Luxology’s attention to their users’ desires sets it apart from other high-end 3D software developers. Its new modo 201 features many improvements to the previous edition’s already polished toolset. All images courtesy of Fred Galpern.

It’s been more than a year since modo first hit the 3D scene and now Luxology, developers of modo, have shipped their first full version upgrade, modo 201. This new version introduces rendering capabilities, realtime 3D texture painting and much more. In addition to the wealth of new features, Luxology now offers modo for sale via Bit Torrent downloads which are amazingly fast. The approximately 2GB of data downloads in as little as 15 minutes, depending on your connection speed. They still offer to ship a boxed DVD copy, but why wait when you can get your hands on the software nearly instantly. It’s this kind of attention to their user’s desires that sets Luxology apart from other high-end 3D software developers.

In addition to the all-new features, there are many improvements to modo’s already polished toolset. Modeling tools have been amped up with the inclusion of a new Solid Sketch tool as well as the new Mesh Paint tool. Solid Sketch allows users to create rubbery organic objects with a simple point and click interface. The tool seems most relevant to quickly generating cartoonish characters, but could also be used to rough out more realistic creatures or even mechanical objects, such as vehicles or industrial machinery. The beauty of Solid Sketch is that it lets you experiment with the geometry at high speed. There is no concern over polygon counts or proper topology, rather the focus is on the overall form. The emphasis on form is a foundational approach taught in all first year art programs. It is nice to see a piece of software that clearly appreciates the artist’s needs at a core level.

The new Solid Sketch tool allows users to create rubbery organic objects with a simple point and click interface. The beauty of Solid Sketch is that it lets you experiment with the geometry at high speed.

Another tool that is sure to be of interest to users with a traditional art background is the Sculpt tool. While it is similar in functionality to ZBrush, modo’s sculpt tool is different enough to make it a logical tool to use side by side. Unlike ZBrush’s 2.5D approach, the Sculpt tool in modo gets dragged across the surface of an object and creates ridges or bumps along the way. Holding the control key reverses the tool, creating valleys and ditches. After you create a series of raised or lowered geometry you can interactively scale the depth of what you’ve previously created by simply dragging the mouse while pressing the middle mouse button. Once again modo shows its respect for the natural iterative process that most experienced artists desire.

The new 3D painting tools are a major addition to modo 201 and practically worth the price of admission on their own. Like the rest of the app, these tools just feel right, as if an artist was part of their development. Using the paint tools is straightforward; simply create a new blank image texture (which can be done from within modo, very cool) or use an existing texture and then begin painting. There are a variety of brushes, with the digital mainstays of airbrush and paintbrush being most prominent. Sizing the brush is done with a right click, making painting a fluid experience. Users can choose from a few preset texture brushes or create their own. There are also typical line, fill and gradient tools to choose from. These tools feel quite close to their Photoshop standard counterparts. This eases the learning curve as tools act as expected from the start. In addition, there is an eyedropper option on any painting tool. To lift the color from your current painted image, simply hold the CTRL key and click the image with any paint tool active (such as Paint Brush or Airbrush).