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What’s New in Blender 4.5 LTS: Stability, Speed, and More

DigitalArt

Written by Mert Boz

Published on July 28, 2025

Blender 4.5 LTS drops on July 15, 2025, and here’s why that matters: it comes with two full years of fixes and security updates. That’s two years of stability, security, and assurance that your tools won’t break mid-project. If you’ve ever been stung by an update that disrupted your workflow, this is the update you’ve been waiting for.

But here’s the real kicker: Blender 4.5 is an LTS version. And for anyone working on long-term projects, that’s a game-changer. While other updates might come and go with flashy new features, LTS releases are built for reliability. No surprise overhauls, no sudden breaking changes, just a solid, stable platform that you can depend on to get your work done without disruption.

It’s not just another version, it’s the LTS that could save your next big project. Whether you’re working on an animation, a 3D model, or a complex simulation, this release ensures you can focus on your work, not on dealing with unexpected bugs or compatibility issues. If you're on the go or prefer a more portable setup, you might also be curious about using Blender on an iPad, a fantastic solution for working remotely without compromising on power.

If you’re serious about long-term projects, tight deadlines, and avoiding the chaos that comes with constantly chasing updates, Blender 4.5 LTS is the version you need. It’s stable, it’s secure, and it’s here to make sure your next big project runs smoothly from start to finish.

Two-Year Stability Guarantee: Plan Longer, Worry Less

Blender 4.5 LTS isn’t just a feature update—it’s a promise. A two-year guarantee of stability and security that gives you peace of mind while you work on your most ambitious projects. As an LTS version (Long-Term Support), it’s designed to deliver bug fixes and security patches without the worry of sudden, disruptive changes.

For anyone working on long-term projects, this is a big deal. Whether you’re building complex 3D environments, animating a film, or managing large-scale assets, knowing that your software will be stable for the next two years means you can focus on your craft without fearing that your tools will break or force you into an emergency upgrade. It’s ideal for both individual users and teams, especially when projects span months or even years.

Blender 3D interface showing a bouncing ball animation with a node-based setup for importing an OBJ file.

But the stability of Blender 4.5 isn’t just about avoiding headaches. It’s also about ensuring that your existing workflows and plugins continue to function smoothly. Blender’s LTS versions are typically backward compatible, meaning your add-ons, scripts, and setups won’t suddenly become obsolete after an update. A little-known feature, the 3D cursor in Blender, can make a world of difference in navigation. If you're unfamiliar with it, check out our Blender 3D Cursor Guide for tips on how to make it work for you. The tools you’ve spent hours fine-tuning will continue working as you expect, saving you valuable time and effort.

This release also serves as a final call for users relying on Intel Macs or using the COLLADA format. Blender 5.0 will drop support for these features, making Blender 4.5 LTS your last chance to work with these legacy tools. If you’re in this boat, now’s the time to transition or update your workflow before those changes hit.

The long-term stability that Blender 4.5 LTS offers is a serious advantage, allowing you to plan projects without fearing the unexpected—whether you're a solo artist or part of a large team. To maximize efficiency, mastering Blender shortcuts and hotkeys is key. They’ll help you move through the app faster than ever, ensuring you spend more time creating and less time clicking around.

Performance Leap: Vulkan and Engine Upgrades

Blender 4.5 LTS introduces Vulkan, a new rendering engine that brings a huge performance leap to the table. For those diving deeper into the world of 3D modeling, AI tools can be a game-changer. Check out some of the top AI tools for model generation on Blender to speed up your workflow. If you’re used to OpenGL, Vulkan will feel like a breath of fresh air. Unlike OpenGL, which is more limited in how it handles CPU/GPU interaction, Vulkan is a low-level API that allows more efficient communication between your hardware and software, meaning faster, more responsive performance.

