3D Software
Modelling, BIM and real-time software: releases and features.
AI imageSubstance 3D Painter 12.2 Is Out: Cage Painting and Selection Tools Updated
Adobe released Substance 3D Painter 12.2 on 21 October. The update brings on-model bake cage painting, Polygon Fill selections, texture set highlighting, and improvements to transparent material previews.
AI imageYMA Painterly Brings a Painterly Look to 3D in Houdini and Cinema 4D
Theo Daley’s YMA Painterly collection aims to give 3D models a painterly look with 12 shaders for Cinema 4D and Houdini. The tools are available in Redshift and Octane editions.
AI imageFumaris for Blender: Real-Time GPU Smoke and Fire Simulation
Venous FX’s Fumaris add-on for Blender runs smoke and fire simulations on the GPU, allowing adjustments during preview. It’s available for Blender 5.2 and later on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
SimReady Central launches with 2,000+ 3D assets on Hugging Face
NVIDIA has announced SimReady Central, offering more than 2,000 simulation-ready OpenUSD assets on Hugging Face for free and with no access restrictions. The library includes equipment for robotics simulations and digital twins of AI factories.
NVIDIA cuDSS launches for general use, accelerating GPU engineering simulations
NVIDIA made its CUDA-X library cuDSS generally available on 21 October. The library aims to accelerate repeated sparse system solving on GPUs for engineering and scientific simulations.
AI imagePlasticity 2026.2 released: Asset libraries and surface analysis
Plasticity 2026.2 has been released with shareable asset libraries and surface curvature analysis. Project Align is a new command, while surface constraints have been added to the Studio edition.
AI imageAnselm Kiefer Pavilion Opens: A Concrete Building Designed for One Painting
David Chipperfield Architects’ Anselm Kiefer Pavilion opened on 13 October in Künzelsau, Germany. The building was designed to display Schwarze Flocken, a painting from 2007 that stands over 11 meters tall.
Veras 5.3 announced: NODES connects images to 3D geometry
On October 19, 2026, Chaos announced Veras 5.3 and the NODES tab, which lets users build workflows with nodes. The new setup brings together image generation, analysis, parametric geometry, and model transfers to Revit, Rhino, and SketchUp.
AI imageOMA Completes Lille Courthouse: A Hexagonal Design with Colored Glass
OMA has completed the Palais de Justice de Lille in Lille, France. Designed for the high and district courts, the building stands out for its hexagonal mass clad in colored glass, three distinct volumes and public open spaces.
AI imageRedshift 2027.0 Released: Fur Object, ACES 2 and Archicad Support
Maxon has released Redshift 2027.0. The update introduces the Fur Object procedural, ACES 2 color management and new ray-tracing features for Redshift Live, while adding Archicad support.
AI imageTexBridge automates texture transfer between Painter and Unreal Engine 5
Moss3D’s TexBridge automates texture transfer and material setup between Substance 3D Painter and Unreal Engine 5. It supports Painter 8.3+ and UE5 running on the same Windows computer.
AI imageLion Green Road wins the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize
Lion Green Road, a 157-home project in London by Mary Duggan Architects and RUFFARCHITECTS, won the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize on 15 October. The five-block development responds to the sloping site with shared outdoor spaces.
AI imageMaxon releases ZBrush 2027.0: new Cinema 4D-based UV Editor and Selection Sets arrive
Maxon has released version 2027.0 of its digital sculpting software ZBrush. The update brings a new UV Editor based on Cinema 4D technology, Selection Sets support, and UDIM workflows, while the iPad version gains Spotlight and 3D Layers features.
AI imageMaxon Releases Cinema 4D 2027.0 with New Scatter System
Maxon has released Cinema 4D 2027.0. The version includes a new scatter system for environment filling, LiquidFX tools that add foam and splashes to fluid simulations, and Redshift 2027.0.
AI imageMari 8.0 Released: Over 50 New Nodes Added to the Node Graph
Foundry has released the final version of Mari 8.0. The update brings over 50 Node Graph nodes, new masking options, tools for texturing surfaces with UV issues, and workflow improvements.
AI imageChroma Space shows colors on lighted 3D forms in Photoshop
ColgArt’s Photoshop panel Chroma Space displays selected colors on 3D forms with light and shadow before they’re applied. The tool can work offline; an internet connection is required once a month for license checks.
AI imageLocodrome Character Animation Tool Offers Free MetaHuman Animation
Anthony Koithra has released Locodrome Character Animation Tool (LCAT), a free tool for MetaHuman facial and body animation. It also works with UE5 Mannequin and CC4 skeletons.
AI imageCozyBlanket Pro launches on iPad with AI-powered retopology tools
Sparseal’s CozyBlanket Pro app is now available on iPad. It offers retopology, UV mapping and texture baking tools and is free to use; saving or exporting projects requires a one-time payment of $89.99.
AI imageFibric Houdini Tool Launches, Bringing Curve-Based Fabric Creation
Fibric, developed for Houdini by Agustin Gonzalez and Pepe Buendia, became available for purchase on 13 October 2026. The tool aims to create fabric procedurally with curves down to the yarn level and carry it into different workflows.
AI imageDaniel Boxer introduces UVgami, a free browser-based UV tool
Software developer Daniel Boxer has introduced open-source UVgami, which automatically creates UV maps for OBJ, GLB, GLTF and FBX files in a browser. Processing happens locally; models are not uploaded to a server.
AI imageNVIDIA Announces Faster Preset C for DLSS Frame Generation
NVIDIA is rolling out Preset C for DLSS Frame Generation in a beta update to the NVIDIA App. The company says the mode can speed up frame generation by up to 35% on the GeForce RTX 5060.
AI imageOmniBody: KAIST’s Real-Time Soft-Body Simulation for Cutting and Fragmentation
Developed by KAIST researchers, OmniBody is a simulation framework for deforming and cutting soft bodies in real time. The team measured approximately 3.1 milliseconds in a 64,000-particle test on an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti.
AI imageWorld Creator 4 Announced: Planet-Scale Terrain Generation Is Coming
BiteTheBytes has announced World Creator 4. Planned for release in November 2026, the new version will bring planet-scale terrain generation, node-based editing, a new real-time renderer, and macOS and Linux support.
AI imageSPECviewperf 15.0.1 Linux Updated with AArch64 Support
SPEC released the Linux version of SPECviewperf 15.0.1 a few weeks ago. AArch64 support, updated workloads and selective installation make it possible to measure graphics performance on Linux systems.
About this category
The 3D Software category brings together updates on programs used every day in architecture and visualization, including 3ds Max, Blender, SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, Archicad, Cinema 4D, and Unreal Engine. Find new releases, notable plugins, licensing and pricing changes, and bug fixes that affect your workflow.
We verify release news against the developers’ own notes and add version numbers to the Release Radar, so you can see at a glance which versions are current. This category also covers transitions between modeling tools, BIM, and real-time engines; file compatibility; and new AI-powered tools.
We also look for answers to questions that matter to studios: Could upgrading break older projects? Which plugins aren’t compatible yet? How will changes to subscription plans affect costs? This makes it easier to decide when to upgrade.