1. Adobe Acquires Topaz Labs
Adobe is buying Topaz Labs!
If you’ve ever used Topaz Video AI, Gigapixel AI, or Photo AI, you already know how powerful these tools are. Adobe says they’ll continue working as usual while the deal is being completed.
Now this is more than just another company acquisition.
Topaz has some of the best AI technology for upscaling, sharpening, removing noise, and restoring videos. Imagine having all of that built directly into Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, or Firefly.
For VFX artists, this could mean less exporting, less switching between apps, and a much faster workflow.
My opinion?
Adobe isn’t just buying software. They’re buying years of AI research. The only question is whether they’ll keep Topaz as a great standalone tool or slowly turn everything into another Creative Cloud feature. If they keep what makes Topaz special, this could be a huge win for creators.
2. Foundry Previews Nuke 17
Foundry Live 2026 gave us a first look at the future of VFX, virtual production, and AI. Here’s the quick summary.
Nuke 17 introduces a brand new USD based 3D system with native MaterialX support, a Hydra viewport, and a powerful new Field System that lets artists isolate, mask, and render Gaussian Splats directly inside Nuke.
Next, Nuke Stage brings compositing closer to virtual production, allowing real time color grading, depth based effects, and smooth data exchange between the LED stage and post production.
On the AI side, Griptape showcased advanced workflows like SAM 3 for video segmentation, Minimax for local video inpainting, and custom AI widgets to automate creative pipelines.
The event wrapped up with Steamed & Dangerous, a short film demonstrating how traditional VFX workflows and generative AI can work together to create the next generation of visual storytelling.
I’m really excited to see how much this improves real day-to-day compositing, not just impressive demo videos.
3. Houdini 21
Houdini 21 is officially here.
This update brings improvements across simulations, Solaris, Karma, procedural workflows, and lots of artist tools.
What’s interesting is that Houdini is no longer just a VFX software.
It’s becoming useful for motion graphics, games, virtual production, and procedural asset creation.
Even if you’re a compositor, understanding procedural workflows and USD can make you a much stronger artist.
My take?
Houdini isn’t trying to replace Maya or Blender.
It’s becoming the software that connects everything together.
Learning Houdini today feels less like learning one application and more like learning how modern production actually works.
4. Seedance 2.0
Seedance 2.0 is here with better AI video generation.
The new version creates longer shots, more consistent results, and gives artists better control.
The AI race is changing.
It’s no longer about making a cool five-second clip.
The real goal now is creating videos that can actually fit into a professional production pipeline.
AI videos are already useful for concept art, background elements, previs, reference footage, and even some production shots.
My opinion?
We’ve already seen AI make impressive-looking videos.
Now the real challenge is control.
Because in production, control is always more important than quality alone.
5. iClone 8 Is Now Free
Good news for beginners.
Reallusion has made iClone Personal completely free, alongside the launch of AI Studio.
Free tools always help grow the community.
Now students and independent artists can start learning animation, motion capture, and AI character workflows without spending a lot of money.
We’ve seen this happen before with Blender.
Free software brings more users.
More users build a bigger community.
And bigger communities create stronger ecosystems.
It’ll be interesting to see if Reallusion can follow the same path.
6. GTA 6
Yes… GTA 6 is still making headlines.
But from a VFX perspective, I’m more interested in the technology behind it.
GTA 6 is one of the most advanced real-time productions ever made.
Games today are borrowing techniques from films.
At the same time, films are borrowing technology from games.
Lighting, animation, crowd systems, facial capture, procedural worlds… everything is evolving together.
I don’t just see GTA 6 as a game.
I see it as a preview of where real-time production is heading.
A lot of technology that starts in games usually finds its way into VFX a few years later.
7. Industry Story: EA Supports the Godot Development Fund
Here’s an interesting industry story.
Battlefield Studios has become a Platinum sponsor of the Godot Development Fund.
That makes them one of the biggest companies supporting the open source game engine.
This shows that large studios are investing not only in commercial software, but also in open source technology.
Today, standards like USD, MaterialX, and OpenEXR are becoming more important than ever.
The stronger these open technologies become, the better it is for the whole industry.
My opinion?
Competition is always good.
Whether you use Unreal, Unity, or Godot, investment in open technology pushes the entire industry forward.
Quick Bytes
• Wētā FX released a new Stranger Things Season 5 VFX breakdown.
• Digital Domain appointed Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice President of Operations.
• Pixar previewed its upcoming movie Gatto and announced a new Finding Nemo short called Loving Dory.
• RealityCapture 2.2 now supports AMD GPUs and offers faster photogrammetry workflows.
• Remoto released major updates to its secure remote review platform for VFX and animation teams.
