by Anthony Aragues·Rendering
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Area Lights earns its place for a narrow, practical job: turning selected faces into area lights without leaving edit mode. Note that the developer flags it as needing an update for Blender releases from around version 3 onward.
Area Lights adds a face-based lighting workflow to Blender. With an object selected, you switch to edit mode, select the faces you want to turn into area lights, then open the N panel, find the lights section, and click the button to create them.
The add-on comes from Anthony Aragues and is a Dev Fund Contributor, with money going to the Blender development fund. It carries a GPL license and can also be found on GitHub. Documentation is included, a demo video is available, and the listing records more than 50 sales.
Area Lights is built for Blender versions 2.82, 2.83, 2.9, and 2.91, and the developer notes it is in need of updating for later releases. If you work in one of the supported versions, it offers a direct way to turn mesh faces into area lights from your existing selection.
Area Lights is best for blender artists working in versions 2.82 through 2.91 who want to turn selected mesh faces into area lights directly from edit mode.
Area Lights is completely free to download and use.
Area Lights lists support for Blender 2.82, 2.83, 2.9, and 2.91. The developer also notes that the add-on is in need of updating for releases from around Blender 3 onward, so if you run a newer version you should check the developer's page before relying on it. For the listed versions, it provides a direct route to build area lights from mesh faces without extra setup.
Area Lights works from edit mode. Select your object, switch to edit mode, and select the faces you want to turn into area lights. Open the N panel, go to the lights section, and click the button to create them. The workflow is built around your existing mesh selection, so the faces you pick define where the area lights are made. Documentation is included with the add-on if you need to reference the steps.
Area Lights is listed as free here and carries a GPL license. The add-on is a Dev Fund Contributor, with money going to the Blender development fund, and the developer notes it can also be found on GitHub. Selling it on the market gives the creator some credit and makes it easier to send updates. For current licensing and pricing, check the developer's page rather than assuming, since terms can change over time.
Also in Rendering for Blender.
by Amandeep
Colorframe Renders is a Blender addon for creating colorful wireframe renders. It assigns random or palette-based colors to selected objects, with options to color by collection or by object dimensions.
by Olivier Crespo Barrio
Split Render Tool is a Blender add-on that splits a render into small pieces and merges them automatically, letting you render large files on GPUs that would otherwise run out of memory.
by EdenWeby 3D
Procedural Light Studio Addon is a geometry-node-based lighting addon for Blender that adds five light types to a scene. It covers left, right, front, rim, and top panel lights, plus an optional volumetric fog panel.
by CG Choco
Natural Sky is a photorealistic sky system for Blender 2.8 and 2.9, built as a shader-based setup rather than a script. It's made for the Cycles render engine and does not support Eevee.
by Take Refuge 3D
Matcaps Forever - Infinite Matcap Generator is a Blender add-on that randomly generates matcaps until you find one you like, then lets you tweak it and export the result for other software that supports matcaps.
by Physical Addons
Physical Starlight and Atmosphere - Sky is a Blender addon for real-time, physics-based sky and atmosphere rendering. It works in Eevee and Cycles, using photometric measurements and analytic air mass volume calculations for scientifically accurate atmospheric scattering.
by Andrew_D
Extreme PBR Nexus is a Blender addon for managing a library of over 1800 materials, compatible with Cycles and Eevee. It includes texture painting between materials, animated water, and displacement built on native Blender modifiers.
by Community
Tri-lighting is a Blender add-on that places a three-point lighting setup on the selected or active object. Found under View3D → Add → Lights, it was previously bundled with Blender 4.1.
by Håvard Dalen
Lens Sim is a Blender addon that simulates camera lenses using real-world optical data. It extends the standard Blender camera so you can choose and render dozens of lenses in Cycles.
by pioverfour
Sun Position is a Blender add-on that positions and animates the Sun to simulate real-world natural lighting, using geographic location, time and date based on the NOAA online calculator.
by Dynamic Sky
Dynamic Sky is a Blender add-on that creates dynamic sky for the Cycles render engine. Originally authored by Pratik Solanki, it was part of Blender 4.1's bundled add-ons and is now offered as-is.
