Blender is a free and open source 3D content creation suite available for many operating systems including Linux. It used to be developed commercially, but is now released under the GPL.
Targeted at media professionals and artists, Blender can be used to create 3D visualizations, stills as well as broadcast and cinema quality video, whilst the incorporation of a real-time 3D engine allows for the creation of 3D interactive content for stand-alone playback. Blender has a huge variety of uses including modelling, animating, rendering, texturing, skinning, rigging, weighting, non-linear editing, scripting, compositing, post-production and much more.
Blender has a robust feature set similar in scope and depth to other high-end 3D software such as Softimage|XSI, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya.
The software contains features that are characteristic of high-end modelling software.
Key Features
- Modeling: 3D Object types including polygon meshes, NURBS surfaces, bezier and B-spline curves; Multiresolution sculpting capabilities; Modifier stack deformers; Mesh modeling; Python Scripting.
- Rigging: Skeleton creation code; Skinning; Bone layers; B-splines interpolated bones.
- Animation: Non-linear animation editor; Vertex key framing for morphing, Character animation pose editor; Animated deformers; Audio playback; Animated constraint system.
- Rendering: Inbuilt raytracer; oversampling, motion blor, post-production effects, fields, non-square pixels; Render layers and passes; Render baking to UV maps, Effects including halo, lens flares, fog, vector motion-blur post-process, and defocus post-process; Export scripts for external renderers.
- UV UnWrapping: Conformal and Angle Based unwrapping methods; seam based unwreapping; Proportional falloff editing of UV maps.
- Shading: Diffuse and Specular shaders; Node editor; Subsurface scattering; Tangent shading; Reflection maps.
- Physics and Particles: Particle system can be attached to mesh objects; Fluid simulator; Realtime soft body solver.
- Imaging and Compositing: MultiLayer OpenEXR support; composite node filters, convertors, color and vector operators; 8 processor support; near realtime sequencer; Waveform and U/V scatter plits.
- Realtime 3D/Game Creation: Graphical logic editor; Bullet Physics Library support; Shape types: Convex polyhedron, box, sphere, cone, cylinder, capsule, compound, and static triangle mesh with auto deactivation mode; Discrete collision detection; Support for vehicle dynamics; Supports all OpenGL lighting modes; Python scripting; Audio.
Website: www.blender.org
Support:
Developer: Blender Foundation
License: GNU General Public License
Blender is written in C and C++. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
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| OpenShot | Non-linear editor built with Python and Qt |
| Shotcut | Very powerful video editor |
| Kdenlive | Non-linear video editor for KDE |
| Blender | 3D content creation suite targeted at media professionals and artists |
| Editly | Tool and framework for declarative NLE using Node.js and ffmpeg |
| LosslessCut | Swiss army knife of lossless video/audio editing |
| PiTiVi | Non-linear audio/video editor using GStreamer |
| LiVES | Video Editing System designed to be simple to use, yet powerful |
| Flowblade | Multitrack non-linear video editor |
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| Footage | Simple video editing tool |
| GoZen | Minimalistic video editor |
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| Modelers | |
|---|---|
| Blender | Very fast and versatile 3D modeler/renderer |
| Blockbench | Low poly 3D model editor |
| Bforartists | Complete 3D suite to create 3D content |
| Wings 3D | Advanced subdivision modeler that is both powerful and easy to use |
| MakeHuman | Character creation suite using 3D morphing technology |
| Gmsh | Automatic three-dimensional finite element mesh generator |
| Dust3D | Create low poly 3D models for video games, 3D printing, and more |
| Art of Illusion | 3D-modeler, renderer and raytracer |
| CharMorph | Character creation tool for Blender |
| Maverick Model 3D | Triangle-based 3D model editor |
| K-3D | 3D modeling and animation system |
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| Renderers | |
|---|---|
| Blender | 3D computer graphics software toolset that excels in many areas |
| Cycles | Physically based production renderer developed by the Blender project |
| Mitsuba | Extensible rendering framework written in portable C++ |
| LuxCoreRender | Physically based and unbiased rendering engine |
| Malt | Fully customizable real-time rendering framework |
| Art of Illusion | 3D-modeler, renderer and raytracer |
| appleseed | Physically-based renderer targeted at production rendering |
| Renderer | Interactive 3D visualization of triangle meshes |
| Radiance | Suite of tools for performing lighting simulation |
| MiniLight | Minimal global illumination renderer |
| MantaRay | Advanced renderer which uses modern rendering techniques |
| Aqsis | 3D rendering solution adhering to the RenderMan standard |
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| Ray Tracing Software | |
|---|---|
| POV-Ray | Full-featured ray tracer |
| Blender | 3D content creation suite with a huge range of uses |
| McXtrace | Monte Carlo Xray Tracing for simulation X-ray beamlines and experiments |
| McStas | Simulator for neutron scattering instruments and experiments |
| BRL-CAD | Combinatorial Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) solid modeling system |
| Embree | High-performance ray tracing library |
| LuxCoreRender | Rendering system for physically correct image synthesis |
| Visionaray | C++ ray tracing template library |
| YafaRay | Montecarlo raytracing engine |
| MantaRay | Advanced renderer using modern rendering techniques |
| Tachyon | Parallel / multiprocessor ray tracing system |
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| Animation Tools | |
|---|---|
| Synfig | Capable of producing feature-film quality animation |
| Blender | 3D creation suite with a huge variety of uses including animation |
| LibreSprite | Create 2D animations for videogames |
| Pencil2D | Easy, intuitive tool to make 2D hand-drawn animations |
| Tahoma2D | Full-featured 2D and Stop Motion animation creation based on Toonz Studio |
| Drawpile | Draw, paint and animate together with others on the same canvas |
| Glaxnimate | Simple and fast vector graphics animation program |
| OpenToonz | Based on Toonz Studio Ghibli Version |
| Friction | Motion graphics software for vector and raster animations |
| Inochi Creator | Tool to create and edit Inochi2D puppets |
| K-3D | 3D modeling and animation software |
| enve | Create vector animations, raster animations, with sound and video files |
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