Blender, the free and open-source 3D graphics software, is finally moving beyond desktop computers. The Blender team announced that it’s working on a version for iPad and Android tablets.
Blender is one of the best tools for working on 3D models and animations, but it’s only available for desktop platforms: mainly Windows, macOS, and Linux, with unofficial ports to operating systems like Haiku and BSD. It’s a frustrating limitation for anyone using an iPad or Android tablet as their main computing device, especially since other creative design tools like Photoshop, AutoCAD, and Krita have successfully jumped to tablets.
A blog post published today explained, “Multi-touch interfaces like tablets have been common for years, but only recently thanks to increased processing power, have they started to serve as primary computing devices. To support Blender’s mission of making 3D technology accessible to everyone, it’s important to fully embrace these platforms. Some of these devices include Apple iPad, Microsoft Surface, Huawei MatePad, and the Wacom MovinkPad, among others.”
Blender for tablets will eventually be “a complete Blender experience,” without intentionally simplifying the interface or functionality, but the team is starting small. The initial versions will focus on basic object manipulation and sculpting, with Grease Pencil and storyboarding support coming later. Some work being done for tablets will also benefit the desktop version, such as a Quick Favorites editor and a Helper overlay with curated shortcuts
The Blender team is focusing on an iPad version first with support for the Apple Pencil, and versions for Android and generic tablets will show up after that. That’s the same pattern we’ve seen from most professional design tools—most of Adobe’s apps have arrived on iPad before Android—but hopefully the Android version isn’t too far away.
The blog post also said, “The audience is ‘Blender users’. There is no distinction between desktop or tablet users, the same way mouse/keyboard and graphic tablet users are treated equally. Therefore, 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 goal is to implement new core features in Blender while designing a custom application template tailored for devices like the iPad.”
There’s no estimated release date yet for Blender on tablets—the team is still seeking feedback and looking for additional developers. However, a tech demo will be available at the Blender booth at next month’sSIGGRAPH 2025graphics conference in Vancouver, showing the app on an iPad Pro.
It’s always great to see more popular desktop applications arrive on tablets, especially for people who only have an iPad or other tablet. In the meantime, you candownload Blenderfor Windows, macOS, or Linux from the official website.
