# Blender

Free, open-source 3D creation software — modeling, sculpting, animation, VFX, and rendering in one app, owned by its contributors rather than a company.

- **Category:** [Utilities](https://notchlist.vercel.app/category/utilities/)
- **Price:** Free
- **Open source:** yes
- **Official site:** https://www.blender.org/
- **Available via:** Homebrew, Direct
- **Requirements:** macOS 11 or newer (Homebrew cask requirement)
- **Maker:** Blender Foundation

## Kitsmith's take

The reason “you don’t need to pay for 3D software” is a real statement rather than a caveat — Blender covers modeling, sculpting, rigging, VFX/motion tracking, and rendering (its own Cycles engine) at zero cost, and its own site cites use in professional short films and feature films, not just hobbyist projects. The tradeoff is depth: it’s a serious application with a real learning curve, not a lightweight 3D viewer.

## Features

- **Cycles render engine:** Built-in unbiased path-tracer with real-time viewport preview and CPU/GPU rendering.
- **Modeling, sculpting & UV:** Full modeling toolset plus multi-resolution sculpting and 3D texture painting.
- **VFX & motion tracking:** Camera and object tracking for compositing 3D elements into real footage.

## FAQ

**Is Blender really free?**

Yes — free and open source (GNU GPL), with no paid tier for the software itself.

**Who owns Blender?**

It’s a public project hosted on blender.org and, per its own site, owned by its contributors rather than a single company.

**Is Blender used professionally?**

Yes — its own site cites use in short films, advertisements, TV series, and feature films.


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Hand-verified listing on Kitsmith: https://notchlist.vercel.app/apps/blender/