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A whimsical animated character with round eyes and vibrant colors stands on a colorful, abstract surface, surrounded by small flying creatures. The scene features a cosmic atmosphere with various swirling patterns and textures. The Blender logo appears in the upper left corner.
19.03.2026

Blender 5.1 is here

Blender 5.1 boosts animation speed, adds Raycast and Mask to SDF, and shaves time off shaders and nodes. Free upgrades feel nice.
5 minute read
A collage featuring colorful digital illustrations and art pieces. Images include a green-suited figure by water, abstract designs with bright colors, and portraits of individuals adorned with flowers and stylish outfits.

Cava / Serif updates Affinity

For those who don’t know the tool: Affinity is a free single app that combines vector, photo, and layout work under one roof, with…
A grid of colorful promotional images featuring various advertisements and marketing messages. Key phrases include "Best deals," "NEW PATHS," and "Always ship on time and satisfy your clients," accompanied by visuals of people and products.

MotionVFX joins Apple

MotionVFX just went in house at Apple. Final Cut Pro editors get closer plugins, everyone else waits for the fine print.
A promotional banner for Fusion Studio 20 featuring bold, 3D-style text reading "FUSION" against a fiery background. The banner highlights new tools for multi-layer workflows and deep image compositing, with a price tag of 5.
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A lively woman smiling in a colorful setting, surrounded by video editing software elements. Text highlights features of DaVinci Resolve, emphasizing free download and Hollywood-quality editing tools.
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Articles for Subscribers

A character in a dark cavern gazes at a glowing, crystalline creature resembling a serpent. The blue-lit environment sparkles with tiny lights, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.
9 minute read

On a Mission: Creating “NO ONE’S LIGHT”

No One’s Light is what happens when you start with 50 sci-fi ideas, delete 47 of them for survival reasons, and end up with a five-minute animated short that still looks like an alien planet got a proper art department. Blender handles the world…
A group of animated animals gathered on a stone surface in a natural setting. A large bear roars, while smaller creatures, including a fluffy squirrel, a chubby rabbit, a tiny green lizard, and a deer, look on, creating a lively, playful scene.
7 minute read

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.
A person in dark clothing stands outside a brightly lit convenience store, facing a large moose. Two parked cars are visible nearby under the glow of neon lights of the store, creating an intriguing night scene.
13 minute read

MPC’s Cold Storage

MPC Paris delivered 575 shots on Cold Storage, from invisible fixes to slime, creatures and a nuclear finale. But how?
A person wearing large, reflective goggles that show a fiery orange sky, with their hair gently blowing in the wind against a blue background.
8 minute read

A World Divided: Shaping a Global WWII Epic at Overmind Studios

125 shots, six episodes, and a two-person team. VFX lead Tobias Kummer explained how Overmind Studios delivered geographic transformations, period cleanup, atmospherics, and a nuclear blast for A World Divided, built on disciplined templating and…
A diver in a dark underwater environment, wearing a full-face diving helmet and breathing apparatus. Bubbles rise around him as ambient light filters through the water, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
7 minute read

Grading Kraken: insights from the colour grade

Senior Colourist Dylan Hopkin (Shortcut Oslo) outlines the grading process behind the new sci-fi film Kraken, and how contrast, colour and AI-assisted tools were used to support storytelling.

An aerial view of a city skyline featuring various tall buildings and urban structures, accompanied by the text "We create 3D cities" and the logo "vndn" in stylized font.
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A low-angle view of modern skyscrapers reaching toward a twilight sky, with the text 'vrbn' and the tagline 'We create 3D cities.' prominently displayed in white. The buildings are surrounded by a serene blue atmosphere.
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A digital rendering showing a modern urban plaza with a stylized sculpture at its center, surrounded by trees. Two views depict the plaza, showcasing paths, greenery, and contemporary buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.

Maxon ships Redshift for Archviz

Redshift Archviz moves BIM scenes from waiting to tweaking, with real-time previews, assets, and a one-click hop to Cinema 4D for the fancy shots.
A digital presentation featuring a futuristic scene with glowing particles in a circular platform. Two presenters are visible on the left, discussing the presentation during a product update at GDC 2026.

Official Steam support lands on Unity roadmap

For those who don’t know the tool: Unity is a realtime game engine that ships to desktop and consoles, and Platform Toolkit sits in the build and platform integration layer, so your release pipeline spends less time arguing with targets and…
GIMP 3.2 splash screen, by Mark McCaughrean (CC by-sa 4.0)

The GIMP Team boosts GIMP 3.2

GIMP 3.2 arrives with linked layers, vector layers, smarter non-destructive filters, and new export options. Less redo, more done.
A promotional banner for FMX 2026, featuring the text 'The Road Ahead' along with event dates: 'On site May 5-7', 'Online & On Campus May 8', 'On Demand May 9 - June 9'. The background shows a sunset over a cityscape.
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Promotional graphic for FMX 2026, featuring a futuristic landscape with floating rocks and a bus. The text highlights the event details, including dates and formats: May 5-7 on-site, May 8 online, May 9-June 9 on demand.
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A futuristic landscape featuring a large robotic vehicle and floating rock formations against a twilight sky. The scene includes text that reads 'THE ROAD AHEAD' and details about the FMX 2026 film and media exchange event.

FMX 2026 program goes live

The FMX program is live for the 30th edition, with RENO pipeline lessons, generative video craft, and European collab on Predator: Badlands.
Banner for the 3D Environment Conference featuring the words 'Inspiration, Creativity, Emotion' alongside a stylized graphic of a figure in a dark, immersive digital environment.
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A digital artwork depicting a futuristic cityscape illuminated by colorful lights, featuring a prominent logo of a crystal ice structure. Text overlays announce 'THE 3D ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE' and the website 'www.ice.art'.
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A fresh red strawberry partially enveloped in smooth white cream, with the cream forming a swirl around the berry, set against a soft, blurred background that emphasizes the vibrant colors.

VFX School Closes and Leaves the Lights On

For those who don’t know the school: The VFX School was an online training platform focused primarily on Houdini-based FX simulation workflows. Its courses centred on effects such as destruction, fluids and pyro simulations, sometimes…
A man with short hair sits with hands clasped, smiling confidently next to a collage of images showcasing fire, landscapes, spherical objects, textures, and a house model. The background features the text 'das element Asset Library Software'.
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A man in a black shirt stands in front of a grid of images showcasing various assets including fire, landscapes, a house, and a trailer. The background features the logo of 'das element' with the tagline 'organize, tag & find'.
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A digitally enhanced image of a young woman smiling, with a wireframe overlay of her face, set against a colorful backdrop of hanging accessories and lights.
Boris FX
Promotional graphic for FMX 2026, featuring a futuristic landscape with floating rocks and a bus. The text highlights the event details, including dates and formats: May 5-7 on-site, May 8 online, May 9-June 9 on demand.
A digital artwork depicting a futuristic cityscape illuminated by colorful lights, featuring a prominent logo of a crystal ice structure. Text overlays announce 'THE 3D ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE' and the website 'www.ice.art'.
A stylized character in a suit performing an action, illustrated through a sequence showing his movement from standing to throwing a stack of poker chips. A gauge below indicates the action's speed, with a wooden table in the foreground.
Reallusion
A low-angle view of modern skyscrapers reaching toward a twilight sky, with the text 'vrbn' and the tagline 'We create 3D cities.' prominently displayed in white. The buildings are surrounded by a serene blue atmosphere.
An advertisement featuring a smiling woman in front of a colorful backdrop, promoting a 30% discount on the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K camera. The camera is prominently displayed with pricing details beside it.

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