by Sergey Tyapkin·Rendering
Images © Sergey Tyapkin. Used for product review; image policy.
Zen BBQ earns its place in the superhive library for handling bevels through the Cycles shader node rather than added geometry, keeping values in mesh attributes and embedding them non-destructively into materials.
Zen BBQ is a Blender add-on from Sergey Tyapkin for creating, adjusting, and visualizing bevels in a couple of clicks. Instead of preparing geometry for the Subd or Bevel modifiers, it gives full control over the Bevel Shader Node in Cycles, letting you set values across an entire model or for each edge and vertex individually. Because bevels catch light and help the eye define object shapes, the add-on aims to make models more realistic and appealing without changing geometry.
Values are stored in mesh attributes and embedded into materials in a non-destructive way. You can set bevel radius across the full range of measurement units, from millimetres to kilometres, inches, and feet, and use existing bevel preset groups or create your own. For game development, BBQ bevels can be baked into normal maps, and bevels can be exported to Marmoset Toolbag 5 for baking.
A Smart Render Preview System previews bevels in one click, while the Viewport Display System uses colour to distinguish each bevel preset. An intuitive UI with main and pie menus rounds it out, and Zen BBQ is part of the Zen Bundle.
Zen Bbq is best for blender artists working on visualization, concept art, and game-development baking who want shader-based bevels without cutting support loops or changing geometry.
Zen Bbq is completely free to download and use.
Zen BBQ supports Blender versions 4.0 through 5.1 and uses the Cycles render engine, giving full control over the Bevel Shader Node. Values can be set for the entire model or for each edge and vertex individually, in units ranging from millimetres to kilometres, inches, and feet. The developer links documentation and a support forum, so check those pages for setup details and any compatibility notes before you install.
Zen BBQ does not change your geometry. It works through the Bevel Shader Node in Cycles, so bevels catch light and help define object shapes without altering the mesh. Its values are stored in mesh attributes and embedded into your materials in a non-destructive way. You can set them across the whole model or per edge and vertex, then preview the result in one click through the Smart Render Preview System, and control each preset by colour in the viewport.
Zen BBQ can export bevels to Marmoset Toolbag 5 for baking. For game development, BBQ bevels can also be baked into normal maps, which lets you skip cutting support loops on high-poly models. Bevel values are stored in mesh attributes, so the setup stays non-destructive. The Viewport Display System shows each bevel preset by colour, so you can keep track of your presets before sending them to bake.
Zen BBQ is listed as free in this catalog and is released under the GPL license. Licensing terms can change over time, so check the developer's page for the current options before you download. Zen BBQ is also part of the Zen Bundle. For help getting started or troubleshooting, the developer provides documentation, a support forum, and quick support on a Discord channel.
Also in Rendering for Blender.
by Blendify
One Click Skin Shader - Humanify is a Blender product from Blendify that applies photorealistic human skin shading in a single click. It targets artists of all levels working with human models in their renders.
by Aisun-Tang
Procedural Tiles is a Blender add-on that adds a library of over 100 shader nodes emulating tile patterns. Each node works like the built-in Voronoi or brick texture, so existing shader knowledge applies directly.
![B-Renderon [Standalone Render Manager] for Blender](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdpxz9wi7us1cpan5.public.blob.vercel-storage.com%2Fplugins%2Fb-renderon-standalone-render-manager%2F0.webp&w=3840&q=75&dpl=dpl_4KL8zEkpZFTAXkUoHKf86PyQNqH2)
by BlenderGilads
B-Renderon is a standalone render manager for Blender that batch renders multiple blend files through a graphical interface, without writing command-line scripts. It handles scenes, view layers, cameras, and queued jobs.
by Diego Gangl
Render+ is a Blender add-on that handles batch rendering. It sets up and runs render jobs for animations or still images at custom frames or ranges, renders from external blend files, and supports network rendering, notifications and power-off.
by Dragoneex
Stylized Shaders is a Blender add-on from Dragoneex that applies procedural shaders to turn renders into stylized results. It supports a non-photorealistic (NPR) workflow and runs with both the Cycles and Eevee render engines.
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.
