Blender Lab: An Open R&D Space to Drive Future Innovation
Read ArticleRead Original Articleadded Nov 14, 2025November 14, 2025
Blender Foundation is creating Blender Lab, a public R&D space for experimental, future-facing projects outside Blender’s normal release cycle. Early focus areas include new input methods, VR/XR, volume rendering, and light transport, with possible additions like USD authoring and AI/ML. Proposals will be curated, progress will be public, and sustained funding via the Development Fund is essential.
Key Points
- Blender Lab is a new, public innovation space for experimental, forward-looking projects independent of release cycles.
- It aims to overcome innovation hurdles in a mature, stability-focused software ecosystem by enabling risk-taking and experimentation.
- Initial areas include advanced input (touch/pen, VR/XR), volume rendering, and light transport, with potential expansion to USD authoring and AI/ML.
- Projects emphasize applied research, with academic collaborations also supported, and will share builds and progress openly.
- Adoption of proposals depends on funding, mission relevance, and team expertise; sustained support via the Development Fund is encouraged.