| Static real-world scans just lost their static limitation. The release of a free Blender add-on that transfers mesh deformation onto 3D Gaussian Splats means photorealistic captures can finally be posed and animated directly on the timeline. | This week: animating Gaussian splats inside Blender, Maxon redesigns Cinema 4D's UV workflow, and custom temperature-driven viscosity in Houdini. | |  | | Tech | Blender Add-on Breaks the Static Limit of Gaussian Splats | Kiri Innovations has released 3DGS Render 5.0, a free and open-source Apache 2.0 Blender add-on that introduces tools to rig and animate 3D Gaussian Splats. By rigging and animating a traditional proxy mesh, artists can transfer deformation data directly onto a PLY-format splat. The tool also supports cropping, merging scans, rendering with Eevee, converting standard meshes to splat formats, baking animations, and transferring lighting from proxy meshes onto the splat within Blender 5.1. For pipelines struggling to integrate static photorealistic scans into narrative scenes, this represents a major conceptual shift. While the developer admits that performance is currently limited and the feature remains experimental, the ability to pose and deform a captured environment or prop without manual rebuilding or complex projection mapping removes a major production bottleneck. It signals a near future where scan data is no longer a rigid background element but an active, deformable asset. | "Transferring proxy mesh deformations onto Gaussian splats turns previously frozen photoreal captures into direct, poseable assets, bypassing the entire traditional rebuilding and projection pipeline." | | The briefs |  Tech · cgchannel.com Maxon Rebuilds Cinema 4D UV Workflow from the Ground Up Maxon has launched Cinema 4D 2026.3, replacing the legacy BodyPaint 3D UV editor with a modern system offering full professional unwrapping, packing, and UDIM support. The new editor integrates directly with native modeling tools, matching selection and transformation hotkeys across 3D and UV layouts. For motion graphics, the update adds a dedicated Particle Property Manager and new Cloner distribution types like UV Projection, Rivet, and Edge. If you are handling complex UV layouts or real-time assets, this update standardizes hotkeys to significantly speed up your asset-prep pipeline. |  Tech · 80.lv Houdini MPM Solver Simulates Heavy Viscous Lava at Scale Artist José Molfino has demonstrated a massive lava simulation using Houdini's Material Point Method (MPM) solver driven by custom temperature viscosity. Running approximately 40 million particles, the setup integrates height fields for terrain generation, Axiom for sparse smoke, and Husk for Karma XPU rendering. If you are bidding on high-end environmental destruction, mastering custom MPM setups is rapidly becoming a requirement for modern cinematic FX work. |  Tools · 80.lv Unity Tool Runs PhysX Simulations for Fast Editor Prop Placement Developer Adam Napper has released RealTransforms, bringing physics-assisted move, rotate, drop, and arrange tools directly into the Unity Scene view. The tool uses Unity's native PhysX engine to clump, spread, or randomize layouts in real time without floating or clipping geometry. If you are responsible for dressing complex real-time environments, this tool automates clutter generation to drastically reduce manual layout hours. | 1k open VFX roles on the platform Filter by craft, studio, country, or salary. Updated daily. |
| ▸ Jobs this week |  | Junior QA Rotor Studios · Sydney, Australia · 6d ago | Apply → |
|  | Visual Pioneering Artist Eyeline · Hyderabad, India · 6d ago | Apply → |
|  | 3D FX Artist: Paw Patrol Guru Studio · Toronto, Canada · 6d ago | Apply → |
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| ▸ Featured reel |  | Antonio Neto Brazilian-Canadian VFX Artist with 17 years of experience spanning editing, motion graphics, and TV commercials. |
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| ▸ The Pulse - VFX Engine, this week | 96 new VFX jobs this week | 1k open roles right now | 13 reels & resumes audited | Eyeline top hiring studio (39 roles) |
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| Closing thought This week shows a clear industry transition: we are no longer just capturing the real world or placing assets by eye, but building active physics into every stage of the pipeline. From deforming Gaussian splats in Blender to dropping props with real-time PhysX in Unity, the distinction between offline scanning and interactive layout is dissolving. Keeping your pipeline locked in manual, traditional workflows is a fast way to get outpaced on turnaround times. Reply with the one task in your layout workflow you wish was fully physics-assisted. | Priyank Murarka Founder, VFX Engine. | | How was this issue? Loved itIt was OKMeh |
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