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Blender 5.2 LTS adds node physics and texture cache
Blender 5.2 LTS is out with audio-driven Geometry Nodes, node-based hair and cloth physics, EEVEE fixes, and support through July 2028.
Image: CGCookie
Blender 5.2 LTS was released on July 14, 2026, and it is one of the project’s biggest long-term support updates in recent years. The release centers on Geometry Nodes, node-based physics, major EEVEE fixes, and a new Texture Cache in Cycles aimed at cutting memory use on scenes packed with image textures.
In Geometry Nodes, Blender now supports audio-reactive setups through the new Sample Sound Frequencies node and a Sound socket, letting artists drive animations and simulations with imported audio files loaded directly into the node tree.
Another major addition is Mesh Bevel, which brings procedural control over mesh edges and vertices. Blender 5.2 LTS also introduces a new node-based modifier for cloth dynamics, plus similar node-based physics for hair, including built-in controls for pinning, tearing, stretch, and bend. The system is built around the new XPBD Solver node, with support for colliders, forces, custom effectors, and tag-based filtering.
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Blender is also expanding its data model in Geometry Nodes. Bundles, introduced in Blender 5.0, can now be attached to geometry and passed across modifier and object boundaries with new Get Geometry Bundle and Set Geometry Bundle nodes.
Other Geometry Nodes changes include:
- A new List data type for arbitrary-length sequences
- Expanded attribute tools, including Rename Attribute, Get Attribute Names, and Transfer Attributes
- New string field support and related nodes such as Trim String, Reverse String, and Split String
- Support for applying Geometry Nodes modifiers to empty objects
- New curve controls including Set NURBS Order and Set NURBS Weight
Cycles, EEVEE, and compositing updates
For Cycles, the headline feature is Texture Cache. Blender says it can significantly reduce memory usage and startup time by generating smaller optimized texture files that load only the tiles and resolutions needed for rendering, though the gains depend on the scene and come with some disk space cost and a small rendering performance impact.
Cycles and EEVEE also gain a new Thin Wall mode in the Principled BSDF node for more physically accurate rendering of materials such as paper, leaves, and window sheets.
On the real-time side, EEVEE gets what Blender describes as a major release focused on long-standing usability issues from the shift to the EEVEE Next architecture. One notable change is a new Backface option under Screen Tracing, which changes how rays hitting back faces of visible geometry are handled and can reduce light leaking in screen-space global illumination.
Online asset libraries and 35 new compositor nodes
Blender has also added online-hosted assets to the Essentials library, including new parametric materials, compositing effects, HDR world backgrounds, and Geometry Nodes setups. The files can be downloaded on demand, and users can also host their own remote asset libraries.
The Compositor gets six new socket types — Matrix, Rotation, String, Object, Font, and Integer Vector — along with 35 new nodes. Blender also highlights a more responsive interactive compositor, lazy evaluation for some Switch nodes, faster performance for Dilate/Erode in Distance Threshold mode, and new support for animation playback.
As an LTS release, Blender 5.2 LTS will receive fixes for up to two years, through July 2028.
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Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via Hacker News
