Blender 5.2 LTS
a day ago
- #Blender 5.2 LTS
- #Rendering Improvements
- #Geometry Nodes
- Blender 5.2 LTS introduces a new Mesh Bevel node in Geometry Nodes for detailed procedural control over edges or vertices.
- New node-based dynamics with built-in effectors for gravity and surface collision, including a tag-based filtering system for geometry interaction.
- A brand new procedural approach to physics for hair and cloth simulations using Geometry Nodes.
- Bundles can now be attached to geometry to carry arbitrary data across modifiers and objects, with Get Geometry Bundle and Set Geometry Bundle nodes.
- Cycles features a Texture Cache to reduce memory usage and startup time for scenes with many image textures.
- Thin Wall mode in Cycles and EEVEE provides a more accurate approximation of thin transparent and translucent materials.
- Color Management updates include organized color spaces and new input color spaces for various cameras and wide gamut textures.
- EEVEE improvements: 2x speed-up in instance-heavy scenes, reduced banding, and support for more attributes per material.
- The Backface option in Screen Tracing reduces light leaking and fine-tunes global illumination appearance.
- Online Essentials library offers new parametric materials, compositing effects, HDR worlds, and Geometry Nodes setups hosted online.
- Compositor supports six new socket types and 35 new nodes, including string manipulation and familiar Geometry Nodes tools.
- Compositor gizmos now support auto keying and follow image display offsets for easier animation.
- Grease Pencil introduces a new Delaunay fill algorithm with automatic gap detection and faster performance.
- Animation adds Playback Loop modes: Infinite, Stop at End Frame, Stop at Start Frame, Restore Frame, and Bounce.
- Modeling integrates operators from the Loop Tools add-on as native tools, rewritten in C++ for improved performance.
- Sculpt mode expands with an Add Primitive tool and a new Scene Project brush for surface wrapping and color preservation.
- Video Sequencer now includes a Compositor effect strip, style presets for text strips, and GPU support for modifiers.
- User interface improvements include a Swap Dimensions operator, Scroll to Active in the Outliner, and a compact sidebar mode.
- Virtual Reality features Location Scouting for camera vantage points and adjusted controller bindings for smoother experience.
- I/O updates: import support for object visibility and animated camera data from Alembic, and glTF enhancements for materials and performance.
- API changes: Geometry Nodes modifier inputs/outputs are now RNA properties, new data iterators, and expanded GPU support in background mode.
- Blender 5.2 LTS will receive fixes until July 2028 as part of its long-term support commitment.