Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list

[Raffaele Fragapane]

Hi all,

If you can't be bothered to read some text, the important bit is in bold a few paragraphs down.

Now that the worst kept secret EVER has seen the sunlight, while everybody is still shell shocked, I think it's worth posting this.

I'd like to say I'm surprised, or emotionally drained, but I'm actually barely upset. Writing's been on the wall for entirely too long.

Deciding to not use Maya just because it's an AD product, at least for me, is like cutting one's own nose to spite the face; then in my domain (character work) Maya is too significant a player to just outright ignore it out of principle, not to mention I've been using it professionally or personally since v1.

That said maybe some of you work in a different domain, and for you Modo, or Houdini, or C4D are a viable option.

Coming from there, and more on topic, I have little faith in all these petitions, rage posts and the such, so I thought I'd start a different line of efforts to help a community I've been part of for Idon'twanttothinkhowlongitsscary.

More on topic, if I had to find issue with this announcement and all it entails it's how badly it was managed and conceived.

Not only it's an incredibly ponderous decision with inevitable gravity, it was also announced with barely any time to spare between its intended date and some hard dates on its effects.

Of everything I heard and read insofar it's not so much the killing of Soft I find unacceptable (I guess I was well resigned in those regards, not that it doesn't sadden me enormously), as much as what picture it paints of AD customer management when they do such a thing, and proceed to aggravate the issue with nebulous information and an unacceptably short window of time for the user base to make some rather consequential decisions.

But are the competitors any better? Any more accessible and transparent in their communication and dealings?

Well, I was having an exchange in private with Brad Peebler, founder of Luxology, and I put to him whether the Foundry/Luxology would have the flexibility and agility to do something about short term.

Turns out they do.

In a few hours they set up everything for a 50% discount on Modo purchases. No strings attached, just because I jokingly challenged him to.

Go to the online store and use the coupon "raffofkahn" for half price check-out.

I'm not a Modo user, nor have the time or inclination right now to become one. I'm not going to suddenly wish AD any ill or stop using their products, though they sure did their damnest to make me even more guarded when dealing with their PR and promises.

I did really enjoy dealing with the Foundry in the past though, and I have now to extend that respect to its Luxology arm. At the very least they are willing to act transparently and unconditionally on matters all the way from the top of the product chain.

Cheers,

Raff

P.S.

The actual coupon's text was Brad's idea, not mine! I imagine he read my signature and thought I was a Trekkie or something like that.

P.P.S.

I'm not getting anything out of this. I'm not a modo user, I'm not getting freebies, it has nothing to do with my employer, what the hell, it barely has anything to do with me outside the last few hours and this e-mail itself. I simply thought it was a nice and significant gesture on Brad's side and decided to help him reach out on account of his personality and display of good will.

--
Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!

[Tim Crowson]

That's really generous of Brad, and frankly reflects the artist-centric and artist-friendly attitude I've experienced first-hand when dealing with them or the Foundry in general. Modo is not there yet as a full package, and primarily lacks in raw performance and reliability. But I think they know what they need to do. Mad props and more power to The Foundry.

-Tim

--

[Tim Crowson]

I need to qualify what I mean here... I realize that he's making an offer as a reaction to a galvanizing event. But I have seen this same type of generosity one more than occasion from The Foundry when no such event was occurring.

-Tim

--

 

[Bradley Gabe]

I'm just happy to see my name on this list again in a positive light, even though it has nothing to do with me.

[Alex Arce]

I feel like you are somehow partially responsible regardless. I may have to purchase a copy just because....

AND of course thanks for the reach out Raff. Nice move. 

Alex

[nick name]

You'd never see such a gesture from Adsk. On the other hand I think it's a bit too early for this offer for most Softimage users to make a jump in one direction or another. Not saying that there won't be a few that will want to score this opportunity, so... yeah, it's a lot better than nothing.

[Raffaele Fragapane]

Personally I find the offer monetary value itself barely relevant.

Let me explain: It's more the fact a person as highly positioned as him keeps in touch with people who have hardly anything to do with his products and is wiling to jump a whole chain of decision makers and bureaucracy to make something happen in a few hours that matters to me.

If it saves you a few hundred bucks that's a bonus for sure :)

BTW apparently it's the community store or something like that that should be used at:

http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/store/modo/

Some other store locations might not accept coupons.

[Sylvain Lebeau]

hahahahahahah amazing Raff!!!!!

World is at war!!!!

The Foundry have a good respectfull background so far. But also got a good pathway to monopolicy.  The dark side. 

Nuke, Katana, Mari, Modo .....  Can all become a centric pipeline toolset...  It's a very interesting way to go at first sight. 

But Modo misses lots of things for all of us now.  It's a modeler that want to become a full dcc... this scares me. Building all those modules on top of the ground technology it was meant to be....  makes me ask me questions about the scalability of the app itself. Could a modeling app become's a full dcc app?... 

I just hope they keep a good eye on how they do things and dont become what Autodesk is.... You know when things are growing out too fast.

At least, the foundry, dont kill the products they ingest so far. And they have my total trust for what is comming in the years to come.  They just need time to adjust into interop of all of their tools. And push modo to the other level.  This could become a killer. 

sly

Sylvain Lebeau // SHED
V-P/Visual effects supervisor
1410, RUE STANLEY, 11E ÉTAGE MONTRÉAL (QUÉBEC) H3A 1P8
T 514 849-1555 F 514 849-5025 WWW.SHEDMTL.COM <http://WWW.SHEDMTL.COM>

VFX Curriculum 03: Compositing Basics

mail to: s...@shedmtl.com

[Sylvain Lebeau]

you are so right...... 

never we would have been able to be so close to the real decision making peoples at AD then this exemple.....

so refreshing....Peoples who cares... 

Amazing 

Sylvain Lebeau // SHED
V-P/Visual effects supervisor
1410, RUE STANLEY, 11E ÉTAGE MONTRÉAL (QUÉBEC) H3A 1P8
T 514 849-1555 F 514 849-5025 WWW.SHEDMTL.COM <http://WWW.SHEDMTL.COM>

VFX Curriculum 03: Compositing Basics

mail to: s...@shedmtl.com

[Nick Angus]

Exactly Raff!  that IS the point, in the long run I think this company will have to learn the lesson many others have.  

People will pay good money for good service and products, Apple know this and have reaped the rewards.  

N

[Sylvain Lebeau]

Right Nick! .... at least Apple sold Shake's SDK! To whomever wanted to still use it!!! 

i am working on it with poor faith...

;-)

sly

Sylvain Lebeau // SHED
V-P/Visual effects supervisor
1410, RUE STANLEY, 11E ÉTAGE MONTRÉAL (QUÉBEC) H3A 1P8
T 514 849-1555 F 514 849-5025 WWW.SHEDMTL.COM <http://WWW.SHEDMTL.COM>

VFX Curriculum 03: Compositing Basics

mail to: s...@shedmtl.com

[John Richard Sanchez]

Is that just for UK store? Can I use that on NUKE?

--

www.johnrichardsanchez.com

[Raffaele Fragapane]

I'm afraid he's reaching out to Softimage users, not Shake ones ;)

So Modo only, possibly any store (I think), just the foundry's main website is the UK one.

[Tim Crowson]

Point of clarification... I've been using Softimage for 5 years now, and Modo for 6, and am also on the beta for Modo. I can guarantee you that while Modo is NOT a full DCC now, it hasn't been 'a modeling app' for years now. It grew out of that a long time ago. Still, it's not what you want to switch to for full production on everything, but that point has been well-established. Not playing favorites here (I actually prefer to model in Soft!), I just think it's fair to properly assess a tool's capabilities, and Modo really has a problem, IMHO, of having this modeler-only mantra hanging over it.

