How easy would it be to make this shape in Modo, regardless of the workflow used to achieve it?
Ignore the shape itself, still working on it.
Still not sure if I can live without the modifiers
Its the same thing, this wouldn't be done faster or slower in Max vs Modo, it all depend of the pilot behind the steering wheel. Use the tools that fits you the best.
How easy would it be to make this shape in Modo, regardless of the workflow used to achieve it?
Ignore the shape itself, still working on it.
Still not sure if I can live without the modifiers
I didn't know about that function, thanks.
I guess this shows how much I've used Modo.
That seems perfect for what I'm making atm, will have to try it.
In Maya, I can use split tools to add 2 vertices which will be connected by an edge that runs straight through any edge along the way. Does Modo has similar tools to this? Following DT tutorials it seems to be the Edge Slice tool, but that tool doesn't cut through other edges. Like in this image I'll need to add 4 vertices, 1 on each edge, instead of 2 at the end.
If you want it to grid / slice through whole mesh I'd use Slice (Shift + C). Alternatively you can use use add loop, loop slice to do the same thing.
If you want to cut through only the top faces, you'd select them before doing the above. There are also scripts (Seneca's, Etera's Swiss tools) that will connect two verts through edges.
In Maya, I can use split tools to add 2 vertices which will be connected by an edge that runs straight through any edge along the way. Does Modo has similar tools to this? Following DT tutorials it seems to be the Edge Slice tool, but that tool doesn't cut through other edges. Like in this image I'll need to add 4 vertices, 1 on each edge, instead of 2 at the end.
I just use Slice tool preset with snapping to vertex turn on and poly selection between two verts to prevent cutting the whole mesh. Don't select verts doing this though. I turn on display vertices (ctrl-1) and just snap slice tool to them. Or you can use Seneca's script for this, it's even easier but it works very strange sometimes. May be it should be updated for SP2.
But yes, it's another annoyance that there is no such option built in. I don't like selecting polygons, unnecessary clicks.
edit: actually Seneca's script works ok, you should probably use this. Download Eterea's Swiss Knife, it's there.
For people looking for precision during a cut operation, i just discovered that there's a little option that let you use toolhandles for modeling. pretty handy for cuts and bevels.
That's a custom script or Pen Slice?
Because it seems to be the exact same thing.
it's the same but you only have to select vertices and polygons between them (which is pretty easy using Shift-G). It may be more intuitive than slicing with snapping modes on.
MODO has a history of symmetry just stopping working and you don't realize it until you've done a bunch of work that's not being mired anymore. Then you have to stop and rip off half the mesh and mirror it fresh.
The mirrored instance thing is the most reliable way to do it.
Just select the instances, select them in the item list and then right click and change their type to Mesh?
Modo's symmetry issues mostly stem from the way it calculates normals of non-planar polygons. You'll see asymmetries ekeing their way in whenever you use bevel or push or such on non-planar polys (because it uses the normals to get the direction that things should be pushed/beveled in).
It uses the normal of the triangle formed by whatever the first 3 vertices for that polygon are. So, in an otherwise symmetrical mesh, the vertex order might not be symmetrical and so you'll get an asymmetrical mesh as a result of beveling, for example.
Edit: I'm told this should be mostly fixed in 801.
Im glad I found this thread, was wondering myself. have been using max professionally for a couple years, and now I went freelance I just didnt feel like paying for it, so I bought MODO instead, and honestly, I am missing some stuff in max. As was mentioned earlier, MODO seems better for organic/non-precision stuff, and I do modular sets.
BUt it is probably just because I am newb
Im glad I found this thread, was wondering myself. have been using max professionally for a couple years, and now I went freelance I just didnt feel like paying for it, so I bought MODO instead, and honestly, I am missing some stuff in max. As was mentioned earlier, MODO seems better for organic/non-precision stuff, and I do modular sets.