One of the biggest improvements with Vulkan is viewport responsiveness. When working with complex scenes, especially those containing large-scale projects or high-poly assets, you’ll notice a significant reduction in lag. Navigating the viewport, rotating, zooming in, and panning, all those tasks will feel smoother and more fluid. This is a game-changer for anyone working with heavy scenes that previously struggled with slowdowns or stuttering.

But Vulkan isn’t just about viewport performance, it extends to your entire workflow. Whether you’re animating, sculpting, or editing textures, Vulkan gives Blender the power to handle complex scenes with far greater efficiency, reducing the time spent waiting for previews or final renders.

A 3D scene showing three crystal-clear glasses placed on a table with soft lighting. The glassware is being rendered in Blender with a focus on its glass texture using shader nodes, visible in the bottom panel of the image.

Speaking of renders, let’s talk about Cycles. With Blender 4.5 LTS, Cycles performance improvements are some of the most significant in recent memory. You can expect up to 15x faster render speeds, especially with scenes that involve heavy lighting, motion blur, or complex shaders. This is a game-changer if you’re working with large scenes or animations where render times used to be a bottleneck. Plus, adaptive subdivision has been enhanced, allowing for faster scene rendering by optimizing geometry on the fly.

In addition to the rendering improvements, Blender 4.5 LTS also brings better startup times and 18% faster dependency graph building. For those looking to customize their workflows even further, using Python in Blender can open up a whole new world of automation and functionality. That means you’ll spend less time waiting for Blender to initialize and more time working on your project. For teams with tight deadlines, this boost in startup time can add up over hours, days, and weeks of use.

A close-up of a textured surface featuring moss and rocks. The text overlaid reads "Subdivides Attributes, Smooths UVs, Motion Blur, Multithreading," with the "Textures from PolyHaven" watermark visible at the bottom.

Finally, Blender 4.5 delivers a 15x speed boost to FBX imports, making it faster and easier to bring in assets from other programs. If you’re working in multi-software pipelines or using complex FBX files, this improvement will save you a ton of time. No more waiting around for Blender to import large files, get your assets into your scene quickly and efficiently. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out these movies made with Blender that showcase the incredible capabilities of this tool.

In short, Blender 4.5’s Vulkan integration and engine upgrades don’t just improve performance, they make your entire workflow faster, smoother, and more responsive, especially when dealing with complex, high-poly scenes. Whether you’re animating a feature film or modeling intricate assets, these upgrades will give you the speed and flexibility you need to work at your best. If you’re tired of long render times, learn how to reduce your rendering times in Blender with our expert tips and tricks.

Modeling Improvements You’ll Actually Feel

Blender 4.5 brings several modeling improvements that will drastically improve your workflow, making every step faster and more intuitive. Blender's versatility extends to 2D animation as well. If that’s your focus, dive into our Guide to 2D Animation on Blender to unlock all the possibilities. If you've ever struggled with messy Booleans, slow iterations, or needing extra tools to perfect your mesh, these updates will be a relief.

Manifold Boolean Solver

One of the standout features is the Manifold Boolean Solver, a significant upgrade to the Boolean modifier. Boolean operations are essential for modeling, but they’ve often been frustratingly unreliable. Blender 4.5 solves this with a cleaner, faster Boolean solver that reduces the likelihood of messy geometry or crashes. Whether you're cutting holes, joining meshes, or performing complex operations, the new solver will give you reliable results every time. Expect faster operations as well, saving you precious time during the modeling process.

A Blender modifier panel with a Boolean modifier applied to an object named "Statue Sitting Bear." The modifier is set to "Difference" and is interacting with another object, "Cube.001," as shown in the panel.

UV Workflow Enhancements

Blender 4.5 has also made significant improvements to its UV workflow, making texturing and mapping a much smoother experience. The new mask weight paint tool allows you to paint directly onto your UVs, which is a huge time-saver when creating detailed textures. Combined with the new paint previews, you can see changes in real-time as you work, making it easier to spot and fix issues right away.

