Blender is Native on Windows 11 on Arm

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Blender ARM Port and Tooling

  • People are pleased Blender is now native on Windows ARM, noting prior ARM support on macOS and Linux made this plausible.
  • Some note the hardest part in ARM ports is often dependencies that implicitly assume “Windows == x86,” not the main app code.
  • Discussion dives into build systems: Autotools often struggles with universal binaries; CMake and clang’s -arch support make multi-arch builds easier.
  • Clang is described as inherently cross-compiling, but LLVM IR itself is not fully architecture-independent, limiting “compile once, target everywhere” fantasies.

Blender on Other ARM Platforms

  • Commenters mention Blender has run on Linux ARM (even on phones) until GPU requirements rose.
  • iOS ARM builds existed for years but lacked a usable UI; recent talks and blog posts outline “beyond mouse/keyboard” directions and a more touch-friendly future UI.

Why Windows-on-ARM Lags Apple’s ARM Transition

  • Repeated points: Apple controls hardware SKUs, ships its own ARM chips, and fully committed by stopping Intel Mac sales.
  • Apple had ARM-ready dev tools, system apps, and a strong translation layer (Rosetta) plus universal binaries, so users and developers could transition gradually.
  • Microsoft, by contrast, supports both x86 and ARM indefinitely, reducing pressure to port; its earlier Windows RT effort lacked compatibility, confused APIs, and damaged trust.
  • The Windows ecosystem is far larger and more heterogeneous in hardware and legacy software, making a clean break much harder.

Commitment, Incentives, and Backward Compatibility

  • Many argue third‑party developers have little incentive to target Windows ARM while it’s a small share of sales and x86 remains default.
  • Some think ARM/RISC‑V will eventually erode x86 dominance; others expect side‑by‑side architectures for decades due to Windows’ heavy backward‑compatibility expectations.
  • arm64ec and the emulation layer are criticized as complex “kludges” that risk undermining Windows’ core selling point of running old software seamlessly.

Experiences with Current Windows ARM Hardware

  • Several users report excellent experiences with recent Snapdragon-based Surface devices: long battery life, “real computer” feel in tablet form, and surprisingly good x86 emulation (including many games).
  • Others remain skeptical, having seen multiple “waves” of Windows ARM initiatives fade.

ARM vs RISC‑V and Future Architectures

  • A tangent debates RISC‑V and other ISAs (e.g., Loongson) as potential future desktop contenders.
  • Enthusiasts foresee rapid progress, while skeptics stress that matching top-tier x86/ARM performance will likely take a decade or more, and that real-world adoption lags hype (likened to the “Year of the Linux Desktop”).

Miscellaneous

  • Some ask about non‑Qualcomm Windows ARM laptops (none retail yet; other ARM vendors are rumored to be working on chips).
  • One commenter suggests using Blender’s official blog as the primary source instead of an ad-heavy news site.