Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 7, 2016. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The “Modo 10 Series” has arrived, and with new branding the first package has landed, “Modo 10.0v1”. Behind this slightly awkward name are updates for game authoring, baking, FBX import and more. The further updates – presumably Modo 10.0v2 and 10.0v3 – will arrive in stages and, like normal service packs, will be free for licence holders.
Normals under control
Vertex normals can now be edited for shading smoothness, with tools that allow individual edges to be selected and thus make it possible to build a precise vertex normal map on the mesh itself.
Export to game engines
The focus of the first Modo 10 is clearly on the pipeline to the various game engines – assets can easily be exchanged between Mode and Unity / Unreal Editor 4, complete with shaders. This eliminates the tedious construction of a shading network in the engine, and export becomes a single step in the pipeline. New presets already adapted to Unreal and Unity are included, and the Preset Editor can feed other engines.
Meshes are now also triangulated automatically during FBX export, in conjunction with Modo’s internal triangualtion for GL rendering, so that the result looks the same everywhere. Expanded support for all commom DDS formats is also included.
Game Tools Layout
FBX
There have also been changes concerning FBX – the new FBX 2015 plug-in finally supports the more widespreaded FBX 2014 format, and UV sets are therefore automatically exported alphabetically, while linear colour correction is automatically added to all vector maps, both for FBX and other non-LXO formats. Animation inside FBXs can now be imported and merged with assets inside the scene, or applied to characters / actors. Instances and replicators are also exported as FBXs.
Unreal Shader
Realtime View in Modo 10
Gaming in Modo 10 now also brings “Game Style Navigation” – inside Modo, users can now not only edit vertices, bake and export textures, but also become a first-person player inside the Modo scene and move around the scene using mouse / keyboard navigation – and thus see what things will look like for the player.
WYSIWYG
With the various updates, Modo 10 becomes a WYSIWIG editor for game engines and their authoring, because users work on the platform’s final look – and there should therefore no longer be nasty surprises with lighting and surfaces. It includes two PBR materials, for Unreal Engine and Unity Engine, viewport improvements, export of the respective compatible PBR materials, and the ability to work directly inside Modo with Unreal Editor 4 and the Unity 5 Base Shaders.
Color Management
You can find more videos on the current release here: youtube.com > MODO Geeks TV
Modo 10.0v3 is available to download now, and a trial version is already here too. Licences, downloads and further information about the current release are best obtained directly from Maconcept.