A Blender scene showing a pair of stylized birds in the 3D viewport. The left side of the image displays their UV map, and the right side shows their 3D render, where the birds are colored with different textures.

Additionally, brush duplication is now a breeze, allowing you to quickly copy brushes and tweak settings on the fly. This feature might sound small, but for texture artists who frequently experiment with different brush styles, it can drastically improve iteration speed.

Sculpt Mode Updates

Blender’s Sculpt Mode also received a significant overhaul. With new trim tools, you’ll have even greater control over your mesh as you refine its surface. Whether you're trimming large volumes of geometry or adding surface details, these tools will help you do it more precisely and efficiently. Sculpting just got a lot more fluid and intuitive, allowing for quick changes to your meshes without requiring constant adjustments.

A close-up of a sculpted character in Blender. The character has a muscular build with a chain armor piece over its shoulder. The brush settings for sculpting are visible in the right panel, focusing on details for refinement.

Time-saving Improvements

All of these improvements come together to create a modeling experience that’s faster, more reliable, and easier to manage. Whether you’re working on hard-surface models, organic shapes, or complex textures, Blender 4.5’s enhancements will reduce the time spent on cleanup and rework, giving you more time to focus on the creative side of your project.

Geometry Nodes Expands in Real Ways

Blender 4.5 LTS takes Geometry Nodes to a whole new level. What was once a relatively niche feature has now become a powerful, fully-fledged procedural system that can be used for everything from simple tasks to complex procedural generation. With this update, Geometry Nodes is no longer just for experts, it’s an essential tool for any Blender user looking to create scalable, flexible 3D assets.

File Import Support

One of the most exciting new features in Geometry Nodes is the addition of file import support. Blender now supports PLY, OBJ, STL, CSV, VDB, and TXT files directly in Geometry Nodes, which makes working with external data a breeze. You can now easily bring in point clouds, mesh data, and other formats without needing to preprocess or convert them in other software. The drag-and-drop functionality makes this even easier, simply drag your file into the Geometry Nodes editor, and you’re ready to start manipulating the data. This feature opens up endless possibilities for those working with data-driven assets or large datasets, making Blender a much more flexible tool for procedural workflows.

Set Mesh Normal Node

Another standout feature in Blender 4.5 is the Set Mesh Normal node. This new node allows you to blend normals across meshes without needing to modify the underlying topology. In the past, when you wanted to blend or smooth normals across different objects, you often had to edit the mesh itself or rely on messy workarounds. Now, with the Set Mesh Normal node, you can achieve a seamless transition between different mesh parts, making your procedural assets look more polished without any additional geometry modifications.

Grease Pencil Integration

Blender 4.5 also improves how Grease Pencil integrates with Geometry Nodes. The addition of new nodes like Set Grease Pencil Depth, Color, and Softness helps bring more control and flexibility to hybrid workflows that combine 2D and 3D elements. For animators and artists working with 2D/3D hybrids, these new nodes offer better control over the visual appearance of Grease Pencil objects within a 3D environment. This means you can now create more dynamic 2D animation within your 3D scenes without sacrificing visual quality or control.

A Blender scene with the "Grease Pencil" feature active. The Grease Pencil color is being set with a fill color of blue, and the opacity is adjusted to 1. The 3D viewport displays a monkey head drawing created using Grease Pencil.

Expanding Geometry Nodes Into a Fully-Fledged Procedural System

With these updates, Geometry Nodes is no longer just a supplementary feature, it’s a full-fledged procedural system that can handle everything from asset generation to animation. The flexibility to import external data, combine 2D and 3D elements, and manipulate mesh normals without altering geometry makes Geometry Nodes one of the most powerful and versatile tools in Blender. Whether you’re creating large-scale environments, procedural assets, or complex animations, the updates in Blender 4.5 make this tool more accessible and more powerful than ever.

A set of six import nodes in Blender’s node editor. The nodes include OBJ, CSV, STL, PLY, and VDB file import options, each connected to specific mesh or point cloud data paths for importing 3D assets.

