Modo302
From Poserpedia
modo delivers the next evolution of 3D modeling, painting and rendering in a single integrated and accelerated package for the Mac and PC. And now, modo is a true end-to-end solution that includes true 3D sculpting tools, animation and network rendering! More than just features, modo is a truly elegant integration of technology, raw horsepower and refined workflow.
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Modeling
modo has the fastest, most advanced polygonal and subdivision surface 3D modeling environment available, specifically designed to help you accomplish more in less time than ever before. New sculpting tools make it easier than ever to modify your base meshes with organic control or to add high frequency detail. Snapping tools help you model with precision.
And in modo, UV editing is no afterthought—it is at the core of the package. The modeling and selection tools in modo are honed by years of experience to work just as you expect them to. Superior navigation controls in modo and rich OpenGL views make the visual experience of modeling in modo as rich as the toolset.
Polygon/Subdivision Surface Modeler
Whether you require precise rigid body models or character models with perfect “flow,” modo has you covered. In modo you can edit using a classic polygon modeling workflow and then hit Tab to work with your model in gorgeous SubD’s. The vertex, edge and polygon tools you need are at hand and ready to work for you the way you want them to—from sketching organic surface details to beveling or thickening surfaces or precisely placing instanced objects along an edge. Intelligent selection tools anticipate what parts of the model you want to work on and a system of action centers and falloffs modulate how the tools work. modo is, quite simply, one of the world’s greatest modeling tools.
Snapping and Alignment
modo lets you construct geometry with precision by allowing you to snap to existing geometry or to points on the modo grid. Consider the most basic of drawing tools in modo, the Pen tool, which lets you place vertices to form geometry. As you are drawing, modo displays ghosted guidelines that allow you to snap horizontally, vertically or at 90 degrees to the last create vertex. Similarly, you can move or rotate existing points in your model to snap to another vertex, edge, mid-edge, polygon, or polygon center. Want to type in a value? You configure modo to work in whatever units you want and you can type in strings like 4m+6in and modo does the math (4 meters plus 6 inches) for you!
Sculpting
For some modeling operations you don’t want precise bevels and beautiful curves, you want a more organic approach to modeling, be it terrain or any other freeform shape. Two kinds of sculpting tools are provided in modo: mesh-based and image-based. Mesh-based tools let you modify the overall shape of an object and act on the limit surface itself. You can use mesh sculpting to gently nudge the shape of an object or to radically affect its shape.
And when you want to carve a wrinkle or a gash across the surface, image-based tools are at the ready. With image-based sculpting you are creating a displacement at any level of subdivision you want. There is incredible freedom in having sculpting tools that work right alongside traditional modeling tools.
World Class UV Editing
To create perfectly textured models, you need easy access to world-class UV editing tools and the legendary UV editor in modo gives you the ideal environment for the job. In many cases, it is as simple as Click. Unwrap. Done. And with modo, you can build your UV map then create morphs with topology changes and not be concerned with wrecking your UV’s.
Need more UV control? An interactive Relax tool will adaptively relax your mesh, minimizing angular and area distortion. Even holes in your mesh (like eyes) are correctly handled in most cases. When there is overlap, those areas are easy to spot with modo’s highlighting feature. UV editing has become – dare we say it – almost fun.
Toolpipe (Custom Tool Creation)
modo’s Toolpipe lets you create an infinite number of specialized modeling and selection tool variants that you can assign to hotkeys or other parts of the user interface. With the Toolpipe, you are able to combine modo’s robust set of powerful modeling tools with falloffs and action centers in new combinations to customize the way a given tool feels, looks and affects geometry. You can either use modo’s tools as supplied, or leverage the Toolpipe to create a tailored set of tools that work exactly the way you want them to.
Cutting Edge Toolset
modo’s robust modeling toolset provides you with simple and intuitive solutions to the most complex modeling challenges. Here are some examples of the modo tools that will make 3D modeling a more creatively inspired experience for you.
Sculpting
In modo, sculpting and traditional modeling are brought together in one application. As a result, modo is adept at creating what we call "structured organics." These are objects that have an underlying structure but also exhibit natural surface details from subtle textures to deep treads, folds and warts. The dimensions of the object can be made to fit precisely within specified design parameters, while the surface can be as organic as you want—from leather to melted plastic.
modo offers two sculpting methods: mesh-based and image-based. As of modo 302, each sculpted stroke can be interpolated for smooth, flowing results. These sculpting tools, working in concert with the rest of modo, provide for a truly powerful 3D content creation experience.
Mesh-based Sculpting
Mesh-based sculpting tools modify existing points on a mesh with a brush and are the fastest way to move, smooth, inflate or flatten geometry. They are ideal for use as an extension to traditional modeling tools or for quickly roughing out a base shape that will then receive more detail using image-based sculpting techniques.
