Dev:2.7

Blender 2.7x: Latest Production-Ready Version

Git master is still being updated very frequently -- everyday, basically, but the main focus is on fixing bugs.

For users, this is the latest version that can be used for production work, since 2.8 is still in very early stages.

Learn more:

• Project Page at developer.blender.org

How you can participate:

• Fixing bugs is a great way to help -- it's also the best way to learn about Blender's source code if you are a newcomer
• Reporting problems
• Testing reported issues and informing if they also happen in your machine or not

Blender 2.79

Before 2.8 there should be at least one more 2.7x maintenance release in 2017: Blender 2.79.

2.79 Release notes

2.8 is the main topic of discussions right now, though, so the target list for 2.79 will only be defined later on.

Release Cycle

Blender 2.79 "BCon" schedule:

• BCon1: (define targets, branches reviewed & ready)
• BCon2: Feb 26 (start add branches to git, targets are defined)
• BCon3: April 23 (testing and fixing period)
• BCon4: June ... (provide test build, fixing only)
• BCon5: June ... (git frozen, RC a few days after)

More about the development process

2.79 targets

• Production color profile "Filmic Blender". ✓ In Master
• Cycles shadow catcher ✓ In Master
• Cycles denoising, part 1 (Lukas Stockner) ✓ In Master
• Cycles split kernel branch (speedup OpenCL) ✓ In Master
• Cycles principled BSDF ✓ In Master
• Branch & Patch migration list
• Datablock ID Properties Patch ✓ In Master
• Object Info node support for GLSL mode and the internal render Patch ✓ In Master
• Surface deform modifier (Luca Rood) ✓ In Master

• Addons Targets:
• Some new addons to be announced, cleanup of code base & ui/tabs/panel code ✓ In Master
• Blender 2.79 Addons Updates ✓ In Master

Suggested targets

• Head Mounted Display support (VR, OpenHMD)
• The PBVH vertex & weight paint patch
• Cycles microdisplacement (hidden behind experimental toggle in 2.78).
• Bezier Tools (GSoC) Patch, Tech docs, User docs
• Action Management tools (part 3)
• Cycles OpenVDB rendering: D1308, docs User:Kevindietrich/OpenVDBRendering