Skip to content or navigation


Mac 3D News: Open-source Blender gets update to version 2.73

The latest version of Blender, build 2.73, now features a full-screen user-interface, numerous new features, improved Collada and FBX support, etc. Blender runs on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Advertisement

The popular open-source professional 3D software package by the Blender Foundation has been updated this month to Blender 2.73.

The Blender Foundation and its online developer community are an active group and have pushed Blender forward in this latest release with an array of updates, features and fixes. An important new update is the new fullscreen mode which displays an environment without any buttons or other user interface elements which some users may find distracting. The interface in this mode is spartan yet still effective. (see image 01)

Volumes can now be rendered if the camera is inside them, and there is now support for cubic voxels interpolations to avoid artifacts on low resolutions for smoke simulations in particular. The non-photorealistic render engine Freestyle got a new SVG exporter, implemented as an add-on. It’s now possible to cache view maps, et cetera.

01 - The open-source and free Blender 2.73 now features a full-screen interface mode. (source: Blender Foundation. All rights reserved)

01 – The open-source and free Blender 2.73 now features a full-screen interface mode. (source: Blender Foundation. All rights reserved)

A list of some of the key features is below:

  • Several cycles rendering updates, including support for Nvidia GeForce 9xx GPUs
  • New full screen mode, plus improved Pie menus, 3D View can now display the world background
  • Knife tool now allows freehand smart cuts
  • Unwrapping UVs has been improved, strength is now enabled for Grab and Snake Hook brushes; better visual feedback mode for painting with masks
  • Sequencer can now show a backdrop, strips can be snapped to others along with other improvements
  • Freestyle NPR rendering has a new SVG exporter
  • Grease Pencil has major updates, it is now possible to edit and animate strokes. There is new draw styles and improvements in the user interface
  • Collada importer was updated
  • Add-ons: FBX improvements to importing/exporting armatures; some Python API changes could need some add-ons to be updated
  • Minor bug fixes and other small improvements

There have also been several optimizations in the areas of performance. The mesh deform modifier now uses SSE2 with multithreading; compositor’s gaussian blur node implemented now using OpenCL, vertex parent optimized for a few cases.

For more information on Blender 2.73 you can visit this page and get at all the information.

Availability

Blender 2.73 and all versions of Blender are free. The software is open-source and distributed primarily through the Blender Foundation website. It is available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux operating systems. Blender was originally developed as in-house software by the Dutch animation studio NeoGeo.

To download Blender for use visit here.

Reader Comments

  1. Maik Obermüller liked this on Facebook.

  2. The latest version of Blender, build 2.73, now features a full-screen user-interface, numerous new features, improve…https://t.co/U8ilH6p1sa

  3. Robbie Maxwell liked this on Facebook.

  4. Mac 3D News: The latest version of Blender, build 2.73, now features a full-screen user-interface, numerous new… http://t.co/AiIovZFb4v

  5. Matthew Ivanov liked this on Facebook.

  6. Maik Obermüller liked this on Facebook.

  7. Matthew Ivanov liked this on Facebook.

  8. The latest version of Blender, build 2.73, now features a full-screen user-interface, numerous new features, improve…https://t.co/U8ilH6p1sa

  9. #CAD Mac 3D News: Open-source Blender gets update to version 2.73 http://t.co/x9SCFFIK3a

  10. #CAD Mac 3D News: Open-source Blender gets update to version 2.73 http://t.co/x9SCFFIK3a

  11. Robbie Maxwell liked this on Facebook.

  12. Mac 3D News: The latest version of Blender, build 2.73, now features a full-screen user-interface, numerous new… http://t.co/AiIovZFb4v

  13. Mac 3D News: The latest version of Blender, build 2.73, now features a full-screen user-interface, numerous new… http://t.co/AiIovZFb4v

  14. φ(`д´)メモメモ… Mac 3D News: Open-source Blender gets update to version 2.73 http://t.co/iM2pI7bP11

  15. φ(`д´)メモメモ… Mac 3D News: Open-source Blender gets update to version 2.73 http://t.co/iM2pI7bP11

  16. June-Hao Hou liked this on Facebook.

  17. June-Hao Hou liked this on Facebook.

Comments are closed.

architosh

INSIDER Xpresso 
Monthly newsletter with a focus on emTech (AI, machine learning, AAD, AR, robotics, 3d printing, and smart cities) its impact on CAD professionals.)

Subscribe now — it’s free!.

INSIDER Xpresso keeps CAD industry professionals up-to-date on next-gen emerging technologies (emTech) that will revolutionize the worlds of AEC and manufacturing and design. As an Xpresso reader, you will hear from some of the most important voices inventing and using the very latest tech in areas such as AI, machine learning, algorithm-aided design (AAD), AR, VR, MR, 3D printing, 3D computer vision, robotics, and SmartCities technologies.

Each issue arrives in your inbox on the first Sunday of the month. Issue #1 arrived on March 3, 2019. Full archives and easy navigation for your pleasure. Enjoy! 

Sign-up for our monthly newsletter
architosh INSIDER Xpresso.

  • Architosh will never pass any of your information onto third parties.
  • For more information read our privacy policy.
  • It is easy to unsubscribe at any time. Follow the links in the newletter footer.

(Recommended. These infrequent sponsored emails help us to provide our Xpresso newsletter for free.)

 
INSIDER Membership

Read 3 free Feature or Analysis articles per month.

Or, subscribe now for unlimited full access to Architosh.