OTOY Forums

I see a version of Octane Render 2026.1 was released for the addon on December 2'nd. When will 2026 be released for the custom build non addon Blender version?

Bump.

Octane 2026.1 will be available as an addon only; no new custom builds will be released going forward.
We expect to release a test version in approximately three weeks.

Once the Blender 5.0 integration is completed, development will focus exclusively on Blender 5.0.
The Octane 2026.1 addon for Blender 4.5.5 will not be maintained.

A new Octane 2025.5–based custom build (30.9) will be released soon.
This will be the final custom build release.

From that point on, no additional custom builds are planned.
Only updates and bug fixes for existing custom builds will continue.

Why this change is beneficial

This decision allows us to significantly reduce fragmentation across different builds and Blender versions, which in turn brings several concrete benefits:

Faster development and fixes: focusing on a single integration path allows issues to be identified and resolved more quickly.

Improved stability and consistency: fewer parallel branches mean less divergence in behavior between versions.

Better long-term maintenance: development effort can be concentrated where it matters most, instead of being spread across multiple custom builds.

More predictable releases: users can rely on a clearer roadmap with fewer version-specific caveats.

Stronger Blender 5.0 support: dedicating resources to Blender 5.0 ensures better compatibility with its new architecture and future updates.

At the same time, we remain committed to supporting users with ongoing projects by continuing to provide updates and bug fixes for existing 2025 custom builds.

So in three weeks the addon moves out of Beta and becomes a Stable release? Also does that mean it has reached performance parity with the custom build?