Topic

Game Development

ZBrush and ZBrush for iPad updated to 2026.1

ZBrush 2026.1 is now available on both desktop and Apple's iPad. This release is part of Maxon's December Maxon One update, which introduces improvements across the Maxon product lineup, including Cinema 4D, Redshift, ZBrush, and Red Giant. According to Maxon, the 2026.1 update of ZBrush has been shaped by user feedback, with a focus on delivering features artists have specifically requested, adding substantial improvements to the sculpting and character workflow.

Published: 15. Dec. 2025

News

Blender 5.0 is now available

Blender 5.0 has arrived only a few months after the 4.5 release, delivering a substantial update that introduces major new features and addresses several longstanding points of community feedback. This version begins a new two-year release cycle and brings wide-reaching improvements across core toolsets, including 3D modeling, texturing, animation and rendering.

Published: 24. Nov. 2025

News

The Affinity creative suite is now available for free

The Affinity suite of applications, developed by Serif, has long been considered a strong alternative to Adobe's creative software lineup, specifically Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Within the Affinity suite, these counterparts were known as Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher, respectively. Each application was designed for a distinct purpose: Photo for raster image editing, Designer for vector graphics, and Publisher for desktop publishing workflows for both printed and online media.

Published: 3. Nov. 2025

News

Zed code editor officially launches on Windows

The Zed code editor, once exclusive to the macOS operating system, has come a long way, adding support for Linux last year and now being officially released on Windows. It was possible to install and use Zed on Windows before, but it required building from source while the editor was under development toward a stable release.

Published: 27. Oct. 2025

News

Material Maker - The open-source procedural material tool gets an update

Material Maker is a free and open-source procedural material authoring tool that can serve as an alternative to commercial solutions like Adobe Substance Designer. It functions both as a PBR procedural material editor, where node graphs are used to create and transform textures, and as a texture painting tool that allows painting directly on 3D models.

Published: 13. Oct. 2025

News

ZibraGDS unveiled - A solution for massive real-time geometry in Unreal Engine

Zibra AI has announced ZibraGDS, with GDS standing for Geometry Data Structure. This is a new Unreal Engine plugin designed to bring massive geometry sequences into Unreal Engine and render them in real-time. Currently in closed alpha, details about the plugin remain limited, but a teaser video showcases its potential. It demonstrates how high-poly animation sequences can be rendered more efficiently, with ZibraGDS achieving much higher frame rates and enabling scenes that would otherwise be impractical.

Published: 6. Oct. 2025

News

RizomUV 2025 released with enhanced control and reliability

RizomUV 2025 is now available, marking another important update to this UV mapping software. For those unfamiliar, RizomUV is a standalone application that can be used alongside tools such as Blender or Maya, providing an efficient workflow for creating UV maps. It also supports bridge plugins that help streamline the transfer of models. The 2025 release focuses on giving artists more control while improving the stability and reliability of the software.

Published: 22. Sep. 2025

News

Visual Studio 2026 is now available

Visual Studio 2026 has arrived, offering faster performance, more intuitive tools, and the reduction of repetitive tasks through the new, deeper integration of Copilot. This release is part of the new Insiders Channel, which replaces the Preview Channel from Visual Studio 2022. It gives users early access to most new features and bug fixes before they are rolled into the monthly update of the Stable release.

Published: 15. Sep. 2025

News

iCars - A realistic vehicle simulation add-on for Blender

iCars is a new add-on for vehicle animation and simulation within Blender, designed for fast, realistic, and cinematic results. The add-on was created by the developers behind iCity, the procedural city generator released last year by Hothifa Smair. Together, these add-ons form a complete solution for creating realistic cities and surrounding traffic.

Published: 8. Sep. 2025

News

ZibraVDB - A real-time VFX compression tool now with a free personal license

ZibraVDB is a compression solution developed by Zibra AI to make film-quality volumetric visual effects practical for games. Released last year, it allows large OpenVDB-based effects to be integrated into game projects without major sacrifices in quality or performance. Although OpenVDB effects are common, they are rarely used in games because of their large file sizes, poor real-time performance, and the need for time-consuming conversions. To render effects in real time, artists typically simulate volumetric effects in tools such as Houdini or Blender, then export them as flipbooks, which are 2D texture sequences that approximate a 3D effect.

Published: 1. Sep. 2025

News

Cascadeur 2025.2 is now available

Cascadeur, the AI-assisted character animation software, has rolled out a new update that further refines the animation workflow. Building on the Inbetweening functionality introduced in the previous release, this update improves its capabilities while adding a diverse range of other enhancements. The upgraded Inbetweening feature now uses a faster, more advanced algorithm capable of generating motion between poses for up to 120 frames.

Published: 11. Aug. 2025

News

IlluGen - A new purpose-built tool for creating visual effects for games

JangaFX, creators of real-time visual effects tools for games and film, has released IlluGen, a brand-new addition to their existing suite of applications, which already includes EmberGen, GeoGen, and LiquiGen. Together, these tools form the Elemental Suite, representing fire, earth, and water. IlluGen expands the lineup by introducing the ability to generate 2D and 3D assets for real-time game VFX. Designed specifically for video games, it streamlines workflows by eliminating the need to juggle multiple applications just to produce a single effect. It brings together the capabilities of Photoshop, Houdini, Substance Designer, After Effects, and other tools into one purpose-built, artist-friendly package.

Published: 4. Aug. 2025