Our verdict: Bforartists keeps everything Blender can do but makes the interface easier to discover. Toolbars with icons and reorganized menus help beginners and mouse users. It follows Blender releases with a delay, and most tutorials are written for Blender.
About Bforartists
Bforartists is a fork of Blender maintained by Reiner Prokein and a small team under the GNU GPL. Each major version is based on a Blender release, so modeling, sculpting, animation, the Cycles and EEVEE renderers, and geometry nodes work the same way.
The difference is the interface. Bforartists adds toolbars and tool shelves with icons, regroups menus, removes duplicate entries and changes several defaults so that more work can be done with the mouse instead of hotkeys. Most Blender add-ons work, and files can be exchanged with the matching Blender version.
What it does well
- Icon toolbars. Common commands are one click away instead of hidden behind hotkeys.
- Reorganized menus. Menus are regrouped and cleaned of duplicate entries.
- Full Blender toolset. Modeling, sculpting, animation, geometry nodes and video editing.
- Cycles and EEVEE. The same path tracing and real-time renderers as Blender.
- Blender compatibility. Opens Blender files and runs most Blender add-ons.
Who it is for
Good fit
Beginners and mouse-oriented artists who find Blender's interface hard to learn.
Look elsewhere
Users who follow Blender tutorials step by step or need the newest Blender features on day one.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source
- Easier to discover tools than in Blender
- Full Blender feature set
- Works alongside Blender
Cons
- Releases trail Blender
- Blender tutorials do not match the interface
- Smaller community
How to install Bforartists
Download the Windows installer from the official download page; a portable zip is also offered. Bforartists keeps its own settings folder, so it can be installed next to Blender. Check which Blender version your Bforartists release is based on before sharing files.
Questions about Bforartists
Is Bforartists free?
Yes. It is open source under the GNU GPL, like Blender.
Can Bforartists open Blender files?
Yes. It opens .blend files from the Blender version it is based on and older.
