Modo 102: Luxology's software packs power, customization, and efficiency in an easy-to-use package.(Modeling)(Product/Service Evaluation)

While Luxology is a new company in the world of 3D software, many principals of the company are seasoned veterans, many of whom created NewTek's venerable LightWave 3D. The company's first product, Modo, is a robust, easy-to-use 3D polygonal and subdivision surface modeling program.

Modo runs on Windows 2000/XP and Mac OS X. Like any graphics application, Modo loves memory and a good OpenGL graphics card. I loaded it on an HP xw8200 Windows XP workstation, and the installation went very smoothly. Modo's look and feel are attractive and well thought out.

Modo's interface is based on a modular design with all menus, functions, and 3D viewports existing in separate windows. These modular windows offer lots of flexibility and can be arranged in virtually any layout imaginable. In the 3D viewports, Modo has two navigation methods. The default method is similar to LightWave's navigation, a nod to the company's heritage. The second method mimics (Alias) Maya's navigation method of using the ALT key in conjunction with a three-button mouse. Because I use Maya a lot, I chose the latter method. Modo has a few little navigation tricks up its sleeve, such as a way to spin a model in a viewport automatically so you can view it from all angles.

Modeling in Modo can be handled in any number of ways. I could sculpt the primitive shapes provided or build surfaces from scratch using curves or one polygon at a time. For creating symmetrical objects, such as characters, Modo offers nice mirroring tools.

Modo's subdivision surface implementation is fast, responsive, and supports N-gons, polygons with more than four sides and a sticking point in some packages.

Editing with Modo is straightforward. Again, many of the tools are reminiscent of LightWave, but with many added features. Selecting components of an object--such as vertices, edges, and polys--is intuitive. Selecting an entire edge loop, for example, is as easy as selecting one edge and an arrow key. The software seems to have a wealth of built-in intelligence.

One of my favorite editing features is a simple concept called an Action Center, which lets you reposition the center point of any editing command. Many times, you're restricted to a pivot point determined by the 3D application, but Moro's method of a user-defined pivot point is flexible. Modo offers an intuitive way to set falloffs interactively as you edit, supplying a lot ...