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The current (6/15/08) build of modo 401 is: modo 31381

A complete list of changes can be found in the comprehensive modo 401 Improvements document. (PDF file)


Which OS do I need for modo on the Macintosh?

modo 401 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later


Disabling selection rollovers gives modo a significant OpenGL performance boost on some configurations.

Adjust it here: System » Preferences » Display » OpenGL » Selection Rollovers.


What versions of Python are supported?

Windows and OS X now use the same Python version, 2.6.2, and the same Perl version, 5.8.9. Both included all standard packages.


How do I install my modo license key?

Please refer to the instructions for downloading modo 401 for the location of the license key download. Once you have downloaded the license key it is a simple matter of running the installer.

OS X users:

  1. Open the archive file
  2. Drag the license file onto the Apple Script icon located in the same directory.
  3. Done!

Windows users:

  1. Unarchive the zip file
  2. Run the Setup.exe file
  3. Done!

(Note to Windows XP users: Windows XP will display the contents of an archive prior to the file being expanded. If you try to run the installer from this view it will fail complaining that it can not find the license key. You MUST uncompress the archive to a folder prior to running the installer.)

Where is the trial version of modo 401?

It is not yet available. Keep checking the Try modo page for updates.


Is there 64 bit version of modo 401 for Mac OS X?

While modo 401 is available for 64-bit Windows, the 64-bit OS X version is not yet available. modo was written in the Apple “Carbon” system. As it turns out, Apple ceased their effort to support 64-bit Carbon apps which has forced us to create a new version of modo based on the Apple Cocoa architecture. We do not have any concrete information about when a 64-bit version of modo will be available for Mac OS X and we do not anticipate its completion during the 401 product cycle. If you require the extended memory footprint of a 64-bit architecture for modo use, we recommend installing 64-bit Windows XP or Vista under Boot Camp – as all modo purchases include OS X and Windows versions.


Can I use my old Config (.cfg) file from modo 302 with the new version of modo 401?

No. You should not attempt to use a user config (.cfg) file from an earlier version of modo in place of modo401.cfg or com.luxology.modo401


Where is the SKP importer for modo?

We are moving to relying on the COLLADA format for interfacing with Google SketchUp. Hence, if you want to import .SKP files, you will need to use modo 302, not modo 401. Google has indicated that COLLADA will be their intermediary format of choice as well.


Where are the COLLADA and Rhino importers?

The Rhino plug-in is now available for download from modo 401 owner's Registered Products pages. The COLLADA plug-in is still in testing and will be provided as a separate download. We regret the inconvenience.


Can I use my LXO files from previous version of modo with modo 401?

modo 401 can import .LXO files from any previous version of modo, but .LXO files created by modo 401 are not backwards compatible with previous versions of modo.


Regarding Bonjour installation on 64 bit Windows

If you install modo 401 on 64 bit Windows and then uninstall it and then reinstall it, you will be prompted to install Bonjour again. At that point, you can simply cancel out of the Bonjour install as Bonjour will already be installed.


How can I get the free Luxology Newsletter that I hear comes out every other month?

First, you need to create user account and make sure you express that preference in the sign-up form.

If you are already a Luxology community member and do not get the Newsletter, please go into My Account » Preferences and make sure you have "Subscribe to Luxology Newsletter" checked ON.

Also, make sure your spam filter allows email from luxology.com to arrive in your inbox.


Can you explain some more about the performance of the network rendering capabilities of modo?

modo‘s built in distributed rendering is based on Bonjour. Bonjour comes with every Mac computer and is bundled with the Windows version of modo. You can use a combination of Windows and Mac machines to render across a network. Once a Bonjour connection is working between your master computer and other workstations that have modo running in “Slave” mode, modo will show the buckets being computed by other computers as different colors in the render window on the Master system.

modo can also be run in a headless or command line fashion, which can be handy for rendering.

The built-in network rendering in modo is best suited to fewer large frames that take a long time to render, and is especially useful when rendering large stills. The biggest gains with modo's built-in network rendering will be for high resolution images that are dominated by bucket rendering time (as opposed to pre-pass time), such as scenes using non-cached indirect illumination, blurry reflections, depth of field, subsurface scattering, complex refraction, etc.

If you have lots of small, fast frames to render the built-in network rendering is not ideally suited for this. These are best rendered with a conventional “one frame per processor” render controller, from a 3rd party such as the ones from GwynneR, Paul Lord and others. These control modo in a more conventional manner, where each instance of modo/modo_cl is operating independently of the others, but in unison with a controller that divvies out specific frames for each individual machine.


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