Blender 4.5 LTS is Released, What’s New?

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Blender 4.5 LTS, the latest long-term support release of the free, open-source, cross-platform 3D modeling and graphics software, is now available for download. This significant update, arriving four months after Blender 4.4, brings a host of new features, performance enhancements, and improved hardware support.

Vulkan Backend Stabilization and New Features

Blender 4.5 LTS marks the stabilization of the Vulkan backend, delivering enhanced performance and introducing support for OpenXR, Subdivision, USD/Hydra, and more. On Linux systems, the Vulkan backend requires NVIDIA 550 or newer for NVIDIA GPUs and Mesa 25.3 or newer for AMD GPUs. While the Vulkan backend offers improved capabilities, OpenGL remains the default due to limitations in Vulkan, such as performance challenges with virtual reality, handling large meshes, and varying graphics driver limits.

Enhanced User Interface and Input Support

This release introduces several user interface improvements:

  • Pen tablet tilt support for more natural input.
  • Horizontal scrolling in the UI for better navigation.
  • Region resize highlighting for improved usability.
  • High-DPI mouse cursor support (24×24 and 32×32 sizes) on Linux Wayland and X11.
  • Support for the “Hyper” modifier key on Unix systems, configurable with existing keys like Caps Lock.
  • A new operator for taking screenshots within Blender for asset previews.
  • A “New Group” operator to create empty node groups and a search function for specific node operations and input sockets.

Performance and Rendering Improvements

Blender 4.5 LTS optimizes performance with:

  • Faster texture loading and startup times.
  • Multi-threaded shader compilation by default on supported platforms.
  • A new algorithm to minimize depth buffer artifacts for long view distances.
  • Reduced light leaking from large source lights.
  • A shadow terminator to eliminate self-shadowing artifacts on low-polygon geometry.
  • Enhanced adaptive subdivision with support for attribute subdivision, smooth UV subdivision, and motion blur.

New Nodes and Shader Enhancements

The release adds several new nodes to enhance shader workflows:

  • Vector Math, Vector Rotate, Vector Mix, Value Mix, Clamp, Float Curve, and Blackbody nodes.
  • An Image Info node providing details on dimensions, resolution, and transformations.
  • An Image Coordinates node for normalized and integer pixel coordinates.
  • A Relative To Pixel node for converting values relative to image size into pixels.
  • A new shader node for controlling volume coefficients.

Additional node-related improvements include:

  • Boolean socket support.
  • Interpolation options for Scale and Corner Pin nodes.
  • GPU device support for the Denoise node.
  • A backdrop gizmo for the Split node.
  • A new overlay in the image editor to visualize render size with an active viewer node.

Animation and Timeline Enhancements

Blender 4.5 LTS improves animation workflows with:

  • A “Duplicate Shape Key” operator and an “Update from Objects” operator for updating shape key data based on selected objects.
  • Playhead snapping to visible elements in timeline editors.
  • Snapping support for the 2D cursor in the Sequencer Preview.
  • A Snap to Frame Range option in the Timeline.
  • Automatic status bar updates for framerate or view transform changes when adding strips to a blank timeline.

Grease Pencil and Rendering Features

The release introduces:

  • A Grease Pencil render pass and an option to filter Grease Pencil rendering per viewlayer.
  • A supersampling anti-aliasing (SSAA) method for sharper renders.
  • A “Convert Curve Type” operator for flexible curve handling.
  • An option to display onion skinning only for the active object.

Blender 4.5 LTS enhances import/export capabilities:

  • The SVG exporter now supports multi-frame animation exports.
  • The “Snap to Cursor” operator includes rotation support.
  • Support for importing animated Camera properties, USD Skeleton rest pose, USD Shape primitives (Plane, Capsule_1, Cylinder_1), and DomeLight_1 schema.
  • The Copy Global Transform add-on now supports keying sets.
  • Screenshots for pose assets are now possible.
  • Refactored Slip operator and support for editing mesh custom normals with geometry nodes.

Other notable additions include:

  • HDR support in the Sequencer Preview.
  • A new Import Settings popover for streamlined configuration.
  • Improved bump correction and a new Filter Width input on the Bump node.
  • Support for dropping tree view items after the last element.
  • Display of internal attributes in the Spreadsheet editor.
  • Toggle inputs for panels in node groups.

Download and Compatibility

Blender 4.5 LTS is available as a universal binary, runnable on any GNU/Linux distribution without installation, downloadable from the official Blender website. For detailed release notes, visit the official documentation.