Friday, February 20th, 2026 Posted by Jim Thacker

BorisFX releases SynthEyes 2026


Boris FX has released SynthEyes 2026.0, the latest version of the 3D tracking software.

The update adds a new Mocha Point Tracker to help track flat surfaces, live previews for GeoH setups, and the option to import USD and USDZ data.

Boris FX has also begun to modernize the software’s user interface, with changes due to roll out across the next few releases.

A powerful, affordable 3D object and camera tracking application
First released two decades ago, and acquired by Boris FX in 2023, SynthEyes is a standalone 3D tracking app, used in VFX pipelines for its combination of speed, accuracy and affordability.

It can handle a wide range of shot types, including stereoscopic and 360-degree virtual reality, and exports to most major 3D and compositing applications.


New Mocha Point Tracker helps track tricky flat surfaces
New features in SynthEyes 2026.0 include the new Mocha Point Tracker: a new supervised tracking option for tricky cases where existing point trackers don’t stay locked over time.

Based on technology from Mocha Pro, Boris FX’s planar tracking software, it tracks the motion of a small planar surface and uses that motion to keep the returned point stable.

Suggested use cases include flat surfaces that rotate, tilt or change perspective during a shot.


Live previews of GeoH set-ups
The release also adds live previews for geometric hierarchy (GeoH) setups.

Users can now adjust the setup and see the hierarchy update in the current frame in real time, rather than having to manually trigger an update and replay the shot, speeding up iteration.

There are also some smaller updates to the GeoH panel, described in the release notes.

New option to transform everything in a scene in one go
Other workflow improvements include a new Whole scene transformation mode, for safely making changes late on in a project without affecting the integrity of the solve.

It lets you scale, rotate or translate the entire scene, while preserving relative motion.

As well as cameras, objects, trackers and meshes, scene transformations also now update GeoH rigs, lights and flexes.



Better support for USD data and for exporting lens distortion maps
For pipeline integration, it is now possible to import USD data, as well as export it.

Users can import full USD scenes, or individual USD (.usd, .usda and .usdc) and USDZ assets, preserving meshes, textures, scene hierarchy, cameras, lights, amation and metadata.

In addition, the new Multi-Export system introduced in SynthEyes 2025.0 now support lens distortion maps (STMaps), making it possible to generate them alongside other outputs.



Start of an ongoing overhaul of the user interface
SynthEyes 2026.0 also marks the start of an ongoing effort to modernize the software’s previously idiosyncratic user interface.

Changes will take place over the course of several releases, with the aim of making the UI “clearer, more intuitive, and more efficient, while preserving [existing users’] workflows and muscle memory”.

The initial changes focus on the left panel and room navigation, with redesigns of key icons and UI elements, better labelling of icons with tooltips, and more consistent layout and behavior.

Price and system requirements
SynthEyes 2026.0 is available for Windows 10+, RHEL 8+ Linux or a compatible distro, and macOS 12.7.6+. New perpetual licenses cost $655. Subscriptions cost $62/month or $325/year.

Read an overview of the new features in SynthEyes 2026.0 on Boris FX’s blog

Read a full list of new features in SynthEyes 2026.0 in the online release notes


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