BUt it is probably just because I am newb
this video briefly covers new snapping features in 801
while we're at it does anyone have a profile for 3ds Max which makes it control like Modo? I'll make one in the end but if someone has it ready, I'd appreciate it.
When I try to snap stuff and am trying to snap to a certain vertex, sometimes my purple crosshair disappears and only a blue dot shows up randomly on targeted places, but because I have no more crosshair (or invisible) it is very difficult to aim where I want.
I have to zoom out basically or change my position in the editor to fix that. I'd like to better understand what is going there.
I find myself having to zoom or otherwise move my way around the scene for snapping to work like I want it. I am getting more a hang of it now, but I still have issues now and then.
Would be great if someone had a tip here
dzibarik video
Thanks for the video! It certainly looks nice and easy, so I guess it is jus because I am nub
WarrenM - MODO should be fine for modular assets ... 801, at least, with the updated snapping.
It is not building stuff on grid that is difficult for me, but having a big scene that is easily managed, and quick to iterate on in an external software.
For example,in Max, I would usually have modular assets spread out in a grid like pattern. 1 click on a button, and it would export that with correct pivot to FBX, so it could be reloaded in UE.
I got help to do something similar in MODO now, so it is getting better, but it is all those seemingly small workflow things that just adds an hour or two to my workday until I get the hang of it
For example,in Max, I would usually have modular assets spread out in a grid like pattern. 1 click on a button, and it would export that with correct pivot to FBX, so it could be reloaded in UE.
I got help to do something similar in MODO now, so it is getting better, but it is all those seemingly small workflow things that just adds an hour or two to my workday until I get the hang of it
Well, in MODO, once you set the center of your low poly object to where you want it to be, UE4 will import that as the mesh pivot point. So ... there's no moving or weird scripting needed. It "just works".
I really like non-destructive "modifier" based approach of Max and Blender. Not so complex and confusing as Houdini , still in many cases you could redo things in a few clicks. Rail clone plugin makes Max almost similar to Houdini.
Modo seems totally destructive from my very limited experience. Once you did something it's done. No way to change or re-use in the future.
I'm not thrilled with new 3ds Max versions, but I think that Max is best and the most simpler modeling application. I'm using it for 15 years and now I got to learn Modo because of the job that I got. I'm trying to get the familiar with the Modo for a week and it seems very different, sometimes illogical, more complicated and very unstable. If I already have to learn another software I would go for Maya or Blender. Maya because the half of the game industry uses Maya, half of them Max, and Blender because it's free software and both work on Linux. I guess that Modo is rarely used. People are spitting on Max because they don't know how to use it properly.
For what it's worth @Ofrst, I remember going from Max to Maya years ago. It took me about a month to get somewhat comfortable, and I was still frustrated by Maya's "sloppiness".
I have used Maya, Max, and Modo. Modo is a program that that had a lot of innovative modeling features when it was first released. It is still a great polygon modeler, but I think others have caught up with similar functionality but with more refined tools. Take Maya's custom component pivot mode for example(hotkey d)- it effectively accomplishes things similarly to Modo's Action Center feature but in Maya it is very well designed and you can very quickly go in there to position and orient your pivot just by holding shift or control. Maya modelers will know what I'm talking about. Maya also has "Angle and Area" weighted vertex normals on by default, which gives your low poly models nicer quality shading without having to think about it. Modo now comes with the vertex normal toolkit, but there was no effort to integrate it at a lower level- it's more like a script you just run when you are finished with your model, but if you go to change something you have to run it again. It's really infuriating.
Replies
Its the same thing, this wouldn't be done faster or slower in Max vs Modo, it all depend of the pilot behind the steering wheel. Use the tools that fits you the best.
Perhaps call upon the Radial Array function for example...
Seen here: http://youtu.be/1a8QD471lcg?t=45s
and here:
http://youtu.be/1c-ZH-74G0o?t=3m31s
Haha Fixed now.
I guess this shows how much I've used Modo.
That seems perfect for what I'm making atm, will have to try it.
