Install Cloth neXt and set up the solver
Install the add-on from the Superhive extension repository, install AETHER and check that everything works.
Cloth neXt installed in Blender, AETHER installed, and a passing Solver Health Check.
- Blender 5.0 or newer.
- Your Superhive account with a Cloth neXt purchase.
- Windows or Linux (x64). An NVIDIA GPU is recommended; the CPU works too, more slowly.
Step by step
- Open the extension settings
In Blender, open Edit, Preferences, Get Extensions.
- Add the Superhive repository
Add Superhive as a remote repository. Use the repository URL and the personal access token shown in your Superhive account. You do this once per Blender installation.
- Install Cloth neXt
Search for Cloth neXt in Get Extensions and install it from the Superhive repository. There is no ZIP file to drag in; updates appear in the same place.
- Open the Cloth neXt preferences
Still in Preferences, open Add-ons and expand Cloth neXt.
- Download the solver
Under Solver Installations, find Available Downloads and click Download and Use. Confirm with OK. Cloth neXt downloads an approved, compatible release from the official source, verifies it and installs it next to any other versions.
- Check the active solver
Active Solver now shows the installed version. Every future bake uses it. The compute backend is Auto by default: an NVIDIA GPU with CUDA when available, otherwise the CPU.
- Run the health check
Click Run Health Check. Continue only when it passes.
Run Health Check passes and Active Solver shows the version you installed.
If something goes wrong
- You already have the solver installed
- Click Select Existing Installation and choose it. Cloth neXt checks it but never modifies or updates its files.
- A solver server is already running
- Choose the external server option. Cloth neXt connects to it but does not start or stop it.
- The health check fails
- Fix that first. Bakes will not work until the solver passes; see Troubleshoot a failed bake.