Blender 2.93 LTS marks the end of a series more than twenty years in the making. It also marks the start of a new era: 3.0 arrives very soon indeed.
For now, 2.93 intends to go out with a bang, featuring a huge number of enhancements.
These enhancements are featured in the 2.93 LTS Features reel and showcase.
The EEVEE depth of field rendering option was rewritten for increased accuracy, allowing it to better handle fall off and close-ups. Ambient occlusion and volumetrics were also improved.
Geometry Nodes was expanded to build on the attribute system -- texture sampling, support volume data, and usability were all upgraded. A multitude of new nodes were added, including proximity, sample texture, remove, convert, clamp and more. Amongst the large number of improvements to Geometry Nodes was the Spreadsheet Editor, and several usability tweaks. Additionally, it’s now possible to add a range of primitives without leaving Geometry Nodes. And Geometry Nodes received its own default workspace.
In Grease Pencil, the line art modifier was added to create stylized lines. The fill tool was updated to make it faster, and other tweaks like multi-frame filling were included. Also, it’s now possible to export SVG and PDF for further editing in other programs.
Modelling updates included new taper modes, leading to enhanced control. Subdivision surface options introduced more UV smoothing possibilities.
VSE now automatically generates proxies, while Cycles has again become faster -- plus other developments, like less blurry normals. Lighting now includes the option to add a honeycomb or grid in front of an area light. Sculpting, animation and rigging also received updates.
Of course, there were many more improvements and bug fixes, all of which can be further explored in the release notes.
As always, enormous thanks to the community, and the over 5000 individuals and organizations contributing to the Development Fund.
Happy Blending!
The Blender Team
Amsterdam, June 2nd 2021.