Blender, the powerful open-source 3D creation suite, has received a new update. The new version introduces a variety of new features, along with performance and workflow improvements, particularly beneficial for modelers and animators.
Additionally, according to the Blender team, this release includes hundreds of bug fixes, code cleanups, and refactors, making Blender more stable and facilitating future contributions from developers.
Some of the standout features in this release include new geometry nodes and the addition of geometry node baking. This feature enables users to store and retrieve data from within node groups, eliminating the need for recomputations on inputs. This ensures efficient geometries while preserving the procedural workflow.
A new Menu Switch node allows for the creation of custom menus that enable switching between options in the group interface.
Blender now also features GPU-accelerated denoising for the Cycles rendering engine on supported hardware. This allows for high-quality denoising at interactive rates in the 3D viewport.
The viewport compositor has got nearly full support for all nodes found in the traditional compositor. This means creators can now use a complete set of compositing features in real-time within the viewport.
The new version introduces a simpler and more intuitive workflow for animation. It includes a simpler method for inserting animation keyframes, organizes bone collections hierarchically, and adds a new selection mode that enables easy switching between bones without exiting the Weight Paint mode.
Additionally, motion paths can now be created in screen space from the camera view, making it easier for users to see how arcs will look in the final animation. Furthermore, the Graph editor has undergone several improvements, including new slide operations for adjusting keys effortlessly and the addition of a new operator for baking channels.
The video sequencer has also received significant improvements, resulting in faster performance across the board, from timeline rendering to effects and final export. It now includes upgraded scopes such as the Chroma Vectorscope, Histogram, and Luma Waveform, and features improved image filtering.
Finally, the new release features improved USD support. Among other additions, Blender can now export armatures and shape keys as USD skeletons and blend shapes.
For additional information and the complete changelog, make sure to visit the official Blender 4.1 release notes.
