Blender 4.4 Has Been Released, Here’s What’s New

Blender 4.4 Released: Enhancing Stability and Performance

The Blender Foundation has officially released Blender 4.4, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of this open-source 3D graphics and modeling software.

This version emphasizes stability and performance, addressing over 700 reported issues during the “Winter of Quality” initiative.

Key Features of Blender 4.4

• Action Slots: A new feature that allows multiple data-blocks to share a single Action, streamlining animation workflows. This enables users to mix various animations, such as an object’s position, material properties, and compositing effects, within a single Action.
• CPU Compositor Rewrite: The compositor has undergone a complete CPU rewrite, preparing it for future developments and enhancing its performance.
• Grease Pencil Improvements: Stabilization and feature parity have been achieved for the Grease Pencil tool, offering artists a more reliable and consistent experience.
• Video Sequencer Enhancements: Text editing improvements have been introduced to the Video Sequencer, making video editing more intuitive and efficient.

Experimental Vulkan Backend Update

Blender 4.4 brings a significant update to the experimental Vulkan backend, improving performance, stability, and compatibility. This advancement is a step forward in modernizing Blender’s graphics infrastructure.

Support for New Graphics Hardware

This release adds support for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50×0 (Blackwell) and AMD RX 90×0 (RDNA4) graphics series, ensuring compatibility with the latest hardware advancements.

Blender’s Core Functionalities

Blender is renowned for its comprehensive suite of tools, including 3D modeling, sculpting, animation, rendering, compositing, and video editing. Its versatility makes it a preferred choice for artists, designers, and developers worldwide.

Alternative Software

While Blender stands out for its open-source nature and extensive feature set, alternative 3D graphics applications include Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and Cinema 4D. Each offers unique features catering to different aspects of 3D content creation.

Blender 4.4 is available for download on the official Blender website. Users are encouraged to explore the new features and enhancements to fully leverage the capabilities of this release.

Conclusion

Blender 4.4 is a testament to the Blender Foundation’s commitment to quality, stability, and innovation. With a focus on bug fixes, performance improvements, and enhanced hardware support, this release ensures a smoother experience for both new and experienced users.

The improvements to the Vulkan backend, Grease Pencil, and the compositor lay the groundwork for even more powerful updates in the future.

Whether you’re an animator, game developer, or VFX artist, Blender 4.4 brings valuable enhancements that make the creative process even more efficient.