The software developer Maxon has rolled out its 2027.0 releases of Cinema 4D, ZBrush, Redshift, Red Giant and Autograph, bringing new creative capabilities and workflow improvements across a package that includes some of our picks as the best 3D modelling software and the best animation software.
Highlights include the introduction of new ways to populate and simulate complex 3D worlds in C4D, more complete production workflows in ZBrush and faster rendering feedback in Redshift.
Following the recent introduction of support for third-party chatbots in Cinema 4D, 2027.0 introduces a new Scatter System, delivering one of the most-requested capabilities. Artists can now procedurally populate environments with vegetation, rocks, debris, crowds and other assets while retaining precise artistic control.
Environment scattering has long been an area where Cinema 4D lagged behind dedicated ecosystem-building tools and some competing DCC applications. It makes creating forests, landscapes and large-scale scenes dramatically easier.
The new Scatter Generator and Scatter Tag support distribution, filtering, clustering and transform controls, while integration with Cinema 4D’s MoGraph toolset lets artists use familiar Fields and Effectors to shape, animate and influence scattered objects. The updates give artists a quicker and more approachable path to building dense environments without having to turn to complex workarounds or separate third-party scattering tools.
The other feature generating buzz is Liquid FX, which adds automatic foam, spray and bubble generation to Cinema 4D's simulation system. The secondary effects respond to the underlying liquid behavior, adding the visual detail that makes pours, splashes, waterfalls and other fluid effects feel more convincing without requiring artists to construct separate complex simulations.
Cinema 4D for iPad remains in beta, with a full release expected by the end of the year.
What else is new in Maxon's 2027 releases?
- ZBrush gets an integrated UV Editor with UDIM and texel-density controls, helping artists move more quickly from sculpting and painting into texturing and downstream production.
- ZBrush for iPad gets non-destructive 3D Layers so artists can experiment more freely with sculpting, polypaint and masking on a layer, giving more control over sculpting changes, detail blending and creative iteration.
- Redshift gets faster interactive rendering and new procedural fur, fiber and textile generation at render time.
- Red Giant gets new art-directable VFX and relighting capabilities.
- Autograph now has support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) as well as its first direct Cinema 4D connection: artists can copy and paste 3D elements directly from C4D, including animated elements, cameras, lights, nulls and compatible primitives.