And I'll echo what Raff said about having someone as high up as Brad interacting with artists. That's frankly just how he's always been. Soft is the tool for me any day, but I really do have a soft spot for what the Modo devs are doing, and wish them the best over the next couple of years. It's a long road, but they genuinely do seem to care.

-Tim

--

 

Tim Crowson
Lead CG Artist

Magnetic Dreams, Inc.
2525 Lebanon Pike, Bldg C, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37214
Ph  615.885.6801 | Fax  615.889.4768 | www.magneticdreams.com
tim.c...@magneticdreams.com

Confidentiality Notice: This email, including attachments, is confidential and should not be used by anyone who is not the original intended recipient(s). If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your mailbox or any other storage mechanism. Magnetic Dreams, Inc cannot accept liability for any statements made which are clearly the sender's own and not expressly made on behalf of Magnetic Dreams, Inc or one of its agents.

 

[Sebastien Sterling]

I tried to purchases it but it isn't showing any discount :(

[Nick Angus]

Preconceptions are always a problem, Houdini probably suffers from this the most (and has done so the longest).  Houdini is generally regarded as a boffins effects tool where it can actually quite often handle a non effects task more elegantly and simply than any of its contemporaries.

A huge amount of people go through life with these preconceptions and it makes it very limiting.  It is human nature of course, but if you can push through them and make judgements based on your own real world experience life does get a whole lot better!

N

---

[Raffaele Fragapane]

Works here.

http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/store/modo/

Add to cart button.

Should send you here:

http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/store/cart.aspx

Put code with no quotation marks and all lower case in the coupon field and the price appears as half.

Just tried.

[Tim Crowson]

Are you trying to do this via http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/store/modo/?
-Tim

[Sylvain Lebeau]

thanks for sharing your point Tim!

I too have great confidence into Foundry for the futur.

i am just all opened ears thoses days!!! :-) 

I've echoed what Raff said as well!! ... If you didnt get my post.

you are so right...... 

never we would have been able to be so close to the real decision making peoples at AD then this exemple.....

so refreshing....Peoples who cares... 

Amazing 

hey we are all on the same boat man!  But i dont see 1% of what ICE is in Modo.  That's just it..  I dont blame the app itself!!.. It was meant to be a modeler and now they put all sort of things into it to make it full featured.  I am just questionning how it will be our safe boat glory hole!. Nothing less. 

sly

Sylvain Lebeau // SHED
V-P/Visual effects supervisor
1410, RUE STANLEY, 11E ÉTAGE MONTRÉAL (QUÉBEC) H3A 1P8
T 514 849-1555 F 514 849-5025 WWW.SHEDMTL.COM <http://WWW.SHEDMTL.COM>

VFX Curriculum 03: Compositing Basics

mail to: s...@shedmtl.com

On Mar 4, 2014, at 11:08 PM, Tim Crowson <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com> wrote:

Point of clarification... I've been using Softimage for 5 years now, and Modo for 6, and am also on the beta for Modo. I can guarantee you that while Modo is NOT a full DCC now, it hasn't been 'a modeling app' for years now. It grew out of that a long time ago. Still, it's not what you want to switch to for full production on everything, but that point has been well-established. Not playing favorites here (I actually prefer to model in Soft!), I just think it's fair to properly assess a tool's capabilities, and Modo really has a problem, IMHO, of having this modeler-only mantra hanging over it.

And I'll echo what Raff said about having someone as high up as Brad interacting with artists. That's frankly just how he's always been. Soft is the tool for me any day, but I really do have a soft spot for what the Modo devs are doing, and wish them the best over the next couple of years. It's a long road, but they genuinely do seem to care.

-Tim

On 3/4/2014 9:52 PM, Sylvain Lebeau wrote:

hahahahahahah amazing Raff!!!!!

World is at war!!!!

The Foundry have a good respectfull background so far. But also got a good pathway to monopolicy.  The dark side. 

Nuke, Katana, Mari, Modo .....  Can all become a centric pipeline toolset...  It's a very interesting way to go at first sight. 

But Modo misses lots of things for all of us now.  It's a modeler that want to become a full dcc... this scares me. Building all those modules on top of the ground technology it was meant to be....  makes me ask me questions about the scalability of the app itself. Could a modeling app become's a full dcc app?... 

I just hope they keep a good eye on how they do things and dont become what Autodesk is.... You know when things are growing out too fast.

At least, the foundry, dont kill the products they ingest so far. And they have my total trust for what is comming in the years to come.  They just need time to adjust into interop of all of their tools. And push modo to the other level.  This could become a killer. 

sly

Sylvain Lebeau // SHED
V-P/Visual effects supervisor
1410, RUE STANLEY, 11E ÉTAGE MONTRÉAL (QUÉBEC) H3A 1P8
T 514 849-1555 F 514 849-5025 WWW.SHEDMTL.COM <http://WWW.SHEDMTL.COM>

<Mail Attachment.png>

[Sebastien Sterling]

ok it's done :)

[Gideon Klindt]

You are not going to find a 1:1 replacement to SI. It just does not exist.

For the record, I am a former XSI user and now for the last several versions, a MODO user.

The things I like most about MODO are:

The developer actually listens to the user base

They are eager to develop and improve the software

The Foundry/luxology are much more transparent about things than AD

MODO is not just a modeling application and from the start that was not the intent. There are node based rigging, dynamics, particle tools. There is sculpting, painting, retopology (good not crap like in Maya now) and a bit more. The render engine is good esp. for one packaged with the software. Some of these tools feel very modern, some are a work in progress (though still modern), but at least they honestly are working on them.

So yes, while it isn't there YET, it would be really awesome if even a few of you pick it up on the discount, give it a spin for a bit, and tell them where and how they could improve and what you like. At the very least you'll pick up probably the best modeling and re-topology tools at half price (and some very awesome "extras").

Even if it doesn't meet all your needs, I bet many of you will find a place for it at your software table.

--
Gideon D. Klindt
gideonklindt.com

[Matt Lind]

Could you talk to Elon Musk, please?  I could use a Tesla about now.

 

 

Matt

[Raffaele Fragapane]

Only if you get screwed over by Pagani first. Or if Porsche doesn't deliver your hybrid GT3-R on time.

[Sylvain Lebeau]

Of course it's not a 1:1 replacement Gideon.... but it may come sooner then later! 

i am very opened to it....  I like the dev's are listening... likes alot of things about it!

i dont want to sound like the Modo bashing guy! ... Because i have a good eye on it...  But right now, i cannot groom my hairs and simulate them into it and render them with Arnold. So it's a long term solution for us here.  

How about Exocortex Crate suite?  How is the Alembic state in modo? I dont even know. 

time will tell us more!!  

sly

Sylvain Lebeau // SHED
V-P/Visual effects supervisor
1410, RUE STANLEY, 11E ÉTAGE MONTRÉAL (QUÉBEC) H3A 1P8
T 514 849-1555 F 514 849-5025 WWW.SHEDMTL.COM <http://WWW.SHEDMTL.COM>

VFX Curriculum 03: Compositing Basics

mail to: s...@shedmtl.com

<Mail Attachment.png>

[Tim Crowson]

Nothing beats Crate, in any app. I would LOVE to see Crate developed for Modo.
-Tim

--

[Sebastien Sterling]

I'd tend to agree with Raff. the gesture out ways the material aspect

what is this strange warmth :P ?!

[Morten Bartholdy]

It works :) - and thanks for making the effort Raff!

 

Morten

[Morten Bartholdy]

Ha - me too :)

 

Morten

[Eric Mootz]

Ha, ha, very nice move!

Thanks to Brad and Luxology!

[Simon Reeves]

Very generous

Simon Reeves

London, UK

si...@simonreeves.com
www.simonreeves.com

www.analogstudio.co.uk

[Steffen Dünner]

Click. License bought. Thanks Brad!!! :)

--

PGP-ID(RSA): 0xD6E0CE93

Fingerprint: 879F 572C FEE4 9DE5 53A8 3C1C 22A9 C8DE D6E0 CE93

[Marc-Andre Carbonneau]

Very nice of you to challenge Brad, Raff!

