The Blender Foundation announced that Netflix Animation Studios is now a Corporate Patron of the Blender Development Fund, confirming a significant financial commitment to the open-source 3D creation suite. This support is specifically earmarked for general Blender core development, aiming to continuously improve the toolset for media and entertainment workflows.
This new patronage represents a substantial acknowledgment of Blender’s growing integration into the production pipelines of major, high-end animation studios worldwide. Francesco Siddi, CEO at Blender, expressed deep appreciation for the strategic investment in a diverse, public, and open-source ecosystem of creative tools.
Darin Grant, SVP Global Technology at Netflix Animation Studios, stated that this corporate membership reflects the company's ongoing commitment to open-source software within the animation community. Netflix is reportedly proud to be the first major animation studio to offer this level of support for Blender’s continued evolution.
Blender, maintained by the Blender Foundation, serves a vast global community, offering comprehensive solutions for modeling, animation, and visual effects. The software’s foundation is built upon open collaboration and innovation in 3D technology, making corporate backing crucial for sustained advancement.
While the exact financial terms of the Corporate Patronage were not disclosed, such contributions typically fund dedicated developer time focused on stability, performance, and feature expansion within the core application. This differs from smaller sponsorship tiers which often target specific features or hardware.
Netflix, recognized as a leading global entertainment service with over 300 million paid memberships, utilizes a wide variety of content creation technologies to produce its extensive library of films and series. Their investment suggests a strategic alignment with open standards in future production efforts.
This development underscores a broader industry trend where large media entities are actively participating in the maintenance and direction of foundational open-source tools they rely upon for commercial output. The collaboration benefits the global community by ensuring the software remains robust and adaptable for future content creators.
