Congrats on the purchase.
What you wil find is that modeling in Modo really is a step up from working in LW once you get used to the toolset and the extras that LW doesn’t have. While there are a few minor annoyances, I consider them just that. Minor. Like the content directory thing.
Any experienced modeler will tell you where it really counts is when you are modeling. Do things get in your way? do you have to stop, figure a workaround before you can continue? Those kill a smooth workflow.
In that respect, and from a toolset point of view, Modo really shines. I have far less desire to beat the computer to death with a sledge hammer than when using LW Modeler.
Maya is a bit different story. It has a massively advanced toolset, and it has had years to work on it. Maya is often slow and cumbersome compared to Lightwave, but has far greater options, and LW’s UV’s kinda suck.
Considering the upgrade from Modo 101 to 102 was really loaded with extras, I expect the next release will be pretty packed with extras as well.
You might want to check out the Luxology forums as well. Lots of good info and tips there.
I’ve never approved of tutorials that show you the “perfect way” to model something that works great if you’re going to photocopy the model over and over again… I was hoping that people would get out of it at least a couple of useful techniques for forming their own work… so Thanks!