Understanding Native Dispersion In Blender 5.3

In August, it was revealed that Blender 5.3 will introduce dispersion support in the Principled BSDF, making it easier than ever to create realistic glass and chromatic dispersion effects directly in the software. Christopher 3D, whose videos often dive deep into Blender's technical side, has released a comprehensive breakdown covering the basics of dispersion and what to expect from the upcoming feature. The video covers everything from what the Abbe number is and where it comes from to how Blender renders dispersion.

This addition is part of the Blender Foundation's effort to follow the OpenPBR standard for 3D and VFX. You can watch Christopher 3D's video for a deeper look at the topic:

Blender 5.3 is still in alpha until September 30, but we already know to expect several new nodes that let you create custom material lighting:

Additionally, Blender 5.3 will add panoramic camera support to EEVEE:

If you're interested in following other Blender projects, Overgrown is a feature film initiative that documents the process of creating a large-scale animated production and turns it into an open-source guide. Here's how you can support it.