Blender retains a solid position in our pick of the best 3D modelling software, and the upcoming Blender 4.5 release looks set to cement that. It's now available in beta. and the full release is scheduled for 15 July.
So what's new? The best breakdown I've seen is from the pro CG generalist Thomas Marcos. He's posted a thread on X picking out highlights from the release, including new Import Nodes and full cloud point object support.
Thomas tops his list with the news that Geometry Nodes now allow importing external files via drag-and-drop. This auto-creates the import node, and sequence loading is enabled through the new Format String node.
Meanwhile, the Point Cloud Object is now fully supported. Edit Mode includes transforms, selection overlay, and the Set Attribute operator for more precise manual control in procedural workflows.
In terms of quality-of life-upgrades, Blender now supports template expressions (e.g., {blend_name}, {resolution_x}) in file paths, which are auto-replaced during rendering which Thomas says allows easy, dynamic filename generation without manually editing paths.
There are UI Improvements for Node Groups too, with more flexible interfaces making them cleaner and more intuitive. You can toggle panels via boolean inputs, display menus as button sets, vector sockets support “Percentage” and “Factor” subtypes, and inputs auto-hide when linked to a menu.
Another highlight that Thomas notes is that Adaptive Subdivision is up to 14x faster on multi-core CPUs, and adds smooth UVs, motion blur, and attribute interpolation, making it a key feature for detailed, high-quality renders.
Blender also now supports Vulkan, a graphics API that delivers better performance, lower overhead, and improved multi-core CPU use than OpenGL for smoother viewport interaction and a more advanced graphics pipeline.
Meanwhile, lights now include Exposure, Temperature, and Normalize options, making it easier to fine-tune intensity, achieve natural light colors, and maintain consistent lighting when changing light size, giving more artistic control
The are better Camera Transfers with USD as Blender now imports animated camera settings, including focal length, depth of field, clipping, tilt, and aperture. And there's a unified node system for compositing as Blender's Compositor now uses core nodes from Shader and Geometry Nodes, replacing legacy nodes for more consistency. Texture nodes are fully supported.
See more on Thomas's thread on X and see the Blender 4.5 release notes on the Blender website.
And the Blender 4.5 splash screen? Those cute characters are Pinda and Chocomel from Blender Studio's new game DOGWALK, available now in early access to Blender Studio subscribers. The game was made using Godot Engine (see our pick of the best game development software).
