Poliigon Blender Addon Changelogs

Browsing through categories as well as loading the initial home page should be substantially faster

Loading owned assets should also generally be much faster

Now all parts of a model are always selected after an import

Improved the communication in the asset quick menu around the state of the asset browser sync

Updated in-app survey to dynamically populate addon/blender version

Searching is now always at the overall library level, instead of within individual subcategories

Materials generated with transmission maps will no longer be use volume absorption by default

This is due to generally having minimal impact on renders under normal use for the volume textures Poliigon provides, while improving render times by removing it

You can re-enable volume absorption by connecting the volume shader output to the material material output’s volume socket

Prioritize the albedo map over color map for legacy assets which have both

Resolved an edge case when cancelling a login via web quickly

More reliable API decoding

Resolved parsing of model specifications for the large detail viewer

Improved the reliability of opening the larger detail viewer, which sometimes would fail to pop open

Fixes for loading newly purchased assets during an asset browser sync (only relevant for Pro plans)

Improved handling of assets with malformed API data

Some individual and team accounts may have faced difficulty logging into the plugin, or loading the grid if already logged in

Some users may have had trouble downloading assets due to a displayed “Purchase” message on the grid, even if on an unlimited plan.

Several website-only account management features are now available from the addon, such as resuming or upgrading your plan

Ran out of downloads or getting low? Directly upgrade to the next available plan using your payment method on file. Users who upgrade in app are clearly shown the details of their current plan, the proposed new plan, and any immediate and future charges.

Bringing back error labels to the asset grid after purchase or download failures, which had previously regressed

Cleanup of account data when logging out and back in - some edge cases remain so you may still benefit from restarting the software when changing users

Fixed a python conflict which could have interfered with running the addon’s operators from a console

Improved fallback handling when encountering bad asset data structures

This viewer lets you scroll through all of the same preview images on the website, except for video previews

This popup also includes details such as the physical size of the asset, and other meta data where relevant such as polycount and maps included

This also allows for a quick way to download other resolutions, open the website, or open the folder(s) where an asset is located (if local)

Improved some startup background threading issues

Improved UI layout for some previously truncated error messages

Refactored the code for connecting material node sockets to be more resilient against future Blender material socket changes

Improved exception logging system for API calls

The grid items on this tab now behave identically to the other tabs, meaning it is easier to import new instance of an asset, download other resolutions, and open the folder location and more

The “Select” button (previously the only option on this tab for models) is now in the dropdown quick menu next to each asset

This tab now also loads correctly for unlimited plan users

Fixed issue where sometimes the addon would load the second instead of first texture map variant

Fixed a typo in some error reporting

These plans let you download an unlimited number of Textures, Models, and HDRIs from Poliigon with no credits or download limits, learn more here

If you cancel your unlimited plan, the addon will no longer allow you to re-import premium assets; this does not impact assets downloaded using packs or a plan with a monthly asset balance

Assets download with an unlimited plan will not be included when using the Blender Asset Browser syncing feature

Known issue: Assets downloaded via an unlimited plan are not currently visible in the Imported tab, an update coming soon will resolve this

Cancelled downloads no longer hang, which could happen if cancellation was pressed quickly before the download was started

Safer and more reliable addon shutdown handling

The notice for update available now correctly opens changelogs or download the latest version when the according buttons are pressed

The notice for no internet connection now properly dismisses itself upon reconnection

Improved the error reporting system so we can better identify and solve errors occurring in background threads

The addon previously preferred the JPG format where available, you can now freely specify the extension used for downloading and importing on a per map basis similar to the website

Team and enterprise users additionally have the option to download/import TIFF and EXR formats, respectively

Moving forward, new addon users will find their website settings are initially assigned in addon preferences

After this initial setup however, these settings may be changed independently on the website and in the addon without affecting each other

Use the addon preferences “Restore web preferences” button to copy your current website map extension settings

Be aware: If you make a change, you may need to re-download missing maps for any already local assets before future imports

