Modo 11.1 from Foundry

Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 3, 2017. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

News from Foundry: Since the article was removed from the name, a lot has happened at the software developer. Alongside the announcement of Elara at NAB 2017, a cloud-based tool intended to centralize a VFX studio’s infrastructure, software and pipeline, there is also a new version of Modo. The recently released update 11.1 adds several new features, which we summarize here:

New Features in Modo 11.1

Improved Modeling Workflow

For modeling in Modo, Foundry has revised the Topology Pen and Smooth Tool in particular with the new update, including new falloff settings. In addition, further features for procedural modeling have been added with new UV and Smooth operators.

Bridge to Unreal Engine

With a new client-server bridge, you can now exchange and update entire scenes or individual elements between the two applications. The bridge works both on the local computer and across multiple computers on the network.

Alembic I/O

With Modo’s improved Alembic support, it is easier to use geometry, particles, simulation meshes, curves, multiple UV sets and material tags in workflows with other DCC tools.

UV Workflows

There is now a new Box Transform Tool for arranging UV maps, simplifying the selection and transformation of UVs. SVG export is also improved, with the option to define real units.

Preview Render

Preview Render now makes it possible to set the maximum render-time limit. Modo also saves the current render state when saving, so it can continue from the last saved point.

The complete overview of the release, including all bug fixes, can be found here.

Requirements & Price

Supported operating systems are Mac OS from 10.10.x, Windows from 7 and Linux (CentOS/RHEL 7+). A perpetual license currently costs the equivalent of 1,581 euros; Foundry offers an annual subscrition for 527 euros. Anyone who wants to test the tool first can download a trial version here.