MODO/MARI Games Webinar Series

It’s game on! Join our Game Jam webinar series.

This December and January, join us for an exciting series of webinars that will show you how to use MODO and MARI for game asset creation. As you probably know, MODO is our powerful, fully featured 3D content creation package, while MARI is our high-detail, physically based 3D painting solution. Used together, these two applications offer tremendous flexibility for asset creation, and we’re going to show you both how and why.

The most frustrating thing about learning a new application is, well, learning a new application! Specifically, learning the basic concepts behind how an application works. This series of webinars is intended to get you up to speed using MODO and MARI, fast. In each of the webinars, we’ll be showing a different aspect of MODO and how it can be used in game workflows.

Each webinar will also include a special guest speaker, who will give either an interview, or deliver a workflow session or mini tutorial showcasing their own work. You can get more details on the first three presentations and register to attend below. You won’t want to miss these! We’ll send you another email in January with the next set of sessions.

Webinar 1: Getting familiar with MODO
December 8, 12 noon to approximately 1:30 p.m. (PST)
This session will focus on MODO’s interface, customization and the basics of modeling. We will also be touching on exporting geometry.
Guest speaker: Tor Frick, art director at Machine Games
Find out more and register

Webinar 2: MeshFusion, sculpting and topology
December 10, 6:30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. (PST)
Discover how to dramatically improve your modeling workflow with MODO’s MeshFusion, sculpting and topology toolsets.
Guest speaker: Barry Zundel, owner of Villusion Studios
Find out more and register

Webinar 3: UVs and the Shader Tree
December 16, 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. (PST)
Find out how MODO’s UV tools and Shader Tree can make texturing your game assets a breeze.
Guest speaker: David Vega, Siggraph member and Game Jam organizer
Find out more and register

 

I'm glad you think so, I spent $6K on Modo 701 licenses and it wasn't anything more than a confusing / buggy / inferior and more expensive version of Maya LT.

I've heard via the rainbow that 901 is the proverbial masterpiece in games, so I might as well upgrade and try it for what it's worth. I'll also check out the livestream, thanks for posting ..

 

Hey ShadowK,

We're all entitled to our opinion but how did you spend 6k on MODO 701? I've been working for Luxology/The Foundry since 2011. You would have to buy all of our kits, plugins and training probably several times to equal 6k unless you purchased multiple licenses or something like that.

Also 701 was not intended to compete with MAYA LT. Our analogous offering for MAYA LT is our Indie line of products on Steam. Those are the products and community that I manage.

BladeEvolence Out!

 

I bought more than one license that's how, we were 3DSMax subs and of course it was expensive and Modo seemed like the best alternative at the time.

701 being buggy in it's earlier iterations isn't really opinion, I'm not saying Modo is bad in fact I believe the box modelling tools are first class. Just as of 701 Maya LT (which is just a cut down version of Maya) which eventually turned out to be a proper game DCC in it's own right was more effective.

For e.g. HumanIK system, a proper shader tree setup.

I had a lot of issues with smoothing groups, which I know Unity doesn't support but is a requirement for Unreal. Luckily one of your users (Farfarer) sorted that portion of it out.. Also tended to use Xnormal for NM's which I guess is pretty standard.

The .FBX output into Unreal and Unity have been garbled on many occasions, the .FBX pipeline has often crashed. I've had "mirror" creep where after a while symmetry would just not work until I restarted the app.. The animation system constantly grinds to a halt, this is on a 980M and my main dev machine with an I7 Hexacore and a 980TI / 32GB slammed in it. The model only has 20K poly's not exactly machine breaking stuff.

But mainly Modo was confusing and I couldn't really find much on it to get me going, after a lot of trial and error I've gotten used to it. But it only took me a couple of weeks to use Maya LT, the last time I used Maya was in 2004 I believe.

I've been on and off with Modo for a year and I still haven't figured out how to do accurate bend deformations whilst keeping core (base polygons) aligned to pre-bend position which is one click in Maya, now that may be a lack of knowledge on my part but I did ask as well.. Nobody seemed to know.

I will of course try out 901, as I've heard it is pretty awesome. We'll see..

P.S "Were all entitled to our opinion" isn't the most professional response I've ever seen, someone comes to me with an issue. I ask, how do we fix it? Because I care about my customers.!

 

Hey ShadowK,

My apologies about the "We're all entitled to our opinion" comment. My reply sounded different in my head. Sorry for causing confusion there, but I really meant it in a positive light.

We appreciate all feedback, good, bad and ugly since it all helps in making the products better for customers.

We are trying to help with exactly the kinds of situations that you've faced through these webinars. Anyway we can help you and your team out more let me know.

BladeEvolence

 

Hey Shadow,

Just figured it's worth mentioning that Farfarer isn't just a user anymore. He now works on MODO here at The Foundry. He'll also be one of the guest speakers in January.

On the Shader Tree... I really want you to come to the 3rd webinar on the 16th. The Shader Tree will be one of the topics on that day. I'd like to try and change your opinion.

 

Sounds good, looking forward to it.

 

I just want to acknowledge that BladeEvolence seems to truly care a ton about advocating for the customer. I say this based on all his posts in the Modo Indie forums on the Steam store.

Thanks @BladeEvolence and looking forward to the webinars.

 

I wish MARI had a more welcoming UI like MODO.

 

One of the sessions in January will be on MARI. I find that if you understand a few basic things about MARI it becomes pretty easy. The schedule for the January ones should be up before the holidays.

 

I'm a staunch Max & Mudbox user, but I love seeing competition in all creative software applications. It's one of the important elements that increases user availability and rate reductions.
Modo users have some of the nicest modeling videos available on youtube. I've replicated several artists techniques in Max to improve my own personal workflow.

Nice offering -

 

Webinar 2: MeshFusion, sculpting and topology
Starts at 6:30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. (PST)
Discover how to dramatically improve your modeling workflow with MODO’s MeshFusion, sculpting and topology toolsets.
Guest speaker: Barry Zundel, owner of Villusion Studios

Register here:
https://thefoundryevents.webex.com/...vN7m75Ahy_q3YlqmIg2&&siteurl=thefoundryevents

 

We have the full presentation for Barry in h.264 and will post it ASAP after the webinar concludes. 8)

 

Where can we see the replays? Thank you!

 

The only replay up is of Barry's presentation from last Thursday. http://www.villusionstudios.com/download/TheFoundry/ModoToUnreal_1080pH264_Small.mp4

We will have webinar one posted tomorrow. and Webinar 2 with Barrys presentation included posted on Thursday. We will update OP in this thread as well with those links.

Good news otherwise though. We are moving away from webex and over to Twitch.tv for these presentations. For the next webinar on Wednesday, check it out at:

http://www.twitch.tv/thefoundryevents

 

Thanks very much