Foundry has released Modo 17.0

Modo 17.0 is the first software update in over a year, following Foundry's announcement of a significant change in development strategy in early 2023. Foundry claims that this update "lays the foundation" for future releases, introducing "deep architectural changes."

In Foundry