For instance: if you you download an asset and then change BaseColor from JPG to PNG, this asset will display a “Download” button again; on pressing download, it will only download the missing BaseColor PNG image

Map settings are only available for Poliigon textures which follow our new textures standards - some older texture assets not yet upgraded, as well as models and HDRIs, are unaffected by these settings

There is no change in behavior or impact to existing users, if you previously disabled 1-click purchase you’ll now find Show Purchase Confirmation is displayed as enabled

Eliminated several non-consequential background exceptions, such as attempts to access the Blender Asset library from the wrong context, repeat purchase calls for free assets (paid assets not affected),

Eliminated text truncation for Blender 3.x onboarding popups

Fixed the assignment of the sRGB texture color space for users with custom color profiles installed

Resolved new issues importing models and textures from network drives

Fixed blend importing of older models which did not specify “Cycles” in their blend file names; FBX files and more recent blend models were not affected

Reworked the addon shutdown mechanism to be more stable

Fixed the map selection input for Blender 4.3 beta’s principled shader inputs

Fixed some missing operator tooltips

New onboarding experience - users will see one-time popups when assigning their library for the first time, as well as the first time someone does an asset preview for a material

Added option for "one-click purchase" - on by default, you can turn this off to create an additional popup to confirm any purchase

Reworked the account tab to be simpler to user

Changed from defaulting "free" in the search field for free users, instead you can how access the new Free category in the dropdown

Re-organized the top UI to be shorter and more compact

Improved startup pre-fetching, so that pages are most loaded by the time you open the addon panel

Assets will now always download into the "Primary" directory, even if the asset is present in another added library. Recognition of local assets will still work across different libraries

Due to the mentioned refactor, there are fewer scenarios were asset data can get out of sync, which previously could cause a number of rare edge case errors

Inconsistent searches on some categories which could result in one or more fewer assets to be displayed

More reliable preview and asset downloading

Refactor in how downloads are handled, with this update downloads should be more stable and more likely to complete with fewer timeout errors

Blender 4.2, while in beta, has been tested and confirmed working as of this release date

Increased minimum support from Blender 2.80 to 2.83 (LTS)

Supporting the new convention for Poliigon textures

New displacement options, accessible in the 'redo-last' popup bottom left of the 3D view after importing a material. This change is part addresses the duplicative encoded depth information that overlaps between the normal map and displacement map, which should not be used at the same time

Show display name in the grid

Generating assets for the Blender Asset Browser now automatically downloads missing thumbnails

Automatically save Material X (mtlx) files to disk when downloading textures in the new convention

Proactive support for Eevee next in Blender 4.2, as of the time of this release our new displacement methods also work in Eevee Next (other than adaptive displacement, which is only for cycles)

Fixed the notable issue of normal maps being disabled at the same time as displacement maps, leading to flat-looking textures like recent glass assets. The above displacement options resolve this issue.

Fixed initial update checking in mention the update issues being fixed

Prefer connecting alphamasked/BaseColorOpacity maps for color + transparency input instead of COL/BaseColor + MASK/Opacity maps, to save on the memory footprint of images during render

Fixed error when loading materials with a non-english language set, due to unexpected dynamic strings

Improved error handling if default output and principled nodes not found

Set displacement to cubic for smoother interpolation

Improved the fallback for loading HDRIs via the quick menu dropdown

Fixed missing thumbnail downloading during the asset browser local sync

Fixed the colorspace so that AO is linear, and FUZZ / ALPHAMASKED are sRGB

Complete overhaul to simplify material node graphs

Some minor fixes to certain material layouts, including SSS and translucency, compared to the prior version (beyond just grouping)

The reflection map, if present, is now loaded with doing watermarked material previews

Fixed issue of 'too many unpacked values' during some imports

Some forward compatibility on loading assets from size-based subfolders, also fixing support for the older structure of Poliigon textures some users may have on disk from more than two years ago

Added signal to remotely inform how an initiated download completed, so we may better monitor and improve asset download reliability

Fixed unwanted halo effect for FBX-imported models with both translucency and alpha masks

Fixed minor drawing error when the Poliigon Library is open in the Asset Browser

Faster thumbnail downloading, thanks to a new endpoint implementation

Added a mechanism to alert users about specific assets with newer conventions not supported by their current plugin install. No current assets are affected, but this will help direct users to update the plugin when new asset conventions are rolled out for users that have delayed updating.

