Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 28, 2006. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Luxology has announced the new program version Modo 201 for May, which extends the 3D solution with numerous new features.
The first major innovation is a paint module that makes it possible to paint directly onto an object in the viewport. The user has a choice of a wide variety of brushes and can paint in all mapping channels, including the bump-mapping channel.
Matching this tool is a UVW unwrap that smooths and unstretches the painted surfaces as needed. The user draws the edges of the texture directly onto the object. He can stretch and flatten the result until a uniform grid is created.
Luxology has significantly improved the renderer: Modo users now find features such as a Fresnel effect, anisotropy and Subsurface Scattering. Micropolygon Displacement ensures highly detailed surfaces through Bump Displacement and Normal Maps. The viewport enables real-time display of Bump and Normal Maps through advanced pixel shaders. As an addition to the normal viewport, there is an interactive raytracer that displays the raytracing scene immediately and updates it interactively while the user works on it.
Anyone who still buys Modo 103 now pays 695 dollars and receives a free upgrade to Modo 201 after it appears. The final price for Modo 201 will be 895 dollars.
Later this year, Luxology plans to make the Modo renderer executable as a stand-alone application so that it can also be used with other 3D programs. In the same way, the manufacturer also wants to release the paint module as a stand-alone application.
Further links:
- Luxology modo 201