Available tools include: Push, Smooth, Carve, Flatten, Fold, Inflate, Smudge, Move, Tangent Pinch, Spin, Emboss, Mask. Numerous brush types are available for each tool. (Standard behavior is to perform the opposite effect with the Ctrl key depressed)
Image-based Sculpting
Image-based sculpting in modo lets you paint values on an image that adds fine surface detail. Working in a 3D viewport, you can quickly sculpt deep valleys in a landscape or create subtle creases on a face. With image-based sculpting you are creating a displacement on any level of the subdivision hierarchy you want. You can pinch, swirl and churn the surface to add grooves, battle damage or warts to objects. You can sculpt using another image (like lizard skin) that you brush onto the surface – easily adjusting image scale and rotation as you brush the values on where you want them.
Since the values are stored in a map, image-based sculpting is ideal for transferring your sculpt data to another object with similar UVs (or in modo you can transfer sculpt data from a model to a different model with UV re-targeting).
Available tools include: Push, Smooth, Carve, Flatten, Fold, Inflate, Smudge, Move, Tangent Pinch, Spin, Emboss, Mask, Attenuate. Numerous brush types are available for each tool.
Integration
Sculpting is no isolated experience in modo; it is simply part of a larger toolset that you can use at any time. You have access to traditional modeling tools as you sculpt, just as you have tools to paint. The sculpting tools in modo uses the exact same system of tool falloffs, brushes and inks as the rest of modo. And you can have a lit preview of your work as you are sculpting. There is no need to import or export data as part of the sculpting process. Just being able to add or remove geometry without exporting a base mesh is a huge yet subtle productivity booster. Likewise, there is no need to bake out a displacement map. When sculpting in modo, all the data is simply native to modo.
True Displacement
modo can work with a true vector displacement—not just height fields. This means you can store objects like a mushroom in a vector displacement map. You can even turn 3D geometry into a brush and sculpt using ears (or mushrooms).
Painting
With modo, you have an integrated painting system that delivers what many believe is the most pleasing 3D painting experience available. modo leverages GPU technology and multi-threading to take advantage of modern OpenGL hardware, letting you stroke details onto your 3D models with speed and immediate visual feedback in modo's viewports.
There is something about painting directly on a 3D model that is incredibly satisfying. And more than just being fun, it is a highly efficient way to create or modify the textures on your model because you can see exactly where you are painting all the time. modo delivers the right combination of performance, tools and feedback for the ideal 3D painting experience.
Performance
Nobody wants to work with a brush that stutters or lags behind as you paint. In modo, painting is multi-threaded for maximum performance— even when using large brush sizes modo delivers optimum performance on modern computing hardware. That's how we are able to provide procedural brushes that work fluidly, along with the option to blend (e.g. color dodge) in over a dozen ways while painting. As you paint in modo, you can be painting across multiple images on multiple UV maps.
Ready Access to Tools
A specialized layout in modo for 3D painting gives you quick access to the tools you need for a rich 3D painting experience. All painting is done with a combination of a tool (e.g. smudge) plus a brush (e.g. smooth brush), and the desired ink (e.g. parametric). A panel below the canvas provides you with an image browser (you can actually paint with images), a color picker and a brush preview. The brush preview even shows you how your stroke will fall off at the end of the stroke. You can paint with any pointing device, a pressure sensitive tablet being the preferred one. Painting with symmetry is supported. Want to change brush size? Just right click and drag out the size of your brush, and then keep painting.
Brushes and Inks
A wide variety of tools are provided including airbrush, paintbrush, eraser, clone, line, fill, smudge, blur and lasso. Each tool has properties that include not just color but also opacity and blending modes. Several brush types are provided (stamp, roller, text, procedural) or you can supply your own and select the one you want from the brush browser. Finally, there are the inks... that let you do anything from paint an image onto your model (image ink) to use a parametric ink that modulates the color of your ink depending on the height of the displacement your painting over, or control things like pressure and incidence angle of your pen. modo leverages the fact that you are in a 3D system and will even apply paint according to things like the slope or altitude of the surface you are painting on. The latter makes painting fresh snow on a mountain range or adding pitted surfaces on the leading edges of a wing an easy task. You can also take advantage of real-time mask painting for brush-based control over how two different images (pristine and battle-damaged for example) blend together.
Paint by Layer
Driving the modo renderer is the Shader Tree, which is modo's user interface for describing the appearance of items and the environment, and how lights and cameras should interact with them. Any images you select in the Shader Tree can be painted on immediately in modo.
With this direct access to modo's Shader Tree, you can leverage 3D painting to adjust complex surface appearances layer by layer. This isn't just about brushing on new colors—you can paint bump maps in real-time or paint into channels to affect the specular highlights. modo's Shader Tree also allows you the freedom of painting non-destructively by utilizing the familiar functionality of layer and mask based painting found in popular 2D painting tools. In fact, you can import .PSD files into modo and paint separately on each of the layers found in the file; you can also export UV maps to Photoshop for painting there if you prefer.
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