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  BlenderRetrospective2016.jpg   

December 29, 2016 3:00 PM

 

by Editor in Chief

 

What were the biggest Blender news in 2016--especially for professional users of Blender? Here are some of the top 10 Blender news from 2016. Please remember hobbyist-grade news or well known facts--such as use of Blender in product and arch viz--may have been omitted. 

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10. Blender Cloud Service Launched


Blender Foundation has launched a membership service; where, for less than $10.00 a month, a user can have access to all the contents from official training DVD and videos and the assets and blend files from previously released Open Source movies as well as 1,500+ textures and HDRIs that are directly accessible within your copy of Blender through internet connection.


Related link: 
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9. Game Development


Blender continued to serve as a quality tool for game development. Blender has been more than good enough for game content creators.
Related link: 

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8. Use in Commercials, Game trailers, and Music Videos

Blender continues to be an attractive 3D solution for established professionals as well as new startups

Related link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cEH7uL0S-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWEMq0JiB0Y

https://www.facebook.com/outputmedialtd/

https://vimeo.com/184682770

https://www.blendernation.com/2016/09/12/alessandro-dalla-fontana-vfx-reel-2016/

https://www.blendernation.com/2016/09/20/jamberoo-action-parks-perfect-storm-tv-commercial/

https://www.blendernation.com/2016/09/01/rujienas-ice-cream-commercial/

https://www.blendernation.com/2016/05/03/warhammer-40k-inquisitior-martyr-destruction-trailer/


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7. AMD and Nvidia's Support for Blender Development


AMD as well as Nvidia have been supportive for Blender development. AMD reportedly has even helped to hire full time developer on Cycles. And Nvidia has provided latest GTX cards to Blender developers.

Related links: 

Retro2016_06.jpg   

6. Blender-driven Entries Noted at CG Competitions


Some of the CG competition entries created in Blender have made it all the way to the 2nd place in even in the noted CG challenge organized by the CGSociety. This reflects growing recognition among industry experts on Blender’s potentials.

Related link: 
Retro2016_05.jpg

 

5. Blender’s Potentials Recognized 


MAXON’s move to import Blender’s Cycles render engine into C4D has drawn much attention in the industry. Even the VFX supervisor for Warcraft (2016) have confessed using Blender for a character in the movie for budget reason—but with good reviews.

Related link: 

Retro2016_04.jpg

 

4. RenderMan21 Support Blender


Perhaps the most notable sign of industry’s acceptance of Blender is PIXAR’s move to support Blender in RenderMan.

Related link: 
https://renderman.pixar.com/view/non-commercial-renderman
Retro2016_03.jpg

 

3. Success of Short Films Created in Blender


Short films created in Blender have successfully demonstrated Blender’s potentials and some of them have been honored by industry experts. Cosmos Laundromat, for example, have won the SIGGRAPH 2016 Computer Animation Festival's Jury Award. Caminandes series have made it to the Disney Channel. And the short “Alike” has reportedly won 64 awards in film festivals.

Related link: 

Retro2016_02.jpg  

2. Blender-specific Third Party Add-ons and Products 

Amazing third party addons and products—mostly paid versions—specifically designed for Blender continued to put Blender to a newer level:

Related link: 
Retro2016_01.jpg

  

1. New Features in Blender 2.77 to 78a


The most exiting news regarding Blender during 2016, of course, are the new features added to Blender, such as native stereoscopic VR rendering, fire and smoke rendering in GPU, Grease Pencil, Bendy Bones, Micro Displacement, Alembic support and so forth.

Related link: 

List of Articles
No. Subject Author Viewssort Votes Date Last Update
Notice Blender Retrospectives 2020 Blender Retrospective 211040   Feb 20, 2021 Feb 21, 2021 01:20
Notice Tutorials Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2019 Worthy of Your Note - for Animation & VFX file 563154   Jan 25, 2020 Mar 24, 2020 10:13
Notice Tutorials Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2019 Worthy of Your Note - for CG, Games & Viz file 426247   Jan 25, 2020 Mar 24, 2020 10:13
Notice Tutorials Top 12 Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2019 file 431994   Jan 25, 2020 Mar 24, 2020 10:15
Notice Tutorials Top 15 Highest-Rated Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2019 file 375902   Jan 25, 2020 Mar 24, 2020 10:12
Notice Tutorials Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2018 for Blender 2.8 file 345040   Jan 23, 2019 Jan 23, 2019 23:35
Notice Tutorials Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2018 Worthy of Your Note - for CG, Games & Viz file 684338   Jan 23, 2019 Jan 25, 2019 23:34
Notice Tutorials Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2018 Worthy of Your Note - for Animation & VFX file 408419   Jan 23, 2019 Jan 23, 2019 15:48
Notice Tutorials Top 12 Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2018 file 344948   Jan 23, 2019 Jan 25, 2019 10:33
Notice Render of the Year Render of the Year Awards 2018: Winners Annouced file 381679   Jan 02, 2019 Jan 02, 2019 13:20
Notice Blender Retrospectives 2018 Blender Retrospective file 376089   Jan 02, 2019 Jan 02, 2019 13:42
Notice Tutorials Top 12 Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2017 file 969033   Jan 09, 2018 Jan 25, 2019 23:35
Notice Blender Retrospectives 2017 Blender Retrospective file 696809   Jan 01, 2018 Jan 09, 2018 04:55
Notice Render of the Year Render of the Year Awards 2017: Winners Annouced file 550783   Dec 26, 2017 Jan 09, 2018 04:55
Notice Tutorials Top 12 Free Online Blender Tutorials (Videos) Released in 2016 file 765433   Jan 16, 2017 Jan 16, 2017 05:18
Notice Blender Retrospectives 2016 Blender Retrospective file Admin 1060333   Dec 29, 2016 Feb 01, 2017 10:28
Notice Render of the Year Render of the Year Awards 2015: Seven Winners Annouced file 790592   Jan 20, 2016 Feb 02, 2016 03:35
Notice Blender Retrospectives 2015 Blender Retrospective file 762302   Jan 12, 2016 Feb 20, 2016 22:40
Notice Tutorials Top 12 Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2015 file 805651   Jun 26, 2015 Jan 01, 2016 05:33
Notice Render of the Year Render of the Year Awards 2014: Five Winners Annouced file 813868   Jan 02, 2015 Jan 02, 2015 16:04
Notice Tutorials Top 12 Free Online Blender Tutorials Released in 2014 file 852742   Dec 11, 2014 Jan 24, 2015 21:31
385 Render of the Week 'Industrial Loft Corner' by Enrico Cerica - the Winner of the Week of February 16, 2015 file 40469   Feb 18, 2015 Feb 18, 2015 03:59
 