Compositor Gets Modernized

Blender 4.5 LTS brings a major overhaul to the Compositor, making it a more powerful, streamlined tool for compositing visual effects and post-production work. The updates aren’t just about adding new features, they’re about making the entire compositing process faster, easier, and more precise.

Unified Node System Across Shading, Geometry, and Compositing

One of the most significant updates is the unified node system across shading, geometry, and compositing. In previous versions of Blender, these areas often felt disjointed, with users needing to jump between different node editors and systems to achieve their desired result. Now, with Blender 4.5, these systems are fully integrated, allowing for a smoother workflow. The transition between tasks is much more seamless, meaning you can stay in the flow without the frustration of constantly switching between different node types or editors. Whether you’re working on textures, animations, or post-production, this unified system simplifies your work, streamlining the process from start to finish.

A Blender compositing node setup for rendering a scene of an industrial interior. The Render Layers node connects to a ViewLayer node, and compositing adjustments are applied in the viewer for image output.

New Nodes: Vector Math, Rotate, Mix, Clamp, Float Curve, Blackbody, Image Coordinate

Blender 4.5 also introduces a series of new nodes that add more control and precision to your compositing tasks. The Vector Math and Rotate nodes are great for handling transformations, while the Mix and Clamp nodes give you better control over blending and limiting values in your compositions. The Float Curve node allows for more detailed control over values, making it perfect for adjusting lighting or creating subtle visual effects. The Blackbody node is fantastic for generating realistic lighting effects, and the Image Coordinate node simplifies the process of manipulating image data in compositing.

A Blender compositing node setup featuring a "Render Layers" node connected to a "Mix" node and finally to a "Composite" node. The image is being adjusted with alpha settings for blending different layers in the scene.

These additions make the compositing workflow far more flexible and precise, allowing artists to create complex effects with less effort.

Grease Pencil Render Passes: SSAA Antialiasing for Cleaner 2D Lines and Animations

For those working with Grease Pencil objects, Blender 4.5 adds a major update to render passes. With the introduction of SSAA (Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing) for Grease Pencil, you can now render cleaner, smoother 2D lines and animations. This is a huge improvement for artists working on 2D/3D hybrid projects, where you need the precision of 2D drawing combined with the depth and flexibility of 3D environments. The addition of SSAA makes 2D animations look more polished and professional, eliminating jagged lines and rough edges that used to plague Grease Pencil renders.

A Blender interface showing an isometric render of a building with rooftop details on the left and the Render Layers panel on the right. The user has enabled various data passes like Combined, Z, Vector, and Grease Pencil in the View Layer settings.

Improved Compositing Tools for More Precise Visual Effects

Finally, Blender 4.5 introduces improved compositing tools that allow for more precise visual effects and adjustments. Whether you’re adding final touches to your scene or combining multiple layers and passes, these new tools make it easier to tweak, refine, and fine-tune your work without compromising quality. The precision and flexibility of the updated compositor will help you achieve exactly the look you’re after with less effort and greater control.

Blender’s Node Editor interface displaying a complex node setup for texture creation. The “Add” menu is expanded with the Brick Texture option highlighted. Multiple nodes such as Voronoi Texture, Gradient Texture, and MixRGB are connected in the workspace.

Overcome Hardware Limitations with Vagon Cloud Computer

Blender 4.5 LTS brings amazing performance improvements, but those advancements are only useful if your hardware can keep up. That’s where Vagon Cloud Computer steps in.

With Vagon Cloud Computer, you can test and share your Blender 4.5 LTS projects without worrying about local hardware limitations. Whether you’re dealing with high-poly assets, complex simulations, or high-resolution textures, Vagon's cloud workstations come equipped with high-performance GPUs that make running Blender scenes seamless. You don’t have to worry about your desktop or laptop struggling to handle the latest features—Vagon takes care of the heavy lifting.

