Press Release

Press Releases and Media Alerts for Luxology and modo

Luxology Unveils Community-Based Asset Sharing Website for modo

New Content Sharing Site Allows Artists to both Create and Contribute

San Mateo, Calif. – June 29, 2009 – Luxology® LLC, developer of modern, artist-focused 3D software, has created a new asset sharing Web site that serves as a participatory content-sharing portal and learning resource. Users are now able to upload and download Presets of all kinds as well as exchange associated usage tips and techniques with other artists. Introduced concurrently with the recently released modo® 401 software, the custom-developed site provides modo artists with an easily accessible online resource for content re-utilization.

The new asset sharing Web site is an extension of the streamlined workflow in modo 401 that facilitates the re-use of assets throughout the content creation process. Users can browse through the site’s visual interface to select Presets such as realistic surface materials, 3D meshes, profile curves, animation assemblies and professionally designed lighting environments, which can all be utilized in modo 401. Artists and designers can also upload images and other assets to the site in order to share them with the rest of the modo community. To facilitate asset re-use, the site allows searches by category, popularity or by keyword search.

“With this new sharing mechanism, we are offering modo users the collective talent, experience and creative output of the entire modo user base,” said Brad Peebler, president and co-founder of Luxology. “Artists will now be able to quickly find Presets that make their scenes come alive as well as upload and store their own Presets. The site was developed specifically to fit the needs of the modo user community and integrates seamlessly with the rest of our Web site.”

The site also offers artists the opportunity to learn new techniques used by others in the creation of Presets, as well as a way to provide tips on how to use each asset. For example, when a material Preset is uploaded, the structure and components of the material are automatically displayed into a form that lets modo users understand how materials will look and act in modo’s Shader Tree. Users can also accompany their contributions with text, video and images that explain in detail how a particular asset can be used.

“I’ve already found the asset sharing site to be a fantastic resource,’ says Yazan Malkosh, a 3D artist and modo 401 beta tester. “Browsing the assets current available online, including various materials, environments, meshes, assemblies and profiles, is very motivational – I’ve already used a number of them in addition to contributing my own. I’ll be checking back regularly whenever I have a new project.”

Additional Information

For more information or to browse through the asset sharing Web site, please visit http://www.luxology.com/asset/. All 3D software professionals and enthusiasts are encouraged to visit the asset portal; however, only modo 401 registered users may upload assets to the site.

For additional information regarding modo 401, including a detailed feature list, sample images and technical specifications, please visit http://www.luxology.com/modo/product_information/.

About Luxology

Based in San Matero, Calif., Luxology® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via artist-friendly tools powered by Nexus®, its modern underlying architecture. Founded in 2002 by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on Luxology, its flagship product modo®, a gallery of artists’ images and the active modo community is available online at www.luxology.com.

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©Copyright 2009 Luxology LLC. modo and Nexus are registered trademarks of Luxology LLC., in the USA and/or other countries. All products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information, press only:

Lizzie Bennett, (503) 796-9822, Press Contact
Jennifer Foss, (503) 796-9822, Press Contact

Reader contact:

Luxology, LLC
1670 South Amphlett Blvd Suite 214
San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 378-8506

Contact Luxology

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Reviews

Todd Sheridan Perry
Animation Magazine
August 2009

“Luxology is seriously out of control! I’m going to recommend that you go visit their website to check out all the colorful candy they have to offer in the Easter basket they are calling modo 401. I’m certainly not going to have enough room to even scratch the surface”

Al Dean
Develop3D
January 2010

“The development work between SolidWorks and Luxology means a bridge is being created between two complimentary 3D disciplines, a bridge that enables engineers and designers to give life to their ideas. It doesn’t matter if you’re a master at making sweet 3D graphics or just introducing your mind to the concept of a third dimension, all the old ways of creating cool looking visuals have changed. To put it bluntly, it’s now damn simple to make your models look amazing and for those who want a seamless path from parametric 3D design to animated realism, modo is it.”

Christian Choi
Live Design
January 2010

“modo is one of the most useful companions to a drafting package out there. Its rendering engine alone is worth the $1,000 price tag. It’s a first class tool that will breathe realism into your renderings and inspire you to design more. After all, what could be more useful than a tool that inspires us to take more chances in our designs?”

Kenneth Wong
Desktop Engineering
June 2009

“With the new SolidWorks importer, you can open SolidWorks files directly in modo 401. This gives you the option to create not only photo-realistic renderings but also animation sequences using SolidWorks files. In modo’s environment, you could accomplish a number of things you might not be able to do easily in a mechanical CAD program.”

Josh Mings
SolidSmack
June 2009

“The new features in modo 401 are certainly impressive. The rendering does indeed look phenomenal and who doesn’t want to be able to instantly replicate geometry. For many, it’s a tedious workflow to go from one process to the other, modeling to materials to rendering to animation and back around again if something changes. What Luxology has done is combine that process into a single interface where each step can be touched at anytime throughout.”