 

Would anyone know if this will entitle us to get v8 when it comes out?

Thanks

MAC

[Gerbrand Nel]

I love seeing gestures like this.
Anyone know how long this discount is valid for.
I'd like to try it for a bit before blindly spending, what is still allot of money, if you happen to live in Africa :)
G

[Daniel Sweeney]

Yeah be good to know when this runs too. need to evaluate it first before jumping straight on no matter how good the deal is!! 

Daniel Sweeney
3D Creative Director

Mobile: +44 (0)7743429771
Email: Dan...@northforge.co.uk
Web: http://northforge.co.uk

[Angus Davidson]

You can get the 15 day demo  that should allow you play with it.

Also watch the learnign videos at http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/modo/learn/

I suggest the 11 Getting started Videos as they show some nice features. There is also stuff on digital tutors as well

We got a license to evaluate for when we need to change software at Wits

Kind regards

Angus

---

From: Gerbrand Nel [nag...@gmail.com]
Sent: 05 March 2014 04:03 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list

This communication is intended for the addressee only. It is confidential. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately and destroy the original message. You may not copy or disseminate this communication without the permission of the University. Only authorised signatories are competent to enter into agreements on behalf of the University and recipients are thus advised that the content of this message may not be legally binding on the University and may contain the personal views and opinions of the author, which are not necessarily the views and opinions of The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All agreements between the University and outsiders are subject to South African Law unless the University agrees in writing to the contrary.

[Maurício PC]

I'm willing to buy it, but I don't know if I should wait for Modo 801. Because to buy this and later have to spend more 500 USD to update will put a serious hole on my wallet.

Does anybody knows if this purchase will lets us upgrade to 801 with a nice discount? :D

Anyway ... Brad always seemed like a great guy and this is prove of that.

--

gonebadfx.com

- your source for bad fx

[john clausing]

i would love to buy this if only to mess with AD

but......i dont even know of any facilities in NYC that use it .....anyone?
as a freelancer, that's kind of the key point

[Marc-Andre Carbonneau]

Act two

http://www.acttwo-um.com/careers

 

 

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of john clausing
Sent: 5 mars 2014 09:52
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list

 

i would love to buy this if only to mess with AD

[Tim Crowson]

I've contacted Brad to try to find out what the deal will be, regarding 801. I'm not privvy to the release date, so I honestly don't know when that's coming.
-Tim

--

 

[Chris Johnson]

Do they have a summary somewhere of the road map for the software? If your talking to Brad...thanks Tim!

Also be nice if Autodesk gave us a roadmap for them so we're not all spinning our wheels. If MAX is dead in the next year be nice to know. Even if they were in development of some uber software...a general idea behind a release date?

[Mirko Jankovic]

when was AD giving any roadmap at all??? committing you to pay subs without knowing at all what will you get next year. cat in the back. well we did know what they have on road map for SI.. end of the road...

[Chris Johnson]

I know....it was a question to know one and wishful thinking as most companies don't divulge this information until a siggraph and the actual release of something. Unfortunate...

[Gideon Klindt]

A lot of these videos are either OLD or slightly on the marketing edge and they are not ordered, but many are still relevant and worth watching and all free. It's a bit like the VAST training or discs that use to come with XSI in the shoe box so many are very basic, and a few are slightly more enlightening:

Those videos (and a few more) are sorted nicely here:

http://eglomot.marc-albrecht.de/

Link to Foundry site version (less ordered)

http://eglomot.marc-albrecht.de/

I can't speak for the MODO team really, but if I had to say what the roadmap was/is, it was to first get the "basics" in MODO in some form, then the focus was to be scalability, extensibility (SDK improvement etc.), performance on larger scenes and data sets, and stability (and obviously refinement of features already existing).

I have a good "feeling" that 801 and on are going to be more and more focused on these latter parts as the main features are mostly fleshed out already. For a long while it seemed they talked about future plans to expand the role of the software, but IMHO, it didn't start to become how obvious they meant it until the 601-701 cycle.

At least a lot of the basic "guts" are in a node based form of some kind or another- and more sandbox like than some. The schematic is an on going WIP, much of it is good and thought out, and it's the right template moving forward, but it needs feedback from a larger pool of users IMHO.

Seriously, if even you only test it out for 15 days, your feedback as to what you like/want/need/hate is invaluable- so please let it be known on the forum or even here.

[Gideon Klindt]

Keep in mind that while companies don't like to divulge things until near or know for release, companies that are not traded openly on the stock markets are a little more free with their info (good or bad). One good reason to take a look at the Foundry and SideFXs products AFAIK.

[Tim Crowson]

Concerning a Modo roadmap, I couldn't share any specifics even if I had them (I don't anyway). I know generally that performance and scalability are waaaaay high up on the priority list. If they're not exactly #1, they've gotta be close to it.  I think they really do realize the serious obstacles presented by Modo's current trouble with deformer speed, weight-painting speed, etc. The viewport can actually handle a ton of polys really well, by most accounts superior to what Maya can do, but deformers seem to give the GL redraw some trouble. This is a known issue for sure, and the Modo devs are well aware of it.

I have definitely been encouraged by the last two releases of Modo. 601 and 701 really hit some home runs. You can't put everything that everyone wants into a single release, but they've got a great track record, especially over the last 2-3 years, of making some real power plays with their upgrades. It's all relative to what your needs are in your particular corner of CG, naturally, but it's an upward trend, and one which will continue with 801 ;-)

Softimage and Modo have been two favorite apps to run on my workstation over the last several years, hands down. I see some interesting similarities when I compare the philosophies that drove their respective designs.

If we could get Redshift in Modo.... oh man....

-Tim

--

 

[Octavian Ureche]

I like modo, i really do, but i just can't wrap my head around the idea of a modeling application becoming an allrounder. I think tremendous rnd effort will be required from the dev team to get it even close to where xsi is right now, taking a lot of years in the process. And i'm not sure they have those kinds of resources at their disposal. For that reason, i think sidefx has a better chance of making houdini's workflow (emphasis here on rigging and animation) a lot smoother and appealing to artists, than modo has of getting to that level of consistent complexity. And consistency across the board is key here. Then again, i might be way off with my thinking....

Just my 2 cents,

Peace,

Octav

--

        Octavian Ureche
 +40 732 774 313 (GMT+2)
 Animation & Visual Effects
          www.okto.ro

[Chris Johnson]

After spending a year working in Houdini I'm not sure sideFX can do that "make it more artist friendly". Have you ever tried modelling something in there or even unwrapping it. Feck. For years there has been a push for side FX to make the software more artist friendly...and it just never gets there. Why do I have to put expressions in to do light inclusion/exclusion? I am not a technical person and I found Houdini incredibly aggravating to work with. It has some really nice things going for it and I see the advantages from a technical/FX stand point. But to become a tool I can quickly crank some style frames out of...never happen. I'd go to C4D before using Houdini for that stuff. I'm with Tim....you get Redshift over into Modo...I think that's going somewhere. It would be easier to develop Modo going forward then to backwards engineer Houdini....I think.

[Octavian Ureche]

Chris, you might be right. I worked about a full year in houdini doing things i should have done in xsi, and it was a bloody pain. I tried to model a phone once and that was before the shelf existed. For every surface operation i did, i had to throw down a node in the graph. After 2 days, i just went home and did it all in xsi, in about 3 hours. So i understand where you're coming from.

