by chery·Rendering
Images © chery. Used for product review; image policy.
Dirtify earns its place in the superhive library for turning Blender's ambient occlusion into a quick route to dirt and weathering across Eevee and Cycles, without disturbing base materials.
Dirtify is a Blender add-on from chery that applies realistic dirt, grime, and weathering to 3D models. It works by using Blender's ambient occlusion to identify crevices and contact areas where dirt naturally accumulates, then adds dirt textures to those regions. It's compatible with both Eevee and Cycles.
The effect is non-destructive: Dirtify adds the dirt as a separate layer while preserving your original materials. You control the intensity of the effect, dialing it up or down as needed. Beyond dirt, the add-on can produce other weathering effects such as rust, grunge, and paint chipping.
Dirtify 2.0 is compatible with Blender 4.0 and later and adds a few more features with a slightly different workflow, while earlier releases support Blender 3.0 through 3.6. The add-on is released under the GPL license and includes documentation, and a demo video is available.
Dirtify (Eevee/Cycles) is best for architectural visualizers, game developers, and 3D artists adding realistic dirt and weathering to models.
Dirtify (Eevee/Cycles) is completely free to download and use.
Dirtify 2.0 is compatible with Blender 4.0 and later, and this version adds a few more features along with a slightly different workflow. Earlier releases of the add-on support Blender 3.0 through 3.6, so users on those versions are covered as well. If you're running Blender 4.0 or newer, you'll want the 2.0 release. Check the developer's page to confirm which download matches your Blender version before installing.
Dirtify is compatible with both Eevee and Cycles, so you can add its dirt and weathering effects regardless of which of these two render engines you use in Blender. The add-on relies on Blender's ambient occlusion to find crevices and contact areas where dirt collects, then applies dirt textures to those spots. It detects those areas automatically, and beyond dirt it can also produce rust, grunge, and paint chipping. Refer to the developer's page for any engine-specific notes.
Dirtify works non-destructively, adding the dirt effect as a separate layer while leaving your original materials intact. That means you can apply weathering without overwriting the base shading you've already set up, and the intensity of the effect is adjustable so you can push it toward heavy wear or keep it subtle. Beyond plain dirt, the add-on can also create rust, grunge, and paint chipping. See the developer's documentation for the full workflow.
Dirtify is listed as free here, and it's released under the GPL license. Licensing terms can change over time, so it's worth checking the developer's page for the current details before you download. The add-on also ships with documentation to help you get started, and a demo video is available if you'd like to see more. For any questions about usage rights, the developer's page is the best place to confirm.
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