Directed by Wojtek Fus, Solace is an independent animated film that explores "grief, animal companionship, and the world between life and death". The project is being developed by a small team, with every element crafted by hand, no AI, only people, time, and care, a principle that is strongly emphasized.

The film was only announced a month ago, so information is still limited, aside from the introduction of the main characters, Asja and Hati. Here's what has been shared so far:

In the latest video at the top of the article is a test that brings together animation, look development, and shading exploration for Asja. The animation was done by Toni Buenavida. Asja was sculpted by Amy Ash, with hair grooming by Bassem Shenouda. Texturing was done by Veronika Vajdova, while rigging for Asja was completed by Lucas Salamon Lama. Creative supervision was handled by Alex Alvarez. The team also used the Hair Tool Blender add-on by Bartosz Styperek.

If you're interested in learning more about the process, including visual development, animation tests, and the challenges of building an independent production from the ground up, join the Solace newsletter here.

Blender NPR artists, don't miss the release of Casey Sheep and MeiU's Cloud Paint for creating stylized, fully volumetric clouds:

Blender 5.2 LTS is now in beta, adding experimental Geometry Nodes physics for hair and cloth simulation, a new Thin Wall rendering mode, and other updates. See Pau Homs' video tutorial on the new Paint Filter node, which can turn renders into painterly images:

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