What's New in Alias 2026

This version of Alias builds on our previous user experience improvements and provides new features for more efficient workflows and flexible customization. For technical details including What's Fixed, see the Alias Release Notes.

2026 Highlights

New Modeling Tools

In Alias 2026, we've included new modeling tools, including Soft Proportional Modification, Variable Offset, and Subdivision Check Model tools. We've also made several improvements to the Trimming tools, which makes your trimming workflows more efficient.

User Interface Updates

We've made several updates to the Alias interface, including enhancements to the Layer Bars, Custom Puck updates, and more.

VRED Rendering in Alias

Alias 2026 introduces enhanced viewport visualization with the ability to render using Autodesk VRED rendering technology. You can now assign, edit, and create VRED Truelight and MaterialX materials, as well use VRED Ambient Occlusion. This now gives you a consistent visual look and feel with VRED, removing the need to rework materials or material assignments.With VRED materials assigned to your models, they now appear the same in both applications.

New Alias to VRED Live Referencing

Live Referencing brings Alias and VRED together by connecting the important data. It makes visualization accessible for designers and surface modelers enabling faster iteration for design reviews, XR collaboration, or creating high-end visuals. When modeling, turn on auto updates to see changes as they happen in real time. Alternatively, work in a more traditional way and pull Alias changes into VRED when ready. Save time, work efficiently and evolve your concepts, designs and models to a higher quality than ever before.

New Soft Proportional Modification Tool

Alias 2026 includes a new Soft Proportional Modification tool, which allows you to proportionally modify selected CVs. The tool uses color mapping of vertices to indicate the amount of selection falloff applied to the CVs.

Trimming Improvements

We have made several updates to the Alias trimming workflows, including editable trim stages, improved workflow for deleting curves-on-surface as well as updates to trim Extend, which now make trimming easier and faster.

New Subdivision Check Model Tool

We've add a new check model tool specifically for subdivision models. This tool evaluates the subdivision control cage and highlights various topology characteristics. For example, the tool identifies star points, triangles, overlapping CVs, and short edges, and highlights the affected areas of the geometry in the viewport.

New Variable Surface Offset Tool

A new Variable Surface Offset tool lets you create offset surfaces that are not uniform in dimensions.

2026 More Features

2026 Additional Enhancements

Layer to Group and Group to Layer, plug-ins lets you quickly create groups from selected layers and layers from selected groups. In both cases the new layer takes the name of the group it was created from and vice versa.​ After loading the plug-ins in the Plug-in Manager, you access them from the Layers menu. For more information, see theModeling plug-ins.

New Environment Variables:

• ALIAS_VRED_LIVEREF_LOC - Specifies the location of shared Live Reference files. See Managing Live Reference Files.
• ALIAS_WREF_DIR - Locks the specified Reference Directory. When set, this environment variable prohibits the Reference Directory from being changed. For example, the Set Reference Directories option in the Reference Manager Settings menu becomes unavailable. See Reference Manager More menu.