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Autodesk releases Arnold 7.4.4
Check out the changes to the production renderer, including updates to hair shading, bloom effects, and Global Light Sampling.
Unreal Engine 5.7 is here: see five key features for CG artists
See our pick of the features in the latest version of Unreal Engine, from the new procedural plant editor to updates to MetaHumans.
Autodesk releases 3ds Max 2026.3
3D software for architectural visualization and VFX gets updates to the Conform Modifier, Material Switcher and USD workflows.
Autodesk releases Maya 2026.3 and Maya Creative 2026.3
Check out the new features in the 3D animation software, from new character rigging features to destruction simulation in Bifrost.
Sneak peek: ZBrush’s new Retopo brush and photogrammetry tools
Check out the new retopology and 3D scanning tools coming in the digital sculpting software for desktop and iPad later this year.
The desktop edition of ZBrush is finally getting a new interface
New version of the digital sculpting software's famously idiosyncratic UI will follow principles established in ZBrush for iPad. See a sneak peek.
Blender Foundation launches the Blender Lab
New program for developing more ambitious, experimental features for Blender provides a safe space in which developers can 'break things'.
Price of paid Unity subscriptions to rise, but free subs extended
Price of Pro and Enterprise plans to rise by 5% in 2026, but all users will get unlimited free cloud seats for Unity Version Control.
Xencelabs’ Pen Display 16 Lite is a 4K OLED pen display for $799
High-contrast, high-resolution pen display is targeted at professional 2D and 3D graphics work. See what you get for the price.
Download free high-resolution HDRIs from CGEES.com
Get 25 free HDRIs of natural and urban environments in HDR format at up to 24,576 x 12,288px resolution. CC0 license, for commercial use.
Beeble launches SwitchLight 3.0
New video-to-PBR AI model lets artists relight video footage without manual 3D reconstruction. Can now be run offline, as well as in the cloud.
Check out the new features in storyboarding app Previs Pro 3.1
Intuitive, AI-assisted storyboarding and previs app gets new Pose mode for posing characters. Now comes with a free edition for indie projects.
Autodesk releases Flame 2026.2
New AutoMatte AI model in the VFX and finishing software automatically creates mattes for the hero object in a shot. See the other new features.
Das Element 2.2 uses AI to sort your 2D and 3D VFX assets
Neat tool turns your 'chaos folder' into an organized asset library. Update adds new media type for MaterialX and Substance materials.
Boris FX adds AMD GPU acceleration to Sapphire with HIP
[Sponsored] The open-source toolkit helped the VFX tools developer harness the power of AMD GPUs in its Emmy award-winning plugins.
Get KitBash3D’s $245 Dieselpunk kitbash asset kit for free
Set of over 1,300 detailed 3D assets for kitbashing retrofuturistic cities in Unreal Engine is free on Fab for two weeks. For commercial use.
Lightmap releases HDR Light Studio 9.2
Check out the new features in the real-time lighting design tool, including the option to LightPaint the sun into the sky.
iCrowds is a Blender crowds system from the creators of iCity
Neat add-on lets you add animated crowds to 3D scenes - including by giving characters Sims-style needs to eat, sleep and use the toilet.
Boris FX releases Continuum 2026
Check out the changes to the VFX plugins for compositing and video editing apps, including AI masking tools and revamped chromakeying.
You can still get Modo for free, even if you weren’t a Modo user
Final release of the 3D modeling, animation and rendering software is available under an extended EOL license, but grab it soon.
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