I am not a fan of houdini's workflow when it comes to stuff i usually did in xsi. I definitely understand its potential for handling complexity, but as a good friend and collaborator of mine was saying today, it is a perverse little piece of software, and i will explain why. He said that its procedural paradigm works so well, that even for an artist like him (and he is the least technical guy i know), it became fascinating to hook things together and just find your way through the logical maze. So he was saying, that in that sense, this kind of workflow has a way of drawing you in and making you forget the big picture at times. I stood near houdini people and watched them completely lose focus on the end result, just hooking shit up just for the sake of finding a "procedural" solution, sometimes a multitude of solutions, almost obsessively, to stuff i was able to do in a quarter of that time in xsi, non procedurally of course. But the client never cared. 

So in that sense, i agree, that it is hard to impossible for houdini to reach that level of abstraction in which it is able to retain its procedural paradigm, but make things flow smoothly on the surface and make the user forget about all the things that happen behind the curtains.

I would also like to add blender to this list, which i've been keeping an eye out for some time, and they have made great strides with the app. 

Though open source tools never feel as polished as their commercial counterparts, but that's a whole other topic.

[Gideon Klindt]

Octavian - a couple of things:

MODO, as a public application, started with a modeling feature set, BUT, the frame work "Nexus" was made well before to be scalable since the idea all along was to create a full featured application.

The reason that they started with modeling from what I can tell, then rendering, was because they needed to A) start somewhere they had expertise in and B) saw a niche that was not being met well by many other applications- namely a very good modeling tool set that would quickly have an intuitive rendering/shading system that was affordable. Otherwise they were going to come out with one large tool, that took 12years to make, that was a "maya wannabe"- and would be understandably panned. Why spend 3K on something that looks like Maya when Maya already works?

Anyone who knows SI history gets how painful it can be to have a superior app bogged down by long dev time get over taken by something inferior because it fills the gap move quickly. AKA Maya vs. XSI during the SI dev gap.

So this was a marketing/biz move as much as a functional one AFAIK- make a product for the niche of designer and viz folks as well as those who want a better modeling solution working in games and film (this is way before graphite etc.) that was intuitive and easy to use. Grow in that market, make a name that way, grow funds for further dev, and then start to reveal additional features based on the Nexus frame work as the user base and needs grew.

The only thing I have to ask of you is to please stop referring to MODO as if it is Silo with some Max like bolting on happening. I'm not defending the software- it has short comings and is not going to replace SI in it's current state esp. if what you love most about SI came after the 7 cycle. It has a lot to love about it, but a fair share of things to be improved (thankfully they are), but it's not some ill conceived, mutant modeler on steroids either. I can see why you would think of it that way though, because from the outside that is what it has represented to many studios.

I see it like how SI is now thought of as ICE. Yes...it's probably one of the top features of SI, but it lead a lot of people (no thanks to AD marketing) to think that's all SI was good for. Those of us using it before the 7 cycle know that much of SI and the general work flow kicked some serious ass before that. SI had short comings, but day do day work flow for the average user was IMHO a joy. Many of those things are harder to market other than by word of mouth. So now SI=ICE which is a shame since years of dev show it's so much more than that.

If all SI is/was is ICE, then I think there would be fewer tears in this list and more people just saying F*it I'm going to use Houdini. 

So yes, to those outside for what ever reason MODO is "that modeling app thingy", but just like SI is more than ICE, MODO is more than modeling, even if that is what many people still find it does best.

They biggest part I'd have to say that MODO and SI share in common is a desire to have the experience of using the software day to day be a good one- the over all work flow, vs. just slamming in features and bolting them on. I'm not saying this is a 1:1 match up, but it feels more so than say comparing Maya to SI, or even Houdini to SI.

[Tim Crowson]

So here's an update from Brad concerning the coupon code for Modo... The intent of the code was for this list as a sympathetic gesture. The code has since been posted on CGSociety. Now that it's out in the wild, Brad is concerned that the original intent of the code is getting lost the further out it travels. As such, he has let us know that he plans to turn off the code in a few hours. Meanwhile, anyone here who decides they are interested can email him directly and he will work with you: br...@luxology.com.

As for upgrades to 801... he says this:

"1. This price does not include maintenance. Mainly because we don't have an official maintenance for modo. MODO users get service packs (bug fixes not new features) for free for the duration of that major release.

2. When we release an upgrade we price protect 30 days back for new purchasers.

3. We do not have an official release date on 801 but I can say it is unlikely that it would be within 30 days.

4. Upgrades usually price at $495 (and we often discount that the first couple weeks) so even buying with the promo code and then paying for an upgrade the price is well below list for a single seat.

As you know, I always try to make right by people. If we release 801 just outside the 30-day back support and someone really really feels like we cheated them they can call me. I'll work it out.
-Brad"

 

[Stefan Kubicek]

Thx for the update Tim, I was already wondering how they'd distinguish between people from this list using the code, and others... :-)

--

-------------------------------------------
Stefan Kubicek
-------------------------------------------
keyvis digital imagery
Alfred Feierfeilstraße 3
A-2380 Perchtoldsdorf bei Wien
Phone: +43/699/12614231
www.keyvis.at ste...@keyvis.at
-- This email and its attachments are --
--confidential and for the recipient only--

[Raffaele Fragapane]

There was never an expiration date or some intended strict rule around it. The hope was it'd have stayed up for a while longer than this to be honest, but within eight hours it had made it to web forums, tweets and all, and if it goes that viral that quick then it completely loses its meaning as a gesture and it just becomes a bandwagon for everybody to get the software cheaper.

Still, if anybody has any interest just download and try the demo for what you feel is a fair amount of time, and if you decide you like it just get in touch with Brad directly and I'd imagine within the month he'll still be able to do something about it if the name comes from this list or XSI in general.

After all the point was never to save a few bucks, it was to make a public display of how some software houses are less corporate and more agile than AD has decided to configure themselves with this massive EOL blunder (less than a month for someone to decide whether to move to another app and timebomb their license or stick to a fully priced corpse of a release? Really?).

It'll be up to Lux/Foundry to decide and show to what extent, within reason, they decide to make a private display of the above to those who get in touch.

I'm Bccing Brad to this e-mail, and I think he's kept an eye on the Google Group posts, just so he knows what's going on.

All in all it made some ripples and the response seems to have been overwhelmingly positive, which was the point of me sticking my neck out in first place, and the code going viral wasn't unexpected, just a lot quicker than I was hoping it would have taken.

[Eugen Sares]

Gideon,

sounds quite ensuring, since I, too, am having an eye on Modo for my 'path to the future'.

Questions:

Does this 'Nexus' framework still allow for procedural modeling? Would it still be possible to establish a construction history?

Would even a Modo version of Fabric Engine Splice be doable? Any plans even? (in case Paul Doyle is reading this...)

Wouldn't that automatically add proceduralism, by tapping then into FE's (upcoming) node graph?

 

Thanks!

Best regards,

Eugen

 

 

------ Originalnachricht ------

Von: "Gideon Klindt" <gideon...@gmail.com>

An: "soft...@listproc.autodesk.com" <soft...@listproc.autodesk.com>

Gesendet: 05.03.2014 20:35:40

Betreff: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list

 

Octavian - a couple of things:

MODO, as a public application, started with a modeling feature set, BUT, the frame work "Nexus" was made well before to be scalable since the idea all along was to create a full featured application.

The reason that they started with modeling from what I can tell, then rendering, was because they needed to A) start somewhere they had expertise in and B) saw a niche that was not being met well by many other applications- namely a very good modeling tool set that would quickly have an intuitive rendering/shading system that was affordable. Otherwise they were going to come out with one large tool, that took 12years to make, that was a "maya wannabe"- and would be understandably panned. Why spend 3K on something that looks like Maya when Maya already works?

Anyone who knows SI history gets how painful it can be to have a superior app bogged down by long dev time get over taken by something inferior because it fills the gap move quickly. AKA Maya vs. XSI during the SI dev gap.