Mark Bremmer
MicroFilmmaker Magazine
September 2009

“The interface is easy on the eyes, chock full of contextual menus, and displays some really common- sense features that leave me crying for similar features in the other packages I work with.”

“If you have multiple computers in your studio and want to create a render farm to accelerate your renders, I’ve found no easier set up than modo.”

“The rendered output from 401 is just fantastic.”

Ed Fear
Develop Magazine
August 2009

modo 401 feature article by Ed Fear gives a great review of the software, including a strong customer angle by highlighting Black Rock Studio and id Software which emphasize how modo 401 is very well-suited for game development.

Mike de la Flor
Studio Monthly Magazine
August 2009

“The ongoing development of modo as a major powerhouse took a significant step forward with Luxology’s release of modo 401. While just about every part of modo was tweaked by its developers, this update focuses on advanced rendering features, much improved animation, enhanced workflows, and, as always, better modeling tools.”

Tom Schlander
Digital Production
Germany
July | August 2009

“Luxology hat nun mit modo 401 das nächste Level beschritten. modo 401 bietet ein noch höheres Maß an Realismus beim Rendering und die Möglichkeit, noch mehr Details in eine Szene zu bringen.”

Mark Clarkson
Desktop Engineering
December 2008

“Luxology’s modo 302 might just be the perfect tool for quickly creating and manipulating new designs.”

Allen Harkleroad
Designer Today
June 2008

“I think I just found my new favorite 3D application. I’ve been a long-time user of 3ds max, Lightwave and several other 3D tools, and I will have to say that modo 302 blows them all out of the water (literally).”

Mark Bremmer
Micro Filmaker
February 2008

9.9 out of 10 rating

“If you need to create realistic objects quickly and have them rendered in photorealistic style, without taking aspirin or late nights, get modo. If you model lots of content for your productions, but battle with the modelers in other applications, get modo.”

Mike de la Flor
3DWorld
Issue 97

“The new digital sculpting tools alone are reason to upgrade to modo 301.”

Patrick Noland
SubdivisionModeling.com
March 2007

“modo is sure to fit in most any pipeline due to its strong feature set and an application environment that allows those coming from other modeling applications to transition easily.”

Bruce Bicknell
Photoshop User Magazine
Jan/Feb 2007

imageSynth review
Five out of Five rating

“I was up and running with imageSynth in no time and I’m now creating seamless textures in one-third of the time that it used to take. ...Overall, this is one of the best plug-ins to come along in years for artists who use Photoshop.”

David March
Game Developer Magazine
5 of 5 rating

“What do you get when you add a bunch of cool features and an efficient SDS modeller to an existing tool that’s rock solid? modo 202.”

Ko Maruyama
Creative Mac
September 2006

imageSynth review

“You don’t need to have modo, or even be a 3D artist to appreciate the new Photoshop plugin from Luxology. Fueled by amazingly strong math formulae developed by Allegorithmic, imageSynth makes perfectly tiled images that can be used as backgrounds, material maps, or just about anything...”

Kelly L. Murdock
GameDev.net
September 2006

4.5 out of 5 rating

“Overall, modo 202 is a stand-out package that is focused on doing what it does better than any other package.”

Fred Galpern
Animation World Network
September 2006

“...Luxology is to be commended for offering so much in a free update, especially at a time when their competition is offering quite a bit less in expensive, less worthy updates.”

Mike de La Flor
Macworld UK
August 2006

“New paint, UV, and rendering tools make modo the new leader in subdivision modellers”

Mike de La Flor
3D World Magazine
September 2006

Range of features: 9/10
Value for money: 9/10
Overall Rating: 9/10

“modo has rapidly become the preferred modelling solution for professionals in the arenas of film, gaming, visualisation and education, and a favorite of many independent artists. One of the main reasons for its popularity is Luxology’s attention to developing a user-centric application, facilitating the working process.”

Simon Danaher
Digital Arts Magazine
July 2006

Four out of five stars

“An elegantly designed, refined 3D system.”

Ko Maruyama
Mac Animation Pro

“You can paint directly into the scene, with lightning fast results.”

Fred Galpern
VFXWorld
June 2006

“Luxology’s attention to their users’ desires sets it apart from other high-end 3D software developers.”

Mylenium
CreativeCOW.net
Review Part 2
Review Part 3

4.5 out of 5 cows

“The great thing about modo beyond its flexibility is its fresh approach to solving problems that make 3D so hard for many people.”

Sean Wagstaff
Macworld Magazine
March 2005

4.5 out of 5 mice

“The best tool we’ve seen for subdivision surface modeling.”

	Upcoming Events
	View a complete list of events of interest to the modo community. CGI at Photokina Join Luxology at the Computer Generated Imaging (CGI) stand at the Photokina Expo, September 21 - 26, 2010 in Cologne, Germany. Learn more >