Microsoft opens up its wallet for open source software Blender

Microsoft logo (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

Microsoft is now a Corporate Gold Member of the Blender Foundation's Development Fund.
Blender is an open source creation suite used for modeling, animation, rendering, and more.
Microsoft's membership began on July 1, 2020.

According to Blender's corporate memberships page, a Corporate Gold membership comes at a cost of €30,000. Despite that page's information, Blender did not disclose how much Microsoft is contributing.

"Microsoft makes use of Blender to generate synthetic 3D models and images of humans that can be used to train AI models," says Blender Foundation Chairman Ton Roosendaal in Blender's press release. Roosendaal adds, "For researchers, having access to high quality free/opensource 3D software has proven to be of great benefit for scientific projects."

Blender is a popular 3-D creation suite that people use for modelling, animation, rendering, and more.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.