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Abstraction Generator - A new tool for real-time abstract VFX in Unreal Engine

Abstraction Generator is a recently released tool for Unreal Engine that creates abstract visual effects in real time. Developed by Adam Drzazga, it is part of the author's Niagara Fluids series, using Unreal Engine 5's advanced Niagara VFX system to simulate fluid dynamics. The tool includes 21 Niagara Fluids systems: 8 that use a mesh renderer for spawning and 13 that use a sprite renderer. It offers around 50 user parameters to customize effects quickly, including settings for textures, shaders, and particle spawns in Niagara Fluids.

Published: 2. Dec. 2024

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Blender updated to version 4.3

Blender, the popular, free, and versatile 3D software package, has been updated to version 4.3. This release offers an array of improvements, including upgrades to Geometry Nodes, a Grease Pencil overhaul, a new brush workflow, and more.

Published: 25. Nov. 2024

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Unreal Engine 5.5 now available

Unreal Engine 5.5 has been released, just a month after its preview version and roughly six months after the 5.4 update. The latest version brings numerous improvements, with a focus on rendering performance, in-editor animation tools, mobile game development, visual production, and faster developer iteration. Let's briefly go over the highlight features in this release:

Published: 18. Nov. 2024

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Nanite Grass V3 - A visually impressive grass asset for Unreal Engine

Nanite Grass is a realistic grass asset for Unreal Engine, created by 3D environment artist Cloviren. It provides fully geometric grass for games and real-time rendering, without relying on alpha masks and it's optimized for Nanite (Unreal's virtualized geometry system). The asset includes an array of features and allows seamless interaction with characters and other objects.

Published: 11. Nov. 2024

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Hengo - A new visual scripting solution for Godot

Hengo is a new visual scripting plugin created to simplify the process of building gameplay logic in the Godot game engine. It enables users to create game logic visually, which then compiles into GDScript, the primary scripting language in Godot, providing a smooth and native-like experience. The project is developed by Henrique Henrique, a web developer and Godot enthusiast who is also working on another tool called Godot Playground. This web-based platform allows users to edit scripts and run Godot projects directly in a browser without requiring local installations.

Published: 4. Nov. 2024

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JetBrains releases a free version of Rider

JetBrains Rider, a cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE), now offers a new free licensing plan. For those unfamiliar, Rider is part of a family of programming IDEs from JetBrains, initially designed for .NET development with a focus on languages such as C#, F#, and VB.NET. Like many JetBrains IDEs, it is well-regarded and designed to enhance the experience of developers working with these languages.

Published: 28. Oct. 2024

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Unity 6 has been released

Unity 6 is finally here, a release that has been highly anticipated due to the significant changes it promised. One of these changes is the return to the previous version numbering system, which was discontinued after Unity 5 in 2017. Another notable change was the introduction of a controversial runtime fee, which sparked widespread debate. We provided an explanation of this fee in our previous article Unity 6 launched in preview under the pricing section. However, due to significant community backlash, the fee has since been canceled.

Published: 21. Oct. 2024

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The O3DE game engine has received a major update (24.09)

O3DE (Open 3D Engine) recently received a major update, described as "game-changing," marking a significant milestone for this free and open-source game engine. For those unfamiliar, O3DE is the direct successor to Amazon Lumberyard, which was originally built upon CryEngine. While it retains some features from its predecessors, O3DE is largely a new, modular engine designed for creating high-fidelity games, robotic simulations, and immersive 3D worlds.

Published: 14. Oct. 2024

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Axis - A new Unity tool designed to accelerate prototyping

Axis is a new tool for the Unity game engine that allows users to build common game mechanics quickly using a no-code approach. Recently published on the Unity Asset Store, it was originally developed to assist the author with their own game projects. The asset was designed to be a reliable tool for easy prototyping, making full use of Unity's built-in features. The creator's main goal is to give users a faster, more efficient way to test and refine their ideas within Unity.

Published: 7. Oct. 2024

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SteamNetGodot - A new steam networking solution for Godot

SteamNetGodot is a new networking solution for the Godot game engine, developed by Overfort Games for their upcoming game, Taverna. The studio has released SteamNetGodot, which powers their game, for free under the MIT open-source license, similar to Godot itself. The framework includes key multiplayer functionalities such as VoIP, matchmaking, and moderation tools. Written in C#, it offers high performance and ease of use while leveraging libraries such as Facepunch.Steamworks and LiteNetLib. The code is organized into a base layer and gameplay components for easier maintenance.

Published: 30. Sep. 2024

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Lazy Animation - A new animation add-on for Blender

Lazy Animation is a new add-on developed by artist and Blender tools creator MeiU, designed to simplify animation creation within Blender. It was created to help both beginners and professionals quickly set up keyframes for moving selected objects, allowing users to animate them along custom curve paths. In Lazy Animation, this process is seamless, with keyframes generated in just one click, eliminating the need for tedious setup steps.

Published: 23. Sep. 2024

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Maxon Fall Release introduces ZBrush for iPad

The Maxon Fall Release brings updates to Maxon One and introduces ZBrush for iPad. ZBrush is a powerful tool renowned for creating highly detailed 3D models and is widely used in fields such as film and animation, video games, and concept art. According to Maxon, ZBrush for iPad delivers the full power of the popular 3D sculpting and painting software on the go, without sacrificing functionality. It features a fully reimagined interface and an advanced brush system. It also takes full advantage of the Apple Pencil capabilities, allowing users to sculpt, paint, and create in real time from anywhere.

Published: 16. Sep. 2024