In nuce: The Foundry releases Modo 16.0, the latest version of the modelling, animation and rendering software. Some of the most interesting new features include a new conditional loop tool for smart edge loop selection, a new wrap effector, new blending modes in the shader tree, background procedural texture baking, and input commands for repetitive tasks. Also: The NPR 2 Kit, a tool package for non-photorealistic rendering, is now available free of charge for Modo licence holders!
Two releases instead of three: The release of Modo 16.0 will be followed by another release in the 16 release series. This second release is scheduled for later this year. This means that only two versions of Modo will now be released annually instead of the usual three versions per year. According to The Foundry, the features built into each released Modo version will be of a higher quality than before – thanks to the longer development times between releases. If you want to get a taste of Modo 16.1, you should take a look at First Modo Roadmap: a path to transparency – there you can already get an idea of the features planned for Modo 16.1.
The features of Modo 16.0: Here are some of the most exciting features of the new Modo version:
- Direct modelling: New conditional loop tool – you can use this to select parts of an edge loop instead of selecting the entire loop straight away
Modo 16.0 | Make Smarter Selections with the Conditional Loop Tool
- Bridge, Edge Subdivide and Ruler Utility: Are now also available as MeshOps for procedural modelling – instead of being selectable within the Direct Modelling Toolset as before.
- MeshFusion: Has been given an automatic system for the variable strip width (in the original: Strip Width System). The advantages of this should be: more influence over the shape of the edge stripes. Cases in which the mesh cannot be drawn should therefore occur less frequently.
- Shader tree: Now contains columns that show the blend mode and opacity of a layer. Also added to the shader tree: Symbols that characterise the functions of a group.
- Baking of procedural textures: Is now handled in the background via the texture cache system.
- Auto Set Layers: Assigns effects to image maps based on file names – the whole process takes place within materials.
- New Wrap Effector: The Foundry describes the functionality of this as a combination of wrap and lattice deformers. In addition, the new wrap effector should produce smoother results than were previously possible with existing wrap-influence deformers. You can read about how the wrap deformer works in detail at foundry.com .
Modo 16.0 | Produce Faster and More Controllable Deformations with the Wrap Effector
- Input commands for repetitive tasks: Allows you to invoke commands based on: the current selection mode and the number of selected components.
Modo 16.0 | Refine Custom Workflows with Conditional Commands
- NPR 2 Kit: Now available free of charge for Modo 16 licence holders. NPR 2 Kit is a tool package for non-photorealistic rendering that was previously priced at $199
Click further: All further information about Modo 16.0 can be found on foundry.com, or on the corresponding release note. The video below provides an overview of all the new features. You can find many more click-worthy videos about Modo 16.0 on Foundry’s YouTube channel.
Modo 16.0 – Features Overview
