy 4.0 Hits All 52 Effects
Studio AAA’s Dither Boy 4.0 adds full‑color support across 52 effects including video—one purchase, free monthly palettes.
Over 1,500 Free PBR Textures from LotPixel’s Library
LotPixel has released over 1,500 scan‑based PBR texture sets in JPEG format, with resolutions up to 8 K, and…
Modeler 2025.2 for Houdini Lands: Hard‑Surface Modelling Makeover
Alexey Vanzhula’s Modeler 2025.2 rebuilds hotkeys, shading presets and moves to Qt6, offering a smoother hard‑surface workflow in Houdini.
MoonRay 2.15: Developer Joy with NUMA, GUI Control & Fisheye Finesse
MoonRay 2.15 adds a new regression suite (~400 tests), NUMA tuning, rdla_gui, per‑BSDF lightsets, fisheye FOV and TwoSidedMap—confirm stability before use.
![A blue, futuristic aircraft with robotic features displayed in a dark, industrial environment. The image features the text 'Marmoset Toolbag 5.02 [Beta Release]' above the aircraft, highlighting software branding. The background has a metallic appearance with grid lines.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/502-beta-socialsbanner.jpg?resize=380%2C250&quality=70&ssl=1)
Baking, Decals, Fog and a Smudge of Beta in Marmoset Toolbag
Marmoset launches the Toolbag 5.02 beta with new features for baking, painting, fog rendering and scene management.
Chaos Corona 13: AI, GPU & Cartoon Vibes
Corona 13 adds AI Enhancer, GPU rendering via Vantage Live Link, cel/outline shaders, Scatter Clusters, AI‑based asset variations, Firefly removal, VRScene import, Thin‑Film shader.
Mocha 2025.5: Faces, Frames & Focal Lengths
Mocha 2025.5 tracks faces, fixes mattes, solves 3D scenes with stationary cameras and adds batch export presets for speedier pipelines.
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.
Maxon Acquires Autograph: A New Chapter in Compositing Tools
Maxon welcomes the Autograph team from Left Angle, aiming to integrate their compositing expertise into its suite of creative tools,
3ds Max 2026.1: More Than Just a Modifier Update
3ds Max 2026.1 updates Push, Attribute Transfer and XForm modifiers, improves spline optimization and skin performance, and bumps OCIO to version 2.4.2.
Unreal Engine 5.6, Fully released. Still 60 FPS, still Smarter MetaHumans, and still possibly Fewer CPU Tantrums
Unreal Engine 5.6 brings integrated MetaHuman Creator, Control Rig Physics, 60 FPS optimization, and enhanced Sequencer tools for streamlined game development.
Nomad: Sculpting on Desktop
Nomad Sculpt enters free public beta on Windows, macOS and Linux - desktop edition includes all iPad features.
Fibric: Stitching Curves into Cloth—Procedurally
Fibric introduces a Houdini SOP-based toolset for procedural clothing creation using curves, featuring UV-ready, quad-based geometry and real-time rendering with Karma XPU.
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?
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.
Free Fab? Epic’s Giving Away a Back Alley
Epic Games drops 50 modular 3D assets for Unreal Engine on Fab – for free. Think dumpsters, cables, trash bags, brick walls. It's exactly that.
LuxCoreRender 2.10: Back on Track with Cross-Platform Support and Python Integration
LuxCoreRender 2.10 reintroduces support for Linux, Windows, MacOS Intel, and now MacOS ARM, with updated dependencies and Python bindings for seamless integration.
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.
Maya Gets a Memory: Smart Model Editor Adds Real Construction History
Smart Model Editor brings non-destructive modeling to Maya – sort of. It works via scene graph nodes and updates interactively.
Unreal Engine 5.6 Preview: Now with 60Hz Open Worlds and In-Engine MetaHumans
Unreal Engine 5.6 Preview introduces 60Hz open worlds, an overhauled animation toolset, in-engine MetaHuman Creator, and enhanced procedural workflows.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dirty Shader Hands? Use MatCaps!
A free tool for Blender lets you paint PBR materials directly in 3D Viewport—without UVs, nodes or shaders.
finalRender Free: A Renderer That Costs Nothing but Demands Something
cebas offers finalRender Free for 3ds Max users, featuring single-device rendering with CPU or GPU. Commercial use permitted; registration required.
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.
Procedural Texturing using Houdini and MaterialX
Learn how Houdini's MaterialX simplifies procedural texturing for VFX artists, with a focus on efficient shading and rendering workflows.
Through the Woodlands
Creatures made of tree branches and roots seem to have a firm place in the history ofVFX. Just…
Blender 2.41 Released
Only one month after the last update, Blender is now available for download in version 2.41. This time, the internal game engine is the focus of the improvements.
