Check out Plasticity’s new Blender bridge
plasticityとblenderをリアルタイム連携しながらモデリング出来るv1.3.0-beta.1が公開https://t.co/gQSQ0lbC0G pic.twitter.com/FTEvqnDlQr
— ModelingHappy (@happy_modeling) July 28, 2023
A video of Plasticity’s new Blender bridge, posted by Modeling Happy.
Plasticity now has a Blender Bridge: an add-on that live links the popular lightweight NURBS modeller to the open-source 3D software.
The bridge, which is still officially an experimental feature, is available in Plasticity 1.3, currently in beta.
A lightweight NURBS modelling app for concept art, not industrial design
First released in April, and pitched as “CAD for artists”, Plasticity is a streamlined NURBS modeller.
The software is intended to provide a low-cost, artist-friendly alternative to tools like MoI – which developer Nick Kallen describes as a “huge inspiration” – and Fusion 360, and is aimed at concept art as well as CAD.
Tested out Plasticity to B3D bridge. Surprised at how well it works for the first version. 25 Seconds initial load/per refresh, 3 seconds per live link on the complex fan assembly on first model pictured below.
VTOL model (which is more standard LOD) 3 and <1 second respectively pic.twitter.com/mUMgjWQAmy— NullPointerEcho (@NullPointerEcho) July 28, 2023
Edit a model in Plasticity and see the changes in Blender in near-real time
Although Plasticity follows some of the same design cues as Blender, with key bindings and selection modes that should be familiar to users of the open-source 3D app, the new add-on takes things a step further.
With it, artists can edit a model in Plasticity, and see the changes transferred to Blender in near-real time: within 1-3 seconds, even on complex assets, according to the user tweet embedded above.
Price, system requirements and release date
The Blender Bridge is available in Plasticity 1.3, currently available in beta to existing users.
The current stable release, Plasticity 1.2, is available for Windows 10+, Ubuntu 22.04+ Linux and macOS 12.0+. It runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
New Indie licences cost $99 and import and export files in OBJ, STEP and Parasolid XT format. Studio licences support a wider range of file formats and cost $299. Both are perpetual node-locked licences.
There is also a free trial edition, which only imports STEP files and exports OBJ files.
Read more about Plasticity on the product website
Homepage image: Plasticity user @NullPointerEcho