Blender has announced that it is developing a native iPad Pro version of its popular open source 3D creation suite. The new app will include support for Apple Pencil Pro and will offer a multitouch interface tailored to artists familiar with tablets.
From the blog post announcement:
This requires adapting to platform-specific paradigms, but also to offer more task-oriented user interfaces with reduced information density. This will be achieved by extending existing input methods, and improving workspaces and application templates, running on top of a regular Blender build.
Other tablet platforms that could receive a version of Blender include Microsoft Surface, Huawei MatePad, and the Wacom MovinkPad, among others.
The first version of the app will reportedly focus on sculpting and basic object manipulation. The developers hope to bring tools like the Grease Pencil and storyboarding to the iPad later.
While an actual app is not ready for unveiling, the Blender team provided several mockups of the app in its announcement. The mockups show a single-window working environment, with quick access to tools via floating UI elements, and contextual overlays.
The team says the iPad Pro version of the app won’t be a simplified mobile version. “There is no specific intention of simplifying or tailoring Blender to appeal to an audience that might not be familiar with Blender or 3D,” the team explains. Instead, the team aims to implement new core features in Blender while designing a custom application template tailored for devices like the iPad.
While no firm release date has been announced, Blender plans to show a live tech demo at SIGGRAPH 2025 in Vancouver, and will then follow-up with discussions and design workshops for Blender HQ and the Blender Conference later this year.
Blender has previously been limited to desktop platforms. The latest Blender build is available as a free download for both Apple Silicon and Intel-based Macs, Windows, Linux, and Steam from the Blender website.