So this was a marketing/biz move as much as a functional one AFAIK- make a product for the niche of designer and viz folks as well as those who want a better modeling solution working in games and film (this is way before graphite etc.) that was intuitive and easy to use. Grow in that market, make a name that way, grow funds for further dev, and then start to reveal additional features based on the Nexus frame work as the user base and needs grew.

The only thing I have to ask of you is to please stop referring to MODO as if it is Silo with some Max like bolting on happening. I'm not defending the software- it has short comings and is not going to replace SI in it's current state esp. if what you love most about SI came after the 7 cycle. It has a lot to love about it, but a fair share of things to be improved (thankfully they are), but it's not some ill conceived, mutant modeler on steroids either. I can see why you would think of it that way though, because from the outside that is what it has represented to many studios.

I see it like how SI is now thought of as ICE. Yes...it's probably one of the top features of SI, but it lead a lot of people (no thanks to AD marketing) to think that's all SI was good for. Those of us using it before the 7 cycle know that much of SI and the general work flow kicked some serious ass before that. SI had short comings, but day do day work flow for the average user was IMHO a joy. Many of those things are harder to market other than by word of mouth. So now SI=ICE which is a shame since years of dev show it's so much more than that.

If all SI is/was is ICE, then I think there would be fewer tears in this list and more people just saying F*it I'm going to use Houdini. 

So yes, to those outside for what ever reason MODO is "that modeling app thingy", but just like SI is more than ICE, MODO is more than modeling, even if that is what many people still find it does best.

They biggest part I'd have to say that MODO and SI share in common is a desire to have the experience of using the software day to day be a good one- the over all work flow, vs. just slamming in features and bolting them on. I'm not saying this is a 1:1 match up, but it feels more so than say comparing Maya to SI, or even Houdini to SI.

 

---

Diese E-Mail ist frei von Viren und Malware, denn der avast! Antivirus Schutz ist aktiv.

[Sam Bowling]

Brad Peebler is a good guy and that’s a very generous offer they have, but I just don’t feel that Modo is a professional quality product. It’s got a lot of improvements over Lightwave, but again, it has all the same weaknesses and they have made all the same mistakes they made when they developed lightwave. It’s still a modeling tool that has had animation tacked on, they did it better this time than with lightwave and it’s all one program, but I’m just not impressed with how it all came together. I still feel the interface is as complete mess, which was one of the biggest problems with Lightwave. Even at 50% off, I just don’t feel Modo would be worth the price. Softimage has spoiled me with its interface and workflow and it is going to be very difficult for me to find something to replace it with.

 

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Raffaele Fragapane
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 7:51 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list

 

Personally I find the offer monetary value itself barely relevant.

Let me explain: It's more the fact a person as highly positioned as him keeps in touch with people who have hardly anything to do with his products and is wiling to jump a whole chain of decision makers and bureaucracy to make something happen in a few hours that matters to me.

 

If it saves you a few hundred bucks that's a bonus for sure :)

 

BTW apparently it's the community store or something like that that should be used at:

http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/store/modo/

Some other store locations might not accept coupons.

 

On Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 2:45 PM, nick name <creator...@gmail.com> wrote:

You'd never see such a gesture from Adsk. On the other hand I think it's a bit too early for this offer for most Softimage users to make a jump in one direction or another. Not saying that there won't be a few that will want to score this opportunity, so... yeah, it's a lot better than nothing.

 

[Tim Crowson]

More contact from Brad off-list.... He says the following...

I've been thinking about how this all went down and I'm feeling a bit sad about it. I have a new idea. People should not feel like they have to rush to make a move. They don't! Soft is still awesome and will be for years to come. Rather than offering another promo code what I would like to do is offer an extended trial of MODO for anyone who wants it. They can contact me directly and I'll get them setup with a 60 day license. My offer still stands that anyone who talks to me directly will also find that I am a man of my word (with regard to the code). Wink wink. I can't publicly extend that offer but I will stand by it for anyone on that list.

I would also be willing to set up an invitation only webinar for the list so we can talk openly under a "gentlemens NDA". I'd love to clear up some of the confusion about MODO being built as a modeler only and share some short, mid and long term goals for the product. Finally, I'm getting quite a bit of email this week so if someone doesn't hear from me straight away please feel free to send your email again. I won't be offended to get spammed. :)


If you guys are interested in taking him up in his webinar idea, please voice it! I'm pretty sure he can read these messages on the Google group, but if not I'm happy to convey your corporate response.

-Tim

[Chris Johnson]

I'm in for the Webinar. and what is the contact information again to e-mail him directly?

[Oscar Juarez]

Yes of course, I'm also up for the webinar!

[Paul Griswold]

I'd love to sit in on a webinar.  Modo scares me a little bit in that they still seem to have the LW mentality there.

-Paul

ᐧ

[Stefan Kubicek]

+1!

> Yes of course, I'm also up for the webinar!
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 6:04 PM, Chris Johnson <chr...@topixfx.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm in for the Webinar. and what is the contact information again to
>> e-mail him directly?
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 11:50 AM, Tim Crowson <
>> tim.c...@magneticdreams.com> wrote:
>>
>>> More contact from Brad off-list.... He says the following...
>>>

>>> *I've been thinking about how this all went down and I'm feeling a bit

>>> sad about it. I have a new idea. People should not feel like they have to
>>> rush to make a move. They don't! Soft is still awesome and will be for
>>> years to come. Rather than offering another promo code what I would like to
>>> do is offer an extended trial of MODO for anyone who wants it. They can
>>> contact me directly and I'll get them setup with a 60 day license. My offer
>>> still stands that anyone who talks to me directly will also find that I am
>>> a man of my word (with regard to the code). Wink wink. I can't publicly

>>> extend that offer but I will stand by it for anyone on that list.*
>>>
>>> *I would also be willing to set up an invitation only webinar for the

>>> list so we can talk openly under a "gentlemens NDA". I'd love to clear up
>>> some of the confusion about MODO being built as a modeler only and share
>>> some short, mid and long term goals for the product. Finally, I'm getting
>>> quite a bit of email this week so if someone doesn't hear from me straight
>>> away please feel free to send your email again. I won't be offended to get

>>> spammed. :)*

>>>
>>>
>>> If you guys are interested in taking him up in his webinar idea, please
>>> voice it! I'm pretty sure he can read these messages on the Google group,
>>> but if not I'm happy to convey your corporate response.
>>>
>>> -Tim
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>

--
---------------------------------------------
Stefan Kubicek ste...@keyvis.at
---------------------------------------------

keyvis digital imagery
Alfred Feierfeilstraße 3
A-2380 Perchtoldsdorf bei Wien

Phone: +43 (0) 699 12614231
www.keyvis.at

[Peter Agg]

A webinar would be interesting, though trying to sync across time-zones would be a challenge. I've been looking at modo a little bit over the past few days and am starting to build a little list of positives and negatives: it'd certainly be interesting to know whether areas that concern me are areas that concern them as well...

[Sebastien Sterling]

Lightwave mentality Paul ?

On 6 March 2014 17:07, Paul Griswold <pgri...@fusiondigitalproductions.com> wrote:

[Tim Crowson]

br...@luxology.com

--

 

Tim Crowson
Lead CG Artist

Magnetic Dreams, Inc.
2525 Lebanon Pike, Bldg C, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37214
Ph  615.885.6801 | Fax  615.889.4768 | www.magneticdreams.com
tim.c...@magneticdreams.com

Confidentiality Notice: This email, including attachments, is confidential and should not be used by anyone who is not the original intended recipient(s). If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your mailbox or any other storage mechanism. Magnetic Dreams, Inc cannot accept liability for any statements made which are clearly the sender's own and not expressly made on behalf of Magnetic Dreams, Inc or one of its agents.

