Blender 3.0 released
Open-source 3D graphics tool receives major update.
Blender 3.0 has now been released, bringing some major updates to the popular open-source 3D graphics software. To celebrate the launch, the Blender team has published a release announcement (https://bit.ly/lxf285blender3) highlighting some of the major changes with the new version, which it claims marks “a new era for open source 2D/3D content creation.”
Some of the improvements include better performance for a more responsive experience when moving around 3D environments, improved denoise for more detailed images, and better shadow tools. Blender 3.0 also supports Vulkan graphics API by default. The release announcement has a handy video that highlights a lot of the best new features.
Early benchmarks have appeared (https://bit. ly/lxf285blenderbench)
that shows some promising improvements with Blender 3.0. In particular, the Cycles X project, which adjusts the cycles of GPU kernels for improved rendering speeds, demonstrates a significant drop in the time it takes to render test scenes in Blender
when used with an Nvidia GPU. Blender 3.0 will also be receiving support for AMD HIP, which will improve performance for AMD hardware as well, though support for that on Linux will come in Blender 3.1. Speaking of which, the Blender team has also released the Blender 3.x roadmap (https://bit.ly/ lxf285roadmap) outlining what’s planned for future releases. According to the roadmap, the new 2.8 user interface will continue to be improved, along with work on modelling tools and a Python module.
With the new user interface, the workflow will be adjusted so that toolbars, shortcuts, layouts and more are as consistent and easyto-use as possible. It’s clear that even though Blender 3.0 represents a huge update, work won’t stop any time soon.