No, really, everything is completely new

It is really hard, almost impossible, to know where to start when talking about everything that is new in Foundry 3, because really every single thing is new. And there's no way to cover it all. Not even close.

In building Foundry 3 I re-engineered everything from the ground up. Every tool in Foundry 3 has been re-written from scratch. It now features Bootstrap 5 at its core and takes an even more modular approach to web design, as well as integrates everything more tightly between tools.

By doing so it means Foundry will be faster, and more versatile, while still maintaining its drag-and-drop ease. I've included new features and settings in just about every tool as I rewrote them, as well as combined the functionality of several tools from Foundry 2 into more powerful versions in the new release.

Foundry isn't just for beginners though. I've also created Blacksmith for Foundry for our more advanced users and made it easy enough for beginners to use and grow into.

If you'd like to learn more about Blacksmith, or Foundry 3's more modular approach I encourage you to check out the blog posts below. We also have a post that talks more about why Foundry was re-engineered from the ground up:

Foundry has been re-engineered from the ground up

Foundry is getting more modular and faster, too

Craft custom styles for your Foundry-based site using Blacksmith

I didn't stop at just re-imagining Foundry's existing tools though. In addition to giving each tool a slew of new features and settings, I've also created several brand new tools to aid you in building better sites than ever before. We'll have a quick look at just a few of Foundry's new features below:

"The second rule... Don't let them get wet?"

MORE BREAKPOINTS. Foundry 3 has doubled the number of responsive breakpoints. It now contains six distinct breakpoints to help refine your designs across an even wider array of screen sizes and devices. These breakpoints are used extensively throughout the Foundry suite of tools.

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

MODERM IMAGE FORMATS. This update includes support for modern image formats such as WebP and SVG. While RapidWeaver & Stacks don't support these directly, we've worked out new tools to allow their use, as well as other remote server-based images. These newer formats make for smaller image sizes, and thus faster loading pages. Your visitors will thank you.

NEXT GEN ICONS. We've also included the ability for you to choose to add the new Bootstrap Icons or Font Awesome 5 to your pages directly from the Control Center. If you don't plan on making use of either icon library then you can lighten your page's load and opt not to include them at all.

BEYOND VIDEO EMBEDS. Foundry's Video tool is an evolution of Foundry's previous Video Embed tool. No longer are you limited to YouTube and Vimeo embeds — you can now self-host your own video files as well. Self hosted videos can even be set to start playing as the page is scrolled by your visitors.

"Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking… nerf-herder!"

ADVANCED COLOR PALETTES. Color palettes are easier to use in Foundry 3 and far more versatile. In addition to six customizable presets, we've included 9 gray variations as well as white and dark. We didn't stop there though — we've also included 10 presets that allow you to refine their individual shades. Presets are now found in far more areas of Foundry than ever before!

PALETTE LABORATORY. To compliment these new color palette features we've also developed a Palette Laboratory site. Experiment with new palette variations and then drag them directly into RapidWeaver and Stacks. We've mixed up a few hand-picked preset palettes as well. We have a blog post talking more about the Color Palette features as well:

[Foundry's new color palettes will keep you color coordinated]()

"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

ANIMATE LIKE A PRO. Our new Alchemy tool is a combination of the feature sets of both Reveal and Reveal Pro from previous version of Foundry. Choose from preset animations or build your own complex variations. Additionally Alchemy works in more places than our previous animation tools. Also included is the Wizardry tool that allows you to build scroll-based animations that will stun your visitors.

DELIGHTFUL. Foundry's new Whimsy tool is aimed at helping you add fun, delightful CSS-based animations to your images when hovered over by your site's visitors. Mix and match settings, overlays and more to get a unique look and feel.

"I'm an excellent driver."

DESIGN LIKE A PRO. The new Spacing tool takes Foundry's old Margins tool and improves on it greatly. Apply Margins and / or Padding around just about any page element. Use Easy Presets for quick results, or fine tune your spacing to get things just right. Make adjustments at each of the 6 responsive breakpoints.

Additionally the Columns / Grid tool takes layout creation to another level, offering a more versatile approach to page design. Build responsive columns, or great looking grids, all with one, more powerful tool.

MODAL MANIA. Speaking of much improved, modular tools — The Modal tool has been separated from its built-in button in previous versions of Foundry and can now be triggered in several different ways, including from the Navigation Bar, providing you more options for managing your content.

"Hey, you guyyyyyys!"

MODULAR FORMS. The new Form tool combines our previous two form-based tools with an extra large heaping of new features — floating labels, gated content, configuration checklist, and modular field layout.

"We’re putting the band back together."

VERSATILE NAVIGATION. Build site navigation that stands out. Foundry's Navigation Bar includes a vast array of styling options. Build beautiful drop downs, sticky navigations, as well as the ability to use anchor based links for one-page sites. These manually curated menus are next-level.

Our navigation selection doesn't end with the Navigation Bar though. Foundry 3 contains a variety of navigation tools, as well as allows you to combine elements to create your own custom navigation as well.

SLIDING PANELS. Off Canvas is a versatile shell for hiding content just off screen and having it slide in at the visitor's request. This tool replaces Side Slide, and when paired with other tools, like List Group or Accordion, also fills the roll of the old Slide Navigation and more!

"Don’t call me Junior!"

ONLY AS COMPLEX AS YOU LIKE. Foundry 3 comes equipped with our new Blacksmith tool that I mentioned before. It allows you to craft your own custom styles using our point-and-click stylesheets. Create CSS rules that help you tweak your sites in ways like never before.

"I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it."

MARKDOWN MAESTRO. Reduce distractions and write faster with Foundry's Markdown-based paragraph tool. Its simple approach helps you to focus on important things and increase your speed and productivity when writing the content for your next site.

"Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it's all in the reflexes."

SMALLER FOOTPRINT. Foundry accomplishes everything above and does so with a smaller footprint. We've trimmed down the CSS and javascript libraries to give things a boost of speed. We've remove large javascript libraries and replaced them, when necessary, with lightweight vanilla javascript. We've also worked hard to make everything more accessibility friendly.

"Easy, miss. I've got you. // You - you've got me? Who's got you?"

WITHIN REACH. We all spend a lot of time navigating Edit Mode when building our sites. Foundry 3 brings many improvements to this workflow, including Foundry's new Toolbox, as well as improved speed throughout. Toolbox gives you quick access to the most often used Foundry tools.

"I can only show you the door, you're the one that has to walk through it."

I feel like I could go on and on about all of the great new additions and improvements in this new version of Foundry. I spent well over a year and a half re-engineering and rebuilding everything from the ground up again to deliver the most versatile version of Foundry yet.

I hope you'll enjoy the many new features and tools included in Foundry, along with the re-worked, much improved workflow. I encourage you to check out the great tutorial videos on our Getting Started page — especially the "Creating Your First Site" section from RapidWeaver Classroom.

Explore the documentation and What New? pages to learn more about this release, and then head over to the Purchase Foundry page to pick up your copy of Foundry 3.

And don't forget, returning Foundry customers who purchased Foundry 2, or a Foundry 2 upgrade from Foundry 1, will receive Foundry 3 at a steeply reduced discount. Click the "How to Upgrade" link under the Upgrade button on the Purchase page.

And if you have questions about Foundry be sure to head over to the Elixir support site and ask!

Thank you again for your interest in Foundry 3, whether you're a long time user or a brand new to the framework. We're really happy to have you here!