 

[Paul Griswold]

Well Modo is essentially Lightwave Part 2, since it came from the original programmers of Lightwave and at one point was supposed to replace Lightwave.  I feel like they tend to want to build specific tools to fill specific needs instead of opening things up the way ICE does. 

ᐧ

[Peter Agg]

The latest nodal stuff they've added in is certainly a step in the right direction - as I say I haven't been able to tinker as much as I'd like but at the least the nodes I can see give access to lower-level maths functionality, which is a good sign (albeit non-polymorphic though :( ).

[Daniel Sweeney]

I am definitely in for a webinar and would be cool to get a honest chat about a rough roadmap by some one who truly seems a genuine guy.

I am interested I what Modo and the foundry seem to stand for. lets set this up! good work Raff and Tim!

Daniel Sweeney
3D Creative Director

Mobile: +44 (0)7743429771
Email: Dan...@northforge.co.uk
Web: http://northforge.co.uk

[Tim Crowson]

Mmm.... Paul I think you're getting close to the genetic fallacy with that. Also I'm not sure Modo was ever intended to replace Lightwave. Maybe, just not sure...?

I think your point about opening things up the way ICE does is an important distinction to make though. ICE is a platform, not just series of tools to meet specific needs. As such, it shares a room with very few systems (Houdini, Maya internally as I understand...). But the vast majority of 3D applications out there, including Softimage (minus ICE), are built to address specific, known production needs. I don't think it's fair to criticize the choice to design an application this way, simply because such a design choice indicates that the developer is trying to meet artists' known needs. Certainly there's absolutely no denying the power and flexibility of a platform like ICE/Houdini, which essentially opens up a layer between the raw API and the immediate toolset exposed to the user, allowing them to create new tools via node-based programming. But if that's all we had, I doubt many of us could get our work done on time. Most of us still need traditional, focused toolsets as well.

As for Modo, people are going to have to take the responsibility of doing their own due diligence in evaluating it. There's no definite answer to 'can it replace Softimage?' That's silly. It just depends on what your needs are, like everything else. In its current state and because of our pipeline here at Magnetic, I use Modo primarily as a swiss army knife. Just yesterday I was able to load in an illustrator file with complicated curves into Modo, set them to be renderable, then bake that geometry cache into something I could export (rims all around these intricate designs on a stained glass window). Could not have done that nearly as easily otherwise, not by a mile. Took me 30s in Modo.  Stuff like that is a stress relief for me!

Anyway, I would LOVE to see a truly procedural platform like ICE come to Modo. Who wouldn't?

-Tim

--

 

[Nic Sievers]

Love the direction Foundry has been going the last couple years.  Nuke and Mari are top notch.  Getting Modo was a great idea and the integration with those previous packages is the way to go.    Brad stopped by ILM the other day and did a demo, seems like a cool guy.  Looking forward to seeing more from Modo.  

[Paul Griswold]

Oh don't get me started on the history of Modo - it'll totally derail things.  

I'm an old-time Lightwave beta tester from the early-mid 1990's.  Brad Peebler was my contact at NewTek back in those days.  There's a whole drama around how Modo came about.

ᐧ

[Tim Crowson]

Yes there is. Not much of a secret anymore....  :-)

-Tim

--

[Eugen Sares]

In for that webinar, too...

 

 

------ Originalnachricht ------

Von: "Tim Crowson" <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com>

An: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com

Gesendet: 06.03.2014 19:01:30

Betreff: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list - A new word from Brad Peebler

 

Yes there is. Not much of a secret anymore....  :-)

-Tim

On 3/6/2014 11:55 AM, Paul Griswold wrote:

Oh don't get me started on the history of Modo - it'll totally derail things.  

I'm an old-time Lightwave beta tester from the early-mid 1990's.  Brad Peebler was my contact at NewTek back in those days.  There's a whole drama around how Modo came about.

ᐧ

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Tim Crowson <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com> wrote:

Mmm.... Paul I think you're getting close to the genetic fallacy with that. Also I'm not sure Modo was ever intended to replace Lightwave. Maybe, just not sure...?

I think your point about opening things up the way ICE does is an important distinction to make though. ICE is a platform, not just series of tools to meet specific needs. As such, it shares a room with very few systems (Houdini, Maya internally as I understand...). But the vast majority of 3D applications out there, including Softimage (minus ICE), are built to address specific, known production needs. I don't think it's fair to criticize the choice to design an application this way, simply because such a design choice indicates that the developer is trying to meet artists' known needs. Certainly there's absolutely no denying the power and flexibility of a platform like ICE/Houdini, which essentially opens up a layer between the raw API and the immediate toolset exposed to the user, allowing them to create new tools via node-based programming. But if that's all we had, I doubt many of us could get our work done on time. Most of us still need traditional, focused toolsets as well.

As for Modo, people are going to have to take the responsibility of doing their own due diligence in evaluating it. There's no definite answer to 'can it replace Softimage?' That's silly. It just depends on what your needs are, like everything else. In its current state and because of our pipeline here at Magnetic, I use Modo primarily as a swiss army knife. Just yesterday I was able to load in an illustrator file with complicated curves into Modo, set them to be renderable, then bake that geometry cache into something I could export (rims all around these intricate designs on a stained glass window). Could not have done that nearly as easily otherwise, not by a mile. Took me 30s in Modo.  Stuff like that is a stress relief for me!

Anyway, I would LOVE to see a truly procedural platform like ICE come to Modo.. Who wouldn't?

-Tim

On 3/6/2014 11:25 AM, Paul Griswold wrote:

Well Modo is essentially Lightwave Part 2, since it came from the original programmers of Lightwave and at one point was supposed to replace Lightwave.  I feel like they tend to want to build specific tools to fill specific needs instead of opening things up the way ICE does. 

ᐧ

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:13 PM, Sebastien Sterling <sebastien...@gmail.com> wrote:

Lightwave mentality Paul ?

On 6 March 2014 17:07, Paul Griswold <pgri...@fusiondigitalproductions.com> wrote:

I'd love to sit in on a webinar.  Modo scares me a little bit in that they still seem to have the LW mentality there.

-Paul

ᐧ

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:04 PM, Chris Johnson <chr...@topixfx.com> wrote:

I'm in for the Webinar. and what is the contact information again to e-mail him directly?

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 11:50 AM, Tim Crowson <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com> wrote:

More contact from Brad off-list..... He says the following...

I've been thinking about how this all went down and I'm feeling a bit sad about it. I have a new idea. People should not feel like they have to rush to make a move. They don't! Soft is still awesome and will be for years to come. Rather than offering another promo code what I would like to do is offer an extended trial of MODO for anyone who wants it. They can contact me directly and I'll get them setup with a 60 day license. My offer still stands that anyone who talks to me directly will also find that I am a man of my word (with regard to the code). Wink wink. I can't publicly extend that offer but I will stand by it for anyone on that list.

I would also be willing to set up an invitation only webinar for the list so we can talk openly under a "gentlemens NDA". I'd love to clear up some of the confusion about MODO being built as a modeler only and share some short, mid and long term goals for the product. Finally, I'm getting quite a bit of email this week so if someone doesn't hear from me straight away please feel free to send your email again. I won't be offended to get spammed. :)


If you guys are interested in taking him up in his webinar idea, please voice it! I'm pretty sure he can read these messages on the Google group, but if not I'm happy to convey your corporate response.

-Tim

--

 

--

[Jordi Bares]

Lets do it!

Jordi Bares

jordi...@gmail.com

[Michael Clarke]

Count me in for the webinar.

Very interested to see what could become of the package if it has some customer-focused dedication behind it.  

