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Blender 4.2 LTS Release

Jul 18, 2024

Blender 4.2 LTS Release

Introduction

  • Blender 4.2 LTS (Long Term Support) is available for download.
  • Maintenance until July 2026.
  • Suitable for artists and studios.

Key Features

  • Import preferences from previous versions.
  • Extensions
    • New icon in system settings for online access to install themes and add-ons.
    • Extensions and add-ons can be installed directly from Blender or via drag-and-drop.
  • User Interface
    • Shortcuts displayed iconically in the status bar.
    • Tighter spacing and better alignment in the status bar.
    • Improved scaling.
    • Delete dialogue when deleting items.
    • New context menu to open file location from recent files.
    • Export collections feature with unique properties per file format.
    • Cleaner file preview on drag-and-drop.
    • Reorganized select, sculpt, and object menus.
    • Maximizable asset browser area.
    • Pinning feature for modifiers.
    • Create and save custom themes.
  • Eevee
    • New lighting features and real-time displacement.
    • Improved lighting quality, real-time shadows, and subsurface translucency.
    • Stable volume results.
    • Motion blur in 3D window.
    • Improved viewport visualization and rendering quality.
    • Support for many lights and unlimited BSDFs.
    • Limitations in attributes, properties, cameras, lights, light probes, indirect lighting, shadows, volumetrics, depth of field, screen space effects, ray tracing, shader nodes, memory management, CPU rendering, multiple GPU support, and headless rendering.
  • Animation and Rigging
    • Motion paths use theme view colors.
    • Updated graph editor and bone colors.
    • Added option to define wire width of custom bone shapes.
    • Constraint and driver updates.
    • Blend pose flips from context menu.
    • Shape keys interpolation without relative setting.
  • Cycles
    • Updates to Principled BSDF and improved volume light sampling.
    • Blue noise denoiser.
    • Open Image Denoiser updated to 2.3.
    • New world overriding option for view layers.
  • Geometry Nodes
    • New matrix socket and samples for exploration.
    • Example: stack of pizza demo showing matrix socket in action.
    • Example: impact fracture tool for breaking geometry.
  • Sculpting
    • Four new tools: poly line trim, face set, mask, and hide.
    • Features originated from the line project by Pablo.
  • Sequencer
    • Timeline improvements reminiscent of DaVinci Resolve.
    • Multiple drag-and-drop support.
    • Text shadow, angle blur, and outline options.
    • Improved waveform preview.

Compliance and Support

  • VFX Reference Platform 2024 compliant: Python 3.11, OpenEXR 3.2, OpenColorIO 2.3, OpenSubdiv 3.6, and more.
  • USD (Universal Scene Description) improvements: hair curves import/export, point clouds import support, multiple Alembic files support.
  • Collada (.dae) files considered legacy.
  • New Kronos PBR Neutral tone mapper for realistic asset representation.
  • GPU-accelerated compositor and outliner updates.

Bundles and Market

  • Blender Market: Essential Gamedev Tool Kit and Ultimate 3D Creator Bundle available at discounted prices.

Conclusion

  • Blender 4.2 LTS is now available for download.
  • Check the provided links for more details, demos, and downloads.

Feedback

  • Users are encouraged to share thoughts and feedback.
  • Acknowledgement to Blender Foundation for the release.

[Music]

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