Imagine spinning up a cloud workstation in minutes, ready to handle intense rendering tasks or interactive viewport navigation, no matter how demanding your project is. Whether you’re working on an animation, simulation, or 3D modeling session, Vagon ensures that your Blender experience is smooth and fast.

With 20+ data centers worldwide, Vagon offers low-latency streaming to any device. This means you can access your projects from anywhere, whether you're in the office, at home, or on the go. Say goodbye to the days of waiting for hardware upgrades or struggling with slow machines. Vagon ensures that no matter where you are, you can work efficiently and share your work without delays.

Moreover, Vagon Cloud Computer is flexible and scalable, making it a perfect solution for both individuals and teams. Whether you're a solo artist looking for powerful remote workstations or a team needing to collaborate in real time, Vagon offers customizable plans that cater to your specific needs.

With Vagon, you can focus on your Blender 4.5 LTS work without being limited by your local hardware, freeing you to create, test, and share without constraints.

Wrapping Up: Blender 4.5 LTS is a Game Changer

Blender 4.5 LTS is not just another update—it’s a game-changer. With its long-term support, you can now plan your projects with confidence, knowing that you won’t be forced into constant updates or faced with sudden tool-breaking changes. The Vulkan integration and engine upgrades bring unmatched performance improvements, making Blender faster, more responsive, and capable of handling complex scenes like never before.

The new features in Geometry Nodes allow you to build more advanced procedural systems, whether you’re generating assets or tweaking geometry. Meanwhile, the Compositor updates enhance your ability to work with 2D and 3D assets together, giving you more precision and flexibility in your visual effects workflows.

For real-world users, the improvements in viewport performance, render speed, and workflow efficiency will dramatically enhance your creative process, allowing you to spend less time on technical issues and more time focusing on your craft. And while there are some minor challenges, such as compatibility issues with older add-ons, the gains in speed and flexibility far outweigh these hurdles.

If you’re looking to test Blender 4.5 LTS in a high-performance environment without the hardware hassle, Vagon Cloud Computer offers the perfect solution. With cloud-based workstations that feature high-performance GPUs and low-latency access, you can take full advantage of Blender’s latest features no matter where you are or what hardware you're using.

Blender 4.5 LTS isn’t just a step forward—it’s the future of 3D modeling, animation, and procedural workflows. Download it today, and experience how much more efficient and powerful your Blender projects can be.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between Blender 4.5 LTS and regular Blender updates?
Blender 4.5 LTS (Long-Term Support) is different because it offers two years of stability and security updates, ensuring no sudden changes or disruptions to your workflow. Unlike regular Blender updates, which may introduce new features that could break existing functionality, LTS versions are designed to be reliable and backward compatible.

2. Why is Blender 4.5 LTS important for long-term projects?
Blender 4.5 LTS is ideal for long-term projects because it provides a stable environment without the need for constant updates or the risk of new features causing issues. If you’re working on a project that spans months or years, the LTS version ensures you won’t face unexpected changes or compatibility problems.

3. How does Vulkan improve my Blender workflow?
Vulkan is a new rendering engine in Blender 4.5 that significantly improves performance. It allows for more efficient communication between the CPU and GPU, resulting in faster viewport performance and smoother interactions when working with complex scenes or high-poly assets. This helps reduce lag and makes your Blender experience more responsive.

4. What are the new features in Blender’s modeling tools?
Blender 4.5 introduces several modeling improvements, such as the Manifold Boolean Solver, which simplifies complex Boolean operations and reduces crashes. The update also brings enhancements to the UV workflow, making texturing easier and more intuitive, as well as Sculpt Mode updates for greater control over surface details.

5. How does Blender 4.5 enhance 2D animation?
Blender 4.5 expands its 2D animation capabilities with improved Grease Pencil integration in Geometry Nodes. Artists can now work with 2D elements in 3D environments more seamlessly, and the new SSAA anti-aliasing makes 2D lines and animations cleaner and smoother.