Removed addition of unnecessary fabric falloff shader for fabric-related textures, as it does not yield consistent realistic results

Fixed users with more than 1,000 assets not showing all their assets as purchased

Fixed the naming of materials for model imports via FBX

Added safer checking for micro displacement setting during material creation

Support for the new asset balance redesign. Read more here .

Fixed an issue when interacting with the quick menu dropdown next to each asset

Fixed an issue when assigning texture resolution size during model import

Added percent label to tooltip of download progress bar

Set the default AO influence to 0, so that Ambient Occlusion is off by default. This is because it is an effect that is not technically photo-realistic, but can be nice to use in some cases.

Cleaned up and removed unused material template files

Was failing to parent all parts of multi-mesh models to the same empty for some assets, such as some plants with separate pots and vases

Model files generated for the Asset browser in some scenarios create empty assets, if downloaded as FBX while prefer blend was enabled

Importing a model from the quick asset menu could result in an empty import, if there was a mismatch between local files and the prefer blend over fbx setting

Remove leftover empty when importing some models

Create a control to mix translucency and principled shaders for better artistic control. Default mix value assigned is suitable for Poliigon models such as some plants, to better simulate light seeping through leaves while still retaining solid texture crispness in a light-conserving way.

Improved download stability and retry mechanism

Fixed bug when displaying the Asset Library Sync panel in 4.0

Fixed FBX import's subsurface material generation for Blender 4.0

Fixed translucency map being ignored

Removed some non-helpful error reporting

Validated Blender 4.0 support, which just entered beta

Improved support for emission-based materials

Improved logic for detecting preview thumbnails

Improved retry logic when encountering download failures

Create a safer fallback for LOD selection during import

Fixed bug when connecting node groups in Blender 4.0

Previously, if the background blender instance was still running from a prior invoke and you had just downloaded something, the new download would not be recognized during sync.

Depending on the model, Poliigon offers the option to download LOD (Level of Detail) levels of SOURCE, LOD0, … LOD4.

However, the SOURCE file comes without appropriated baked normals and is meant for advanced workflows which would result in rebaking of normals, such as for custom LOD generation.

For the highest face density models, you can continue to use LOD0. You can specify this in user preferences, or directly after importing a model in the “redo last” menu (bottom left of the 3D view).

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Display asset name in the main grid

Copy pagination bar to top, to avoid scrolling back down or up to go to the next page.

Don't forget: you also have page size and thumbnail size settings in user preferences! Click the cog icon.

Due to upcoming server-side changes, all users are strongly recommended to download this latest addon version. Older addon versions may start to face slower downloads.

Downloads may appear faster for some individuals.

Some model files, such as the _SPECULAR workflow textures, are now skipped on download since the addon does not need them. This will result in faster downloads and less disk space usage.

Cancelling and restarting a download will benefit from not needing to re-download already local files

This also resolves any issues that some users face due to automated unzipping

You now have the option to load already downloaded assets into the asset browser. This works for textures, models, and HDRs.

To get started, head to the addon's user preferences, and hit 'Sync all assets' under the new Asset Browser section.

Then, go ahead and open the Blender Asset Browser and open the Poliigon Library (or whatever name you specified for the library in the addon preferences)

You also choose to sync only individual assets at a time. On an already purchased and local asset, click the quick menu next to the asset in the addon grid, and select 'Synchronize with Asset Browser'

We have future plans for broader support, which is coming in future updates. Be sure to share your feedback from under the account section!

Once the addon UI is open, it will start fetching the preview images for other pages ahead of time. This way, by the time you click next page or choose a page to click on, the thumbnails typically are already loaded and fast to display.

This also mitigates the issue of gray thumbnails appearing, though still can rarely happen.