Renderman Artist Tools 6.5 Available – Also for Mac OS X
Wait with, among other things, accelerated RIB creation, hierarchical Subdivision Surfaces and support for Maya Hair and Maya Fur
Siggraph: Illuminate Labs Shows Turtle 2 for Maya
Parts of the software were completely rewritten and new features added
Siggraph: Lightwave 9 with Rendering, Animation and Workflow Improvements
NewTek's Latest Version Is to Be Offered for 795 Dollars from the Fourth Quarter
SIGGRAPH: New Version of V-Ray Renderer
V-Ray 1.5 for 3ds Max adds features including a new Sun and Sky lighting system
SIGGRAPH: Alias Introduces Maya 7
New modelling, texturing, effects and game-design tools join faster character animation
Alias Releases 64-Bit mental ray Standalone for Maya
Available now for Linux; a Windows XP version remains under development
Cinema 4D Engineering Bundle
Maxon's new Engineering Bundle is aimed at users in the CAD sector. A simplified program interface, import filters and numerous libraries are intended to make the program quickly accessible even to Cinema beginners.
New Version of RenderMan Pro Server Available
RenderMan Pro Server Is Now Available in the New Version 12.5 for All Registered RenderMan Users to Download Free of Charge.
Cinema 4D R9.1 Available Now
The free update to Release 9 of Cinema 4D offers improvements primarily in the areas of data exchange, N-gons, interface and materials.
Lightwork Design: Benjamin Moore Colors in LWA Format
Lightwork Design is making the complete color and material set of leading American paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore available in LWA format.
Trial Version of Alias ImageStudio 2 Available
Version 2 of Alias's ImageStudio rendering solution can now be tried free of charge for 30 days.
Pixar Releases RenderMan Pro Server 12.0
RenderMan Pro Server 12.0 is available as a free download for registered RenderMan users.
Direct Data Exchange Between ArchiCAD and Cinema 4D
Maxon is releasing an eXchange plug-in that allows all relevant objects, object classes, lights, materials and cameras in a project to be exported from Graphisoft ArchiCAD to Cinema 4D.
Cambridge Animation Systems Releases Inkworks 1.5
Inkworks 1.5 is a cartoon renderer for Maya and 3ds Max with direct integration into the Animo 2D-animation workflow.
Inkworks 1.5 for Maya and 3ds max
Inkworks, the cartoon renderer for Maya and 3ds max from Cambridge Animation Systems, has just been released in a new version.
Real-Time Rendering with LightWorks 7.4
LightWork Design has presented a new real-time rendering solution that will be integrated into the soon-to-be-available Version 7.4 of LightWorks.
Pixar Releases RenderMan Pro Server 11.5
RenderMan Pro Server 11.5 is available for registered RenderMan users and turns servers or workstations into render engines.
Eovia: Carrara Studio 3 Is Coming
Eovia is launching Version 3 of the 3D solution Carrara Studio. The current release comes with more than 400 new features -these include a new engine for non-photorealistic rendering as well as new modeling tools.
Siggraph 2003: Poser 5 for OS X and Bodystudio 2.0 for Windows
From the end of August, Version 5.0 of the well-known Poser program is expected to be available for the Mac operating system OS X.
SIGGRAPH 2003: Graphics Power with the 3DLabs Wildcat VP990PRO
3DLabs presented the new VP990PRO graphics card, which attendees could try during training sessions at the show.
Softimage XSI 3.5 Adds Quadro FX Rendering
Softimage XSI 3.5 integrated NVIDIA Quadro FX vertex and pixel shaders for interactive hardware rendering in the Render Tree.
Softimage/XSI PDK for PlayStation 2
Avid’s Softimage/XSI PDK provides tools and libraries for artists and programmers developing PlayStation 2 projects.
Eovia Releases Carrara Power Pack
Eovia’s Carrara Power Pack bundled 14 plugins for hair, displacement, star fields, shaders and web export on Mac and Windows.
German Edition of Curious Labs Poser 5 Due in February 2003
Curious Labs prepared a German edition of Poser 5 with character, material, hair and face tools, the FireFly renderer and Service Release 2.1.
TurboSquid Releases Cebas FinalToon for 3ds Max
The $495 plug-in added real-time line styling and cartoon rendering to the 3ds Max scanline renderer, with a $395 introductory price through February 2003.
ECTS 2002: Bandits – Phoenix Rising
Bandits – Phoenix Rising combined vehicle combat, 22 missions and eight-player multiplayer in a post-nuclear world.
3Dlabs Releases Wildcat VP Graphics Accelerators
Wildcat VP cards used a programmable visual-processing architecture with more than 200 32-bit processors and OpenGL 2.0 support.
Cartoon Rendering and Flash Export for Maya and 3ds Max
Cambridge Animation Systems released Inkworks cartoon rendering and Swiffworks Flash export plug-ins for Maya and 3ds Max.
Pixar Introduces RenderMan 10 Toolkit
PRMan 10 added smart archives, subdivision-surface texturing, rendering controls and shader-language improvements.
SGI provides APIs and software tools for visualisation solutions of the highest standards
New versions of OpenGL-based tools make it faster and easier to develop innovative effects
New RenderMan Artist tools available for Maya
The RenderMan Artist Tools 4.5 for Maya are now available for three popular platforms: Linux, Windows NT/2000 and SGI IRIX and work with both Maya 3 and Maya 4.
New RenderMan version from Pixar available
The new version 3.92 of the Pixar RenderMan Toolkit is now available.
Swiffworks for MAYA generates Flash output
The latest development "Swiffworks" can output Flash directly from MAYA