Trying to justify Modo

#1

Modo seems like a solid app, but I currently have C4D/Vray, ZBrush and Blender. Am I just lusting after Modo or would it actually offer me something I don’t already have? Any non biased opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

#2

It will offer you a different workflow.

If you’re looking for more features to justify a purchase then no.

What you should do is download the Modo demo. Not a lot has changed workflow wise between 401 and 501 so the demo holds true. That’s the only way to find out if it’s right for you.

#3

Thanks for the reply. I haven’t had time to demo it yet, I probably will after the holidays.

#4

Well, I’m sort of in the same boat. I’ve got C4D, Vray, Maya, Max. I bought Modo last summer for rendering stills exclusively. The renderer is really awesome. FAST, clean and very pretty. I’ve just upgraded to 501 for speedier renders. I like Modo just for this type of thing. Sometimes VRAY wins, sometimes I bring it into Modo. Depends on the job I guess and what I need to do. Still LOVE Vray and Cinema. I’m doing more with Modo though. The beautiful and FAST dof is really worth the price alone. It’s stunning how nice it looks. Attached is something we just put together and rendered with Modo. Didn’t have a ton of time to make this so it could be better…

Good luck,
Alec

#5

In my opinion (and as AlecS already said) the really great renderer alone justifies the purchase of Modo. In the new version 501 that was released a few days ago they have further improved it (in some cases its twice as fast as it was in Version 401!) and implemented a feature called RayGL that can be activated in any viewport and delivers stunning results, e.g. displacement + subsurface scattering + global illumination in almost real time!

For the modelling tasks I have moved from XSI to Modo completely, don’t want to miss the imo far superior workflow there any more.

One of the disadvantages of Modo of course is that there is no character animation toolset, so no skinning/ rigging is possible. You can bring your animation into Modo by using MDD pointoven files though.

#6

well if you have C4D/Vray, ZBrush and Blender you have actually everything you need: modeling, painting, sculpting, rendering and animation tools. As far as i see it modo would contribute with the real-time preview renderer and the new RayGL (which is quite good) which in my opinion is by far the best on the market (vray RT for instance has some limitations; read the links http://www.spot3d.com/vray/help/rt100/unsupported_features.htm, but considering that vray RT is a young product it is expected that they dont support everything).

I must say that modo spoiled me with the preview render, every time i try a new software i look how is the realtime shading implemented and then usually praise modo for its features.
For me the preview render is a huge time-saver and i believe in short time vray will improve his RT so you could wait for them if it is not important to you.

#7

if modo only had a tweak that worked as well as the M button in xsi :wink:
or the morph target interface that xsi has… mmm…
or if it handled the huge models that xsi can…

other than that, modo is awesome :smiley: I wouldnt model a lot of stuff in xsi, but there are some things it is really good at.

#8

If XSI/SI had a MAC-version i would be a SI-user for sure. But i am on a mac ad SI will probably never be ported to the mac so i opted for C4D since most of my work the last two years were more motion design type of work. However, C4D (and they are at v12) has neglected their modeling tool set for too long and i couldnt bear it any more. So i bought modo 501 a couple of weeks ago. I am already really loving alot of modo, but i think even modo has some strange implementations of a few tools that could be much more user friendly. So i think C4D and modo together wil complement each other perfectly. Atleast thats the route im taking until modo gets a tad better in some areas.

  • Colin
#9

I just bought 501, and I am loving the renderer like nothing I’ve ever loved in a 3d software. I want to marry it.

That said, I’m really disappointed in the lack of a pass system. The shader tree seems geared toward people who are “still oriented Photoshopers”. I do animation in XSI and I’m having a hard time figuring out a good workflow to allow having “scenes within scenes”.

#10

save your money and stay with what you have already.

#11

Is Modo good in Motion Graphics?

I use Lightwave now but im thinking about getting something else… something with a modifiers stack and animable history!

#12

Modo has neither of those. It is my favourite all-round 3D package, but animation is not one of its strengths yet. It’s really good at modelling and rendering, and has an excellent real-time preview.

#13

Hi, for Motion Graphics i would put all my money on C4D. I have worked within Motion Design for the past 8 years, using everything from Maya, MAX and C4D and when it comes to motion gfx, C4D easy beats them all. Not that you cant use any package - you can, but the Mograph module in C4D was built for motion graphics and deserves the title belt for best package for doing motion design. It also has a really easy set up for doing camera mapping with some powerful tools for multiple projections. Something i often used in conjunction with the mograph module. The new dynamics system is also quite fast and powerful (but not anywhere near Houdini etc). No fluids yet in C4D though.

My reason for switching to modo is simply that i love modeling and want to get away from motion design for a while, and since the modeling tools in Cinema are getting a bit dated i opted to look for a complementary application.

One thing that i think is important to point out is that C4D has never crashed for me once the past two years, since i started using it. I bought modo 501 two weeks ago and have to this day had at least two unexpected crashes a day. Something i found extremely frustrating since i havent experienced any in C4D.

Cheers, Colin.

#14

Thanks Frog and Constrict. I know about C4D but always put it in the lower half packages… I was trying softimage at the time.

Still this year I plan to kick my ass a bit more, learning new tools. It as been quite static for few years.

I’ll check Mograph 2 for sure even if what I see on youtube about it is no super amazing. Well, compare to LW, it is!!

Houdini look like a worthy contender too, im just afraid I lack the mathematical skills to get it squeezed.

#15

See my earlier comments on Modo and c4d in another thread earlier. ‘Why Modo’

#16

Think of the (usually) most easily used tool in most 3d apps- it’s a tool that gives quite ‘dramatic’ results for very little work. Go and try to use this tool in Modo and you will probably come unstuck.
yes, I’m thinking of the lathe/revolve tool.
Another thing I forgot to mention in my comparison (‘Why Modo’) is that measuring in Modo is poor- after you’ve created something you have to jump through hoops to re-measure. Ah, the measuring tool is unreliable and if you try to use it you’ll come to grief.

#17

I love the renderer, hate the shader tree and want passes. I think its good for stills. Anyone that has worked in a serious animation package will be left wanting more.

That said, its my favorite renderer. It looks very pretty with minimal effort. Don’t we all want that?

That’s the only thing keeping me from selling my license. Oh, and the modeling and texturing is top notch.

#18

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.