Blender 2.80 Now Coming In Early 2019 With Many Improvements

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Blender 2.80 Now Coming In Early 2019 With Many Improvements

The Blender 3D modeling software is facing a slight set-back in their release schedule for the big Blender 2.80 release, but it's moving along and they intend to have it ready by early next year...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Blender-2.80-Early-2019

[microcode]

Gotta say, the way grease pencil and such are going, it's shaping up to be a viable 2D/3D mixed animation tool (especially with NPR options for 3D).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKmSdY56VtY

[GunpowaderGuy]

do they plan to add vulkan support next version ?

[waxhead]

I like the viewport changes to Blender. It is much more intuitive to use now, and even navigation is starting to shape up. The only thing on my wishlist is that it had the same navigation shortcuts and method like Lightwave3D which really got this 100% right. Because of blender I had to get a 3D mouse (3D Connexion with the spacenavd package in Debian) as the standard navigation is / was really horrific to use.

[linner]

Mirai/Nendo/Wings3D have the best interface to 3D modeling ever made. If the features of Blender could be put in that interface style then it might conquer the world. Then all it would need is a decent parametric CAD interface and it would conquer the universe.

[Vistaus]

do they plan to add vulkan support next version ?

Nah, they're planning a rewrite in Rust first.

[Grinch]

Mirai/Nendo/Wings3D have the best interface to 3D modeling ever made.

The reason those programs can have such a streamlined interface is that they are purely focused on modeling (primarily 'box' modeling). Blender supports modeling in all forms, sculpting, animation, modifiers, rendering, texturing, cloth etc.

[Grinch]

do they plan to add vulkan support next version ?

It's on their radar, but they have no actual plans as of yet. I hope they wait to see if it's worthwhile when some other application has taken the plunge.

[linner]

The reason those programs can have such a streamlined interface is that they are purely focused on modeling (primarily 'box' modeling). Blender supports modeling in all forms, sculpting, animation, modifiers, rendering, texturing, cloth etc.

That's not what makes them better. It's the way they use context menus with help messages for everything. Using context acts as a filter for all the stuff you can't do at that moment and the messages instantly tell you what each option does (versus icons and crap). You can put that interface on anything but most developers have never seen, let alone used a really good GUI.