Recent assets have a structure of 'sub asset' names, which is now supported by the addon's FBX material loading system.

All users are recommended to update to this version for this reason.

After you import or apply a material, check out the bottom left hand corner screen for changing settings after import

You can change resolution, mapping (including UV and mosaic options), whether to reuse materials, and changing displacement directly

If you have cycles enabled, you will also be able to turn on Micro displacements directly, instead of having to toggle the default setting in addon preferences

Settings files are unlikely to be corrupted now

Improved crash-free stability

Previously, you would have to click back into the quick dropdown menu next to the asset to get at the just-downloaded resolution.

It will only show on startup, so it will never pop in midway through a session

The feedback is highly appreciated! We will not create popups for any other purpose other than for direct addon feedback or immediate usability (such as offline notices).

ACES and FIlmic were not affected and should continue to work as-is)

Please be aware that while ACES or other color spaces may load without error, this does not mean the colors have been appropriately calibrated for this space, and likely requires some manual material adjustment.

Get the benefit of your web password manager or (once ready in the near future) automatically recognize you are already signed in on the browser to complete your Blender login automatically

You can still switch to sign in with email if needed

You can now change the rotation and strength on the fly by expending the redo last menu after import an HDR, visible in the bottom left hand of your 3D scene

Similar to HDRs, you now have many options available right after importing your model.

Options include: LOD level, Texture resolution, whether to import as a collection instance, reuse materials or not N/A if linked), and link blend file file (append if off).

The Mosaic node is great for de-tiling your textures over large areas

The PBR mixer node is perfect for when you want to blend two grouped PBR materials together with ease in the most accurate fashion. This node group has been updated to match the current material shader layout

This makes it easy to jump into preferences to change the default settings for all future imports

We are moving towards supporting redo last options for all import types, but this is a good way to set your defaults in the meantime

The addon now by default will download blend files.

Added a new LOD option called 'NONE' which is now the default. If NONE is selected, then the addon will try to load the blend file (if prefer blend file is present). Otherwise, selecting another LOD will load an FBX file under the hood

Note to existing users: While this 'NONE' value is the new default, existing installs will retain your old FBX LOD preference. We suggest you change this to NONE manually in user preferences if you did not intentionally set the LOD level already.

Additionally, added option to Link blend file both in user preferences as well as in the redo last/F6 post import menu. Known issue: Switching to linked import after an initial appended import will fail, save and re-open the file (you do not need to restart Blender).

However, you won't see this message until the next time you try to install an update, so please restart your blender versions after an update!

All icons refresh between each page instead of caching between pages

Eliminated conflicts in (re)loading icons

As a failsafe, the 'refresh data' is now a button placed to the right of the search bar. If you run into gray thumbnails, just click this button or toggle pages/sections to force a reload.

Note: We do not yet formally support ACES, AgX, or other non built-in colorspaces, so we cannot guarentee you will get the best quality and set up materials, even if loading is successful.

In general, we recommend you set downloads and imports to use blend files for model importing for the best material generation result.

After importing a model, you can use the “redo last” or the F6 menu to change to import as an instance vs append, and to reuse materials or not.

Materials are now imported fresh by default, whereas before existing (even if modified) materials would have been reused.

This is only done by setting the search field to “free”, and can be cleared by pressing the x next to the search field.

Known issue that these maps don’t yet automatically download according to preferences, will be addressed in a future update.

Closing out an update notification could result in an error (if you are still seeing this, be sure to restart blender after updating to 1.0.2)

Fixed how variants are loaded so that VAR1 of any map is preferred

Fixed quick asset previews and material generation for a subset of assets using metalness workflows

Further ensure a material size is included in requests to avoid download errors

Fixed some materials where color was not loading as a map

Fixed issue relating to wrong context when attempting to switch to sculpt mode after selecting a brush

Always shows texture resolution options. To import a different LOD for photo scanned models, change the default LOD in user preferences.

Added View larger thumbnail

Added View Online so that it is always available even after purchase

Open Folder Location to quickly open the folder for an already local asset