In the summer of 2020, Blender 2.90 will be released with the “particle nodes” as the main feature. Version 3.0 is scheduled for release in the summer of 2021. Regular releases (3.1, 3.2 ) will be published over the next two years. And then, in 2023, version 4.0 awaits us. Blender Upcoming Release Calendar. 2.82 – February. Ton suggests to speed up upcoming Blender releases. In the summer of 2020, Blender 2.90 will be released with the “particle nodes” as the main feature. Version 3.0 is scheduled for release in the summer of 2021. Regular releases (3.1, 3.2 ) will be published over the next two years. Intrepid Blender daily build users may have already noticed, but a few days ago, Blender 3.0 alpha appeared on the Blender experimental builds download page. While for the moment this new 3.0 build is suspiciously similar to 2.93, the naming shift symbolizes the end of an era - and the start of a new one. This blender features a range of variable speeds (1-9), a powerful 3.0 Peak HP motor with stainless blade and simple controls for all of your healthy blends. With the die cast metal base and controls and commercial grade components, this blender is durable and long lasting. The KSB6060 includes 1 blender jar, 1 ingredient measuring cap and 1.

Blender Foundation has unveiled its roadmap for Blender over the next five years – if not the features due to be added in each version of the open-source 3D software, at least the release schedule itself.

The schedule proposes major numbered updates every two years, with Blender 3.0 due in 2021 and Blender 4.0 in 2023, and a stable Long Term Support (LTS) edition every year.

The proposed roadmap was posted by Blender Foundation chairman Ton Roosendaal on the Blender Developers Blog, and announced in the livestream embedded above.

Blender 2.83 in May, then a year of 2.9x releases
The least unexpected – and most fully fleshed-out – part of the roadmap is the next 18 months: Roosendaal proposes wrapping up the current 2.8x release cycle, then moving to Blender 2.90 in August.

That means a stable release of Blender 2.83 – currently in alpha – in May 2020.

A work-in-progress feature list for Blender 2.83 is already available online: the highlights include a new physics-enabled cloth sculpting brush and OptiX viewport denoising.

The 2.9x release cycle – Blender 2.90 to 2.93 – will then run until May 2021, and should implement the ‘Everything Nodes‘ project, at least in part.

The work, currently in progress, would give Blender users a fully procedural node-based workflow similar to that of tools like Houdini for many tasks, particularly for authoring particle systems.

Blender 3.0 in August 2021, and a switch to two-year release cycles
The biggest proposed change happens in August 2021 with the release of Blender 3.0.

That would finally end the Blender 2.x release series, which has now run for 20 years, and which began while Blender was still a commercial product.

Roosendaal then proposes a regular series of 3.x updates, with another major update, Blender 4.0, in August 2023, kicking off the next two-year cycle.

No specific development goals have yet been announced for either the Blender 3.x or 4.x release cycles.

Stable Long Term Support editions every year, starting with Blender 2.83
However, for many studios, the most significant part of the roadmap will be the introduction of a system of Unity-style yearly Long Term Support (LTS) releases.

The LTS editions, which would begin with Blender 2.83, will contain fewer experimental features and will continue to receive fixes – primarily security updates – for a two-year period after release.

The change should appeal to the growing number of studios adopting Blender as a primary 3D application, making it possible to complete large projects during the support period for a single version.

In the livestream, the LTS releases were described as being intended “for companies who want a bit more reassurance that things are going to keep working”.

Both a reflection of Blender’s success and a turning point in its development?
Both the LTS releases and the move to “more normal” version numbering seem to signal a shift in tone for Blender, at least in the way the software is presented to the world.

Speaking to CG Channel last year, Roosendaal said that he relished the unconventionality of releasing one of the most significant updates in Blender history with a 0.01 increment in version number.

“We could have called it 3.0, but 2.8 has a certain ring,” he said.

The proposed roadmap, with its dependable, evenly spaced updates and alternation between bleeding-edge features and long-term support, reflects the growing importance of Blender within commercial CG production pipelines – but also, perhaps, marks the end of a little of that unconventionality.

Availability and system requirements
The current stable release, Blender 2.82, is available for Windows 7+, macOS 10.12+ and Linux. It’s a free download. Blender 2.83 is currently available in alpha, and is due in May 2020.

Tags: Blender, Blender 2.82, Blender 2.90, Blender 3.0, Blender 4.0, Blender Foundation, download, free, long-term support, LTS, new features, open source, release date, release schedule, roadmap, system requirements, Ton Roosendaal

Ton Rosendaal published a proposal in the Blender Developers Blog about Blender’s long-term development plans for 2020–2025.

LTS

Starting with version 2.83 the LTS (Long Term Support) Blender versions are expected. Marking the release with the “LTS” abbreviation means its much longer technical support and its suitability for use in studio production cycles (pipelines). The LTS version marks Blender as the industry standard.

It is planned to release the LTS version once a year, providing its support for two years. During this period, bug fixes and updates for the new hardware are guaranteed and full version compatibility is provided (updations will not break the projects developed in the same Blender version).

The introduction of LTS versions is required by large studios and corporations with their strict pipelines, inside of which it is undesirable to switch from version to version without ensuring full compatibility of project development. Any studio project development will take place within the single official LTS Blender version.

At the same time, the LTS versions of Blender will no way reduce or delay the regular and experimental releases of the program. New versions and daily builds will be released, as before.

Releases with new numbers

Ton suggests to speed up upcoming Blender releases.

In the summer of 2020, Blender 2.90 will be released with the “particle nodes” as the main feature.

Version 3.0 is scheduled for release in the summer of 2021. Regular releases (3.1, 3.2 …) will be published over the next two years. And then, in 2023, version 4.0 awaits us.

Blender Upcoming Release Calendar

Blender 2.8

• 2.82 – February 2020
• 2.83 LTS – May 2020

Blender 2.9

• 2.90 – August 2020
• 2.91 – November 2020
• 2.92 – February 2021
• 2.93 LTS – May 2021

Blender 3.0

• 3.0 – August 2021
• 3.1 – November 2021
• 3.2 – February 2022
• 3.3 LTS – May 2022
• 3.4 – August 2022
• 3.5 – November 2022
• 3.6 – February 2023
• 3.7 LTS – May 2023

Blender 3.0 Features

Blender 4.0

Blender 3.0 Download

• 4.0 – August 2023
• 4.1 – November 2023
• 4.2 – February 2024
• 4.3 LTS – May 2024
• 4.4 – August 2024
• 4.5 – November 2024
• 4.6 – February 2025
• 4.7 LTS – May 2025