Now in Beta: Enhanced 3D and Vector Workflows, New Effects and Improved Caching

[VictoriaNece]

Hello After Effects users!

We have a cornucopia of new features entering public beta today in version 26.0x8, and we’re excited to share what’s on the way:

3D workflow enhancements

Parametric Meshes

Parametric Meshes are the 3D version of shape layers. Create spheres, cubes, cones & more; customize and animate their size, shape and appearance. Easily make meshes look plastic or metallic by adjusting simple, physically-based material properties, or assign a Substance 3D material to take things to the next level.

Substance 3D Materials

Build beautiful 3D scenes rich in shape and texture natively within After Effects. Substance 3D Materials (.sbsar files) are dynamic, adjustable materials capable of giving 3D models and parametric meshes almost any look, from photo-real to highly stylized. Get access to thousands of free materials through Substance Community Assets.

Learn More

Expanded vector support

 

Import SVG files as native shape layers

Import logos, UI mockups and other SVG vector files and start animating instantly with full vector fidelity.

Maintain gradients and transparency when converting Illustrator layers to After Effects shape layers

When converted to native AE shape layers, Illustrator vectors will now maintain their gradient fills, gradient strokes and transparency. Smoother conversion means less rework and more creative possibilities.

Scale and rotate vector gradients

New Scale and Rotation properties for gradient fills and strokes allow you to stretch, squash and animate gradients to create new looks for all your shape layers.

Learn More

Four new effects

 

Unmult effect

Easily composite footage with solid black or white backgrounds like fire, smoke or light leaks. Unmult removes parts of an image based on their brightness level: pixels below a given threshold become transparent, while those above remain opaque.

Learn More

Gate, Compressor and Distortion audio effects

Three new audio effects provide access to common audio workflows without having to round-trip through another application. Use Gate to clean up noise, Compressor to even out dynamics and Distortion to add creative flavor. 

Learn More

Lossless compressed playback

Supercharge your disk cache with compressed frames. Stay in your creative flow by previewing longer durations while using significantly less disk space, with no loss in visual fidelity.

Learn More

Heads up: Beta version compatibility

You may also notice that the beta version number has switched to 26.0. We make this switch once a year when we get close to shipping the last dot release of one major version and switch to the beta of the next major version. 

If you open an existing project in v26, After Effects will guide you through the project upgrade process and automatically version the project file. Unless you specifically save over the original file, you will have a backup.

Like previous major version changes, After Effects projects saved in v26 cannot be opened in previous versions of After Effects, including 25.x shipping versions. You can open your projects in an older version by going to File > Save As > Save a Copy as 25.x. Beta features will not be visible in older versions.

It is also required to have v26 of Premiere Pro beta and Media Encoder beta to make use of Dynamic Link. We suggest updating all three at the same time.

[_nicdean]

Native SVG and Unmult are HUGE quality of life features! Love this majorly stacked release

[funnycolours]

Way overdue

[Rishabh K.]

Thank you ❤️, these new changes were really needed.

[Felix Van der Hallen]

Sounds like some welcome new features. Maybe I don't speak for the entire community, but don't put time in making audio effects. We can do audio stuff in premiere or other audio-centric apps, it honestly has no place in After Effects... I dread the day I would get an project form a freelancer who did his audio in After Effects... 😄

[apollo in paradise]

These 3D “enhancements” show a deeper issue... After Effects is trying to compete with real 3D software yet continues to ship features that Blender has provided for free for years.

The core problem is not primitives or caching. It is your closed development model. The proprietary SDK limits community innovation. Essential tools like rigging, modern easing, and efficient UI workflows still depend on hacks and plugins.

Blender’s open ecosystem moves faster. Community tools become core features. Geometry Nodes, Vulkan acceleration, and rapid workflow upgrades leave AE in the past.

Stop pretending AE is a 3D app. Focus on motion design and compositing or open the platform so the community can push development forward where Adobe has not.

[blastframe]

Hello,
A very useful feature for 3D primitives would be a visible wireframe. This is useful for using primitives as shape layer drawing guides for characters (head turns, etc.). The primitives would be excellent references for 2D work. Without a wireframe, directionality isn't as clear.

[guojunabc_pan2043]

Why are After Effects so obsessed with 3D functionality? Previously, the CS series also introduced the function of generating 3D stereoscopic graphics, but few people used it. The big problem with Gradient Ramp is that both 8PPC and 32BPC will have jagged stripes, which can only be removed by borrowing other effects. Can't it be solved directly in the Gradient Ramp plugin? It's great to spend time on practical features, so don't waste too much time on things that are not very practical.

[guojunabc_pan2043]

Why are After Effects so obsessed with 3D functionality? The big problem with Gradient Ramp is that both 8PPC and 32BPC will have jagged stripes, which can only be removed by using other effects. It's great to spend time on practical features, so don't waste too much time on things that are not very practical.