Industry Trends 2025-2026
Current technology and market trends in CG.
| Software | Description | License | Tags | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | Free open-source 3D creation suite. Modeling, sculpting, animation, rendering, compositing, VFX. See also: Software Reference → 3D Software: Free |
Open Source | Open Source · Full Pipeline | Full 3D pipeline, indie production |
Related:
- AI in Production Pipelines. AI handling roto, denoise, upres, texture drafts, matchmove cleanup. Studios (ILM, Weta, DNEG) deploying at scale.
- Real-Time Path Tracing. Shipping in games (Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2). RTX 50-series + DLSS 4 with neural rendering.
- The Pipeline Conference Paid. Conference for pipeline TDs and engineers across VFX, animation, and games.
- Virtual Production. LED volumes maturing from bleeding-edge to standardized.
- WebGPU Adoption. Shipped in Chrome. Three.js, Babylon.js, PlayCanvas adding WebGPU backends.