Pilgway releases 3DCoat 2026 with new GPU texturing system
Pilgway has unveiled 3DCoat 2026, the latest major version of its sculpting, retopology and 3D painting software.
The major change in the update, currently available in public beta, is a new GPU-accelerated node-based texturing system, and a new generation of smart materials and masks based on it.
On the stable release, due later this month, the new GPU version will be available in parallel with the existing CPU version.
3DCoatTextura 2026, the cut-down edition of the software for texturing work, is also due out later this month, and will also be available as parallel GPU and CPU editions.
New GPU-accelerated node-based texturing system authors materials non-destructively
Pilgway releases new development builds of 3DCoat throughout the year, so the first 2026 release, 3DCoat 2026.1, actually came out in February.
However, this year’s major new feature – the Node System – didn’t become available until 3DCoat 2026.2 and 3DCoat 2026.3, released in May.
The Node System enables users to create materials, masks and effects non-destructively, by wiring together nodes in a visual editor, as in software like Substance 3D Designer and Mari.
The toolset is GPU-accelerated, with procedural effects and general mathematical operations calculated directly on the GPU, and node graphs compiled into shaders on the GPU.
GPU nodes are written using NGL (NodeGraph Language), Pilgway’s own GLSL-based language.
The Node System also underpins a “new generation” of procedural Smart Materials, Smart Masks, deformers, post-processing filters, and volumetric textures.
According to Pilgway, node-based workflow is “seamlessly integrated” with the existing layer-based paint system.
Stable release due later this month, alongside 3DCoatTextura 2026
When the stable version of 3DCoat 2026 is released later this month, the new GPU version of the software will be available as a separate executable to the current CPU version.
The Node System will also be available in 3DCoatTextura 2026, also due out later this month as separate CPU and GPU-accelerated editions.
On its release, the price of an individual license of 3DCoatTextura will rise from €119 to €159. No price changes are planned for 3DCoat itself.
Price, system requirements and release dates
3DCoat 2026 is available in public beta for Windows only. The stable release is due in June 2026, alongside 3DCoatTextura 2026.
The current stable versions, 3DCoat 2025 and 3DCoatTextura 2025, are available for Windows, Linux and macOS. You can find pricing details in this story.
Read more about the new features in 3DCoat 2026 on the product forum
(Includes download links for the beta)
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