Release: DAZ Studio 6 beta

DAZ Studio 6 is out in beta, going from 4.x to 6.x seemingly without a version 5. Still free. The new version is a surprise to all, and touts…

– smoother scene loading, with big textures continuing to load in the background even as you start to work with the scene.

– support for newer NVIDIA 50 series graphics-cards.

– newer version of iRay, 2025.0.3 (NVIDIA drivers update required).

– updated Texture Shaded mode, if you use that rather than iRay for your Viewport.

– ability to hide or show Library content, custom re-labeling, and apparently other content-finding improvements.

– adjust hair strands while still in your full scene, seems to be strand-based hair only.

– the Help system is now run by an AI chatbot. No other AI is in the software. No AI renderer or ComfyUI bridge.

Frankly, such a huge version-leap seems barely justified by the changes. If you work with huge scenes and textures, on a 50-series card, and fiddle with hair a lot, then it may be worth it. Many others will stick with 4.x.

Noted in the changelog…

– “Tweaked the minimum OpenGL version message”, though the newer version was not specified anywhere. Presumably an OpenGL bump is why Texture Shaded mode is now better looking in the Viewport?

– Some changes to formatting of scripts for version 6, and expansion of what they can do.

– A new SDK, so many older third-party plugins won’t work until updated by their makers, if they’re still around e.g. there’s said to be no Animate 2 plugin for version 6.

– “Fixed a regression in the script that backs the ‘Create Poser Companion Files…’ action!” “Backs” rather than “breaks”. That could just be a typo, or it could mean this script broke from version 4.23.1.42 onwards?

Gone with version 6, among other losses…

– 3Delight rendering
– the Collada Exporter (no great loss)
– Mimic and Mimic Live!
– the Photoshop 3D Bridge