In Maya, I can use split tools to add 2 vertices which will be connected by an edge that runs straight through any edge along the way. Does Modo has similar tools to this? Following DT tutorials it seems to be the Edge Slice tool, but that tool doesn't cut through other edges. Like in this image I'll need to add 4 vertices, 1 on each edge, instead of 2 at the end.
If you want to cut through only the top faces, you'd select them before doing the above. There are also scripts (Seneca's, Etera's Swiss tools) that will connect two verts through edges.
I just use Slice tool preset with snapping to vertex turn on and poly selection between two verts to prevent cutting the whole mesh. Don't select verts doing this though. I turn on display vertices (ctrl-1) and just snap slice tool to them. Or you can use Seneca's script for this, it's even easier but it works very strange sometimes. May be it should be updated for SP2.
But yes, it's another annoyance that there is no such option built in. I don't like selecting polygons, unnecessary clicks.
edit: actually Seneca's script works ok, you should probably use this. Download Eterea's Swiss Knife, it's there.
Thanks to Ylaz for this :poly121:
http://goo.gl/HsHcDU
System > Preferences > Display > Toolhandles.
select basic to advance.
it's the same but you only have to select vertices and polygons between them (which is pretty easy using Shift-G). It may be more intuitive than slicing with snapping modes on.
The mirrored instance thing is the most reliable way to do it.
It set's your instances to mesh's. Have yet to try it on 801 !!!
http://park7.wakwak.com/~oxygen/lib/script/modo/sample147.lzh
Modo's symmetry issues mostly stem from the way it calculates normals of non-planar polygons. You'll see asymmetries ekeing their way in whenever you use bevel or push or such on non-planar polys (because it uses the normals to get the direction that things should be pushed/beveled in).
It uses the normal of the triangle formed by whatever the first 3 vertices for that polygon are. So, in an otherwise symmetrical mesh, the vertex order might not be symmetrical and so you'll get an asymmetrical mesh as a result of beveling, for example.
Edit: I'm told this should be mostly fixed in 801.
BUt it is probably just because I am newb
this video briefly covers new snapping features in 801
[ame="
I find myself having to zoom or otherwise move my way around the scene for snapping to work like I want it. I am getting more a hang of it now, but I still have issues now and then.
Would be great if someone had a tip here
Thanks for the video! It certainly looks nice and easy, so I guess it is jus because I am nub
It is not building stuff on grid that is difficult for me, but having a big scene that is easily managed, and quick to iterate on in an external software.
For example,in Max, I would usually have modular assets spread out in a grid like pattern. 1 click on a button, and it would export that with correct pivot to FBX, so it could be reloaded in UE.
I got help to do something similar in MODO now, so it is getting better, but it is all those seemingly small workflow things that just adds an hour or two to my workday until I get the hang of it
If there is anything you can share, please do!
Is it really so hard to get actuall position and size of the model in MODO or am I missing something? I can find only offset position and scale.
Also is there some fuction that is similar to connect from Max, with same settings like max has?
Modo seems totally destructive from my very limited experience. Once you did something it's done. No way to change or re-use in the future.
I'm not saying a stack isn't a nice way of working, it is. But it's not the only way.
It's free and means you can always bounce back if you balls up your mesh.
Modo is a program that that had a lot of innovative modeling features when it was first released. It is still a great polygon modeler, but I think others have caught up with similar functionality but with more refined tools. Take Maya's custom component pivot mode for example(hotkey d)- it effectively accomplishes things similarly to Modo's Action Center feature but in Maya it is very well designed and you can very quickly go in there to position and orient your pivot just by holding shift or control. Maya modelers will know what I'm talking about.
Maya also has "Angle and Area" weighted vertex normals on by default, which gives your low poly models nicer quality shading without having to think about it. Modo now comes with the vertex normal toolkit, but there was no effort to integrate it at a lower level- it's more like a script you just run when you are finished with your model, but if you go to change something you have to run it again. It's really infuriating.