Blender 5.2 LTS ships the first version of a hair and cloth dynamics system that is entirely powered by Geometry Nodes. The implementation lives as built‑in node‑group assets that wrap a declarative XPBD (Extended Position Based Dynamics) simulation framework, exposing high‑level controls while keeping the low‑level solver hidden.
Cloth Dynamics – A new Cloth Dynamics modifier or node group can be attached to any mesh. It offers built‑in parameters for pinning, stretchiness, bendiness, and even tearing. Users can also drop the group into a Geometry Nodes network for fully procedural setups.
Hair Dynamics – Hair simulation follows a similar workflow but requires a surface mesh. The updated Empty Hair operator automates the setup, adding a Capture Rest Geometry modifier so the solver knows the rest pose. As with cloth, the hair asset can be used as a node group.
Effectors – The system supports three customizable effector types: Colliders (any closed mesh with a Collider modifier), Custom Forces (per‑point force vectors), and Custom Effectors (user‑defined closures that run at a specified simulation stage). Effectors can be supplied via a collection or bundled directly in a node network, and they can be filtered by tags.
XPBD Solver Node – All high‑level assets rely on a new built‑in XPBD Solver node that handles constraint solving. Advanced users can either tweak the existing hair/cloth node groups or build entirely new simulations on top of the solver, though the latter requires detailed bundle and attribute setup.
The UI currently marks the physics tools as experimental, indicating that the design may still evolve. Future development aims to expand the framework to rigid bodies, soft bodies, fluids, and to integrate additional solvers such as Jolt, while keeping the node‑based workflow consistent across modifiers and tools.