384 Render of the Week 'Dark Silver Straight Sword' by Wing Wai Sze - the Winner of the Week of January 19, 2015 file 40268   Jan 21, 2015 Jan 21, 2015 04:15
 
383 Render of the Week 'Tyrannosaurus Rex Breakout' by Stephen Lund - the Winner of the Week of September 16, 2013 file 40229   Sep 16, 2013 Sep 16, 2013 16:40
 
382 Render of the Week 'The Brushes' by Gleb Alexandrov - the Winner of the Week of December 2, 2013 file 40218   Dec 02, 2013 Dec 02, 2013 15:54
 
381 Render of the Week 'Big City Sensory Overstimulation' by Gleb Alexandrov - the Winner of the Week of September 14, 2015 file 40127   Sep 15, 2015 Sep 15, 2015 20:52
 
380 Render of the Week 'Fear' by Reynante Martinez - the Winner of the Week of November 24, 2014 file 40114   Nov 25, 2014 Nov 25, 2014 18:13
 
379 Render of the Week 'Lanterns in The Forest' by Francis Harkins - the Winner of the Week of May 5, 2014 file 40092   May 05, 2014 May 05, 2014 17:00
 
378 Render of the Week 'Zigna / Real-Time' by Alessandro Chiffi - the Winner of the Week of November 10, 2014 file 39798   Nov 11, 2014 Nov 11, 2014 20:23
 
377 Render of the Week 'The Rabbit and the Train' by Gleb Alexandrov - the Winner of the Week of February 3, 2014 file 39794   Feb 05, 2014 Feb 05, 2014 01:43
 
376 Render of the Week 'Casino' by Luciano A. Muñoz Sessarego - Winner for the Week of March 25, 2013 file 39746   Mar 25, 2013 Mar 25, 2013 18:05
 
375 Render of the Week 'Mad Dog' by Maciek Ptaszynski - the Winner of the Week of June 9, 2014 file 39695   Jun 09, 2014 Jun 16, 2014 16:02
 
374 Render of the Week 'The Beast' by Max Puliero - the Winner of the Week of March 10, 2014 file 39501   Mar 11, 2014 Mar 11, 2014 02:23
 
373 Render of the Week 'Medieval Bedroom' by Vladimír Stáňa - the Winner of the Week of October 14, 2013 file 39408   Oct 14, 2013 Oct 14, 2013 14:20
 
372 Render of the Week 'Treehouse' by Kjartan Tysdal - the Winner of the Week of April 20, 2015 file 39153   Apr 21, 2015 Apr 21, 2015 20:12
 
371 Render of the Week 'Steve' by Robert Chudy - the Winner of the Week of September 9, 2013 file 39103   Sep 09, 2013 Sep 16, 2013 16:41
 
370 Render of the Week 'Sanctuary Rising' by Jesse Sutherland - the Winner of the Week of April 14, 2014 file 38894   Apr 14, 2014 Apr 14, 2014 12:41
 
369 Render of the Week 'Uncertainty' by Reynante Martinez - Winner for the Week of May 19, 2014 file 38891   May 19, 2014 May 19, 2014 13:49
 
368 Render of the Week 'The Greenbox Studio' by Jesse Sutherland - the Winner of the Week of January 12, 2015 file 38861   Jan 13, 2015 Jan 13, 2015 21:26
 
367 Render of the Week 'Painting Robots' by Gleb Alexandrov - the Winner of the Week of June 2, 2014 file 38811   Jun 02, 2014 Jun 02, 2014 17:29
 
366 Render of the Week 'Tomorrow the Wind Blows' by Viacheslav Korchagin - the Winner of the Week of June 24, 2013 file 38741   Jun 24, 2013 Jun 24, 2013 16:19