Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 25, 2014. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The first major update for Modo since its acquisition by "The Foundry" is now here – and some changes may be directly attributable to that. This is particularly striking in the integration of OpenColorIO, which was developed as an open framework by Sony and was included in Nuke from the outset. You can find out exactly how it handles color spaces, lookup tables, and more consistently throughout the workflow in one of the next DP issues, because we spoke with the developer and inventor of the framework at FMX 2014.
The updates to the Dynamics/Particles system have also been improved, and ropes and chains can now be simulated; according to Foundry, the destruction of objects is now intended to be even more realistic and easier and, thanks to a layer system, also allow "multilayered" objects with different consistencies per layer. Node-based shading tools, new Wrap, Lattice, and Bezier deformers are also on board, as is, of course, integration of Foundry "Collectives" for distributed work on the same project. The hair system is now also equipped with guides that can even be drawn directly, so even bald people should be able to create complex hairstyles and fur structures smoothly.
Modo costs 999 US dollars, a two-week trial version is already available, and you can see further new features in the video and at The Foundry.
MODO from The Foundry on Vimeo.
