html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Graphics tablet and pen display manufacturer Wacom has become the latest Corporate Patron of the Blender Development Fund, upgrading from its previous Corporate Gold membership.The change announced as part of a partnership to develop a next-generation Blender experience for Android tablets means an extra 210,000/year in funding for Blender.Wacom now one of the biggest corporate backers of Blender developmentWacom was already a Gold sponsor of the Blender Development Fund, but the upgrade to Corporate Patron status is a considerable one, taking its contribution from 30,000/year to 240,000/year.The extra 210,000/year equates roughly to the salaries of three full-time Blender developers.Wacom becomes one of the largest corporate backers of the open-source 3D software, alongside Epic Games, Qualcomm and VR and XR headset manufacturer Pico.Part of a partnership to develop a next-gen Blender experience on Android tabletsThe change is part of an expanded partnership between Wacom and Blender following the Blender Foundations announcement of new tablet editions of the open-source 3D software.The new editions will feature a reworked user interface designed for use on smaller screens with pen and touch input.The changes will roll out first on iOS and later on Android Wacoms main area of interest.The MovinkPad 11, Wacoms new 11-inch Android drawing tablet, is one of the devices namechecked in last months Blender Developer blog post announcing the tablet editions.As well as development of a next-generation Blender experience for Android tablets, Wacom says that it support more general optimization of pen and touch performance in Blender.Our collaboration with Wacom is a major step in making Blender more intuitive on pen and touch devices, said Francesco Siddi, COO at Blender. Read Wacoms announcement of its expanded partnership with BlenderVisit the Blender Development Fund websiteHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.