I suspect my strategy at this point shared by a number of other users. I'll continue to use SI and take the Maya path for the moment. The real decision will be whether to continue with maintenance or to continue to use SI (an probably Maya) without a viable upgrade path. Either way, i am going to be looking for a package to fill in some gaps and MODO looks like a reasonably priced quality alternative with a future. If in two years it looks like it could one day be a truly complete app comparable to AD's offerings, then the decision to cut ties with AD becomes less difficult. Up until that point — and as some have pointed out already, several years beyond, — SI will remain a functional tool capable of handling most of my needs. 

MODO can at minimum be something of a stopgap to hedge the risks. It looks like fairly low cost way of providing a buffer to the current dilemma.  It's value as a supplemental tool is worth looking into, whether or not it ever becomes a primary production tool. The whole relationship with The Foundry feels good at this point.

One more thing. AD had some great people working there, and most of the folks who interacted with customers were extremely dedicated and helpful. What I always sensed from them, however, was a disconnect between the support and development teams, and the decision makers within the company. That's something smaller companies like LUX/Foundry can handle differently. 

I'm not looking for MODO to become my primary tool. 

On Mar 6, 2014, at 12:09 PM, Eugen Sares <sof...@mail.sprit.org> wrote:

In for that webinar, too...

 

 

------ Originalnachricht ------

Von: "Tim Crowson" <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com>

An: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com

Gesendet: 06.03.2014 19:01:30

Betreff: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list - A new word from Brad Peebler

 

Yes there is. Not much of a secret anymore....  :-)

-Tim

On 3/6/2014 11:55 AM, Paul Griswold wrote:

Oh don't get me started on the history of Modo - it'll totally derail things.  

I'm an old-time Lightwave beta tester from the early-mid 1990's.  Brad Peebler was my contact at NewTek back in those days.  There's a whole drama around how Modo came about.

ᐧ

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Tim Crowson <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com> wrote:

Mmm.... Paul I think you're getting close to the genetic fallacy with that. Also I'm not sure Modo was ever intended to replace Lightwave. Maybe, just not sure...?

I think your point about opening things up the way ICE does is an important distinction to make though. ICE is a platform, not just series of tools to meet specific needs. As such, it shares a room with very few systems (Houdini, Maya internally as I understand...). But the vast majority of 3D applications out there, including Softimage (minus ICE), are built to address specific, known production needs. I don't think it's fair to criticize the choice to design an application this way, simply because such a design choice indicates that the developer is trying to meet artists' known needs. Certainly there's absolutely no denying the power and flexibility of a platform like ICE/Houdini, which essentially opens up a layer between the raw API and the immediate toolset exposed to the user, allowing them to create new tools via node-based programming. But if that'sall we had, I doubt many of us could get our work done on time. Most of us still need traditional, focused toolsets as well.

-- 

Michael Clarke Design

Blue C Studios

713-927-9835

[Maurício PC]

I'm also in for the webinar. Brads webinar are always fun and he can convey and express himself really well. Looking forward to it.

[Sebastien Sterling]

Webinar sounds cool would love to hear where things are going

[Nic Sievers]

Count me in as well

[David Rivera]

Yes, please I´m into the webinar. I recently saw this:
https://vimeo.com/76876920 and I´m picturing myself adding more "modo mentality" asap :)
Thanks.
David R.

[Paul Griswold]

Wow!  I guess I haven't kept up with Modo at all.  

It does look pretty appealing.

—
Sent from Mailbox for iPad

[Ognjen Vukovic]

+1

[Christoph Muetze]

a Modo webinar? Count me in!

Chris

On 06/03/14 22:46, David Rivera wrote:
> Yes, please I´m into the webinar. I recently saw this:
> https://vimeo.com/76876920 and I´m picturing myself adding more "modo
> mentality" asap :)
> Thanks.
> David R.
>
>
>
> On Thursday, March 6, 2014 2:01 PM, Nic Sievers <sie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Count me in as well
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 10:59 AM, Sebastien Sterling

> <sebastien...@gmail.com <mailto:sebastien...@gmail.com>>

> wrote:
>
> Webinar sounds cool would love to hear where things are going
>
>
> On 6 March 2014 18:54, Maurício PC <gone...@gmail.com

> <sof...@mail.sprit.org <mailto:sof...@mail.sprit.org>> wrote:
>
>> In for that webinar, too...
>> ------ Originalnachricht ------
>> Von: "Tim Crowson" <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com

>> <mailto:tim.c...@magneticdreams.com>>
>> An:soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
>> <mailto:soft...@listproc.autodesk.com>

>> Gesendet: 06.03.2014 19:01:30
>> Betreff: Re: Luxology Modo 50% off for this mailing list
>> - A new word from Brad Peebler
>>> Yes there is. Not much of a secret anymore.... :-)
>>>
>>> -Tim
>>>
>>>
>>> On 3/6/2014 11:55 AM, Paul Griswold wrote:
>>>> Oh don't get me started on the history of Modo - it'll
>>>> totally derail things.
>>>>
>>>> I'm an old-time Lightwave beta tester from the
>>>> early-mid 1990's. Brad Peebler was my contact at
>>>> NewTek back in those days. There's a whole drama
>>>> around how Modo came about.

>>>> ᐧ
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Tim
>>>> Crowson<tim.c...@magneticdreams.com

>>>> <mailto:tim.c...@magneticdreams.com>>wrote:

>>>>
>>>> Mmm.... Paul I think you're getting close to
>>>> thegenetic fallacy

>>>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_fallacy>with

>>>> that. Also I'm not sure Modo was ever intended to
>>>> replace Lightwave. Maybe, just not sure...?
>>>>
>>>> I think your point about opening things up the way
>>>> ICE does is an important distinction to make
>>>> though. ICE is a platform, not just series of tools
>>>> to meet specific needs. As such, it shares a room
>>>> with very few systems (Houdini, Maya internally as
>>>> I understand...). But the vast majority of 3D
>>>> applications out there, including Softimage (minus
>>>> ICE), are built to address specific, known
>>>> production needs. I don't think it's fair to
>>>> criticize the choice to design an application this
>>>> way, simply because such a design choice indicates
>>>> that the developer is trying to meet artists' known
>>>> needs. Certainly there's absolutely no denying the
>>>> power and flexibility of a platform like
>>>> ICE/Houdini, which essentially opens up a layer
>>>> between the raw API and the immediate toolset
>>>> exposed to the user, allowing them to create new
>>>> tools via node-based programming. But if

>>>> that's/all/we had, I doubt many of us could get our

>>>> work done on time. Most of us still need
>>>> traditional, focused toolsets as well.
>>>>
>>>>

>>>> /As for Modo, people are going to have to take the

>>>> responsibility of doing their own due diligence in

>>>> evaluating it/. There's no definite answer to 'can

>>>> it replace Softimage?' That's silly. It just
>>>> depends on what your needs are, like everything
>>>> else. In its current state and because of our
>>>> pipeline here at Magnetic, I use Modo primarily as
>>>> a swiss army knife. Just yesterday I was able to
>>>> load in an illustrator file with complicated curves
>>>> into Modo, set them to be renderable, then bake
>>>> that geometry cache into something I could export
>>>> (rims all around these intricate designs on a
>>>> stained glass window). Could not have done that
>>>> nearly as easily otherwise, not by a mile. Took me
>>>> 30s in Modo. Stuff like that is a stress relief
>>>> for me!
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, I would LOVE to see a truly procedural
>>>> platform like ICE come to Modo.. Who wouldn't?
>>>>
>>>> -Tim
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 3/6/2014 11:25 AM, Paul Griswold wrote:
>>>>> Well Modo is essentially Lightwave Part 2, since
>>>>> it came from the original programmers of Lightwave
>>>>> and at one point was supposed to replace
>>>>> Lightwave. I feel like they tend to want to build
>>>>> specific tools to fill specific needs instead of
>>>>> opening things up the way ICE does.

>>>>> ᐧ
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:13 PM, Sebastien
>>>>> Sterling<sebastien...@gmail.com

>>>>> <mailto:sebastien...@gmail.com>>wrote:

>>>>>
>>>>> Lightwave mentality Paul ?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 6 March 2014 17:07, Paul

>>>>> Griswold<pgri...@fusiondigitalproductions.com <mailto:pgri...@fusiondigitalproductions.com>>wrote:

>>>>>
>>>>> I'd love to sit in on a webinar. Modo
>>>>> scares me a little bit in that they still
>>>>> seem to have the LW mentality there.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Paul
>>>>>

>>>>> ᐧ
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 12:04 PM, Chris
>>>>> Johnson<chr...@topixfx.com

>>>>> <mailto:chr...@topixfx.com>>wrote:

>>>>>
>>>>> I'm in for the Webinar. and what is
>>>>> the contact information again to
>>>>> e-mail him directly?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 11:50 AM, Tim
>>>>> Crowson<tim.c...@magneticdreams.com

>>>>> <mailto:tim.c...@magneticdreams.com>>wrote:

>>>>>
>>>>> More contact from Brad
>>>>> off-list..... He says the following...
>>>>>

>>>>> /I've been thinking about how this

>>>>> all went down and I'm feeling a
>>>>> bit sad about it. I have a new
>>>>> idea. People should not feel like
>>>>> they have to rush to make a move.
>>>>> They don't! Soft is still awesome
>>>>> and will be for years to come.
>>>>> Rather than offering another promo
>>>>> code what I would like to do is
>>>>> offer an extended trial of MODO
>>>>> for anyone who wants it. They can
>>>>> contact me directly and I'll get
>>>>> them setup with a 60 day license.
>>>>> My offer still stands that anyone
>>>>> who talks to me directly will also
>>>>> find that I am a man of my word
>>>>> (with regard to the code). Wink
>>>>> wink. I can't publicly extend that
>>>>> offer but I will stand by it for

>>>>> anyone on that list.//
>>>>> //
>>>>> /
>>>>> /I would also be willing to set up

>>>>> an invitation only webinar for the
>>>>> list so we can talk openly under a
>>>>> "gentlemens NDA". I'd love to
>>>>> clear up some of the confusion
>>>>> about MODO being built as a
>>>>> modeler only and share some short,
>>>>> mid and long term goals for the
>>>>> product. Finally, I'm getting
>>>>> quite a bit of email this week so
>>>>> if someone doesn't hear from me
>>>>> straight away please feel free to
>>>>> send your email again. I won't be

>>>>> offended to get spammed. :)/

>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> If you guys are interested in
>>>>> taking him up in his webinar idea,
>>>>> please voice it! I'm pretty sure
>>>>> he can read these messages on the
>>>>> Google group, but if not I'm happy
>>>>> to convey your corporate response.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Tim
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>
>>

>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> <http://www.avast.com/>

>> Diese E-Mail ist frei von Viren und Malware, denn

>> deravast! Antivirus <http://www.avast.com/>Schutz ist aktiv.

>>
>>
>>
>
>
> Michael Clarke Design
> Blue C Studios
> 713-927-9835
>
>
>
>
> --

> gonebadfx.com <http://gonebadfx.com/>

[Votch]

I'll take a slice of that webinar.  Might bring a few people online with me. :)

[Petr Zloty]

I'm interested in that webinar and Modo also.

[Sebastien Sterling]

i'm in

[Maurício PC]

Proton is amazing. I remember him from LightWave time. Great guy.

As for the 50% ... still waiting for Brad to answer the e-mail. I missed the coupon time (damnit). But I guess his inbox must be impossible to filter lately.

--

gonebadfx.com

[Dan Pejril]

I too am very interested in the webinar.

I have been hearing only good things about Brad and Modo. Looking forward to checking it out.

-- 
Dan Pejril
Upbeat Unique Entertainment
www.UpbeatUnique.com

[Rares Halmagean]

I'll give a go!

--
Rares Halmagean
___________________________________
visual development and 3d character & content creation.
rarebrush.com

[Greg Punchatz]

I  have been eying Modo for some time... I would love to see what Brad is cooking up...

[Svetoslav Savov]

Count me in for the Webinar

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 11:50 AM, Tim Crowson <tim.c...@magneticdreams.com> wrote:

More contact from Brad off-list.... He says the following...

I've been thinking about how this all went down and I'm feeling a bit sad about it. I have a new idea. People should not feel like they have to rush to make a move. They don't! Soft is still awesome and will be for years to come. Rather than offering another promo code what I would like to do is offer an extended trial of MODO for anyone who wants it. They can contact me directly and I'll get them setup with a 60 day license. My offer still stands that anyone who talks to me directly will also find that I am a man of my word (with regard to the code). Wink wink. I can't publicly extend that offer but I will stand by it for anyone on that list.

I would also be willing to set up an invitation only webinar for the list so we can talk openly under a "gentlemens NDA". I'd love to clear up some of the confusion about MODO being built as a modeler only and share some short, mid and long term goals for the product. Finally, I'm getting quite a bit of email this week so if someone doesn't hear from me straight away please feel free to send your email again. I won't be offended to get spammed. :)

[Jason S]

Hi guys, can you take-up Tim's offer saying that he'd forward to Brad
your webinar participation request?
so that it wouldn't look so much like a mass migration, or somewhat
overwhelming an understandably slightly more silent list?
That's what I'm going to do myself also being curious :)

On 03/04/14 22:30, Tim Crowson wrote:

I'm pretty sure he can read these messages on the Google group, but if

not, I'm happy to convey your corporate response.

[michael johansson]

Count me in as well

--
Michael Johansson
Artist/Senior Lecturer/Researcher
Kristianstad University
Digital Design
29188 Kristianstad
Email michael....@hkr.se

Infobloom
Grönegatan 4a
222 24 Lund
Email: mic...@lowend.se

www.lowend.se
www.abadyl.com

[Greg Maguire]

+1 on webinar

--

Greg Maguire | Inlifesize
Mobile: +44 7512 361462 | Phone: +44 2890 204739
gr...@inlifesize.com | www.inlifesize.com

[Chris Marshall]

I wouldn't mind knowing more

--

Chris Marshall

Mint Motion Limited

029 20 37 27 57

07730 533 115

www.mintmotion.co.uk

[Mikael Pettersén]

I'm also interested in the webinar.

[Alan Fregtman]

Me too. I'm curious what else Modo can do well besides modeling.

[Bill Hinkson]

I'm interested in the webinar as well.

--
bill hinkson
animator & designer
http://billhinksondesign.com

[Jon Swindells]

me too please

 

:)

--

Jon Swindells

jon_sw...@fastmail.fm

 

[Robert Kjettrup]

only been a lurker on this list, but a relative long time Softimage user (since XSI v4), and considering my next options so count me in an webinar too

Robert

[Kevin mc bride]

Would love a webinar as well. Count me in if its going ahead.

[Francisco Criado]

+1

[Dave Thomlison]

Webinar sounds great.  +1

--
Dave Thomlison

[Michael Clarke]

Don't know if anyone has seen this, but for anyone wanting to incorporate Mari into their workflow, the Foundry offers a nice bundle.

http://blog.motionmedia.com/upgrade-foundry-creation-collective/

This apparently works if you don't mind being on annual maintenance (around $550). 

I'm not yet sold on MODO (open to considering it), but the numbers look interesting. If you were to buy MODO alone for half price and upgrade within the year to 801, you would have invested around $1100 - $1250, depending on the upgrade offer. This bundle would allow you to take your half-price MODO and upgrade to the bundle for an additional $1240 (total investment around $2000) which would give you free updates to 801 when it releases. Again it involves a maintenance plan, but the cost is fairly reasonable. Their maintenance is just a few bucks more than upgrading MODO alone. 

Just pointing out the deal. It may or may not work for anyone here in particular, but it looked interesting (assuming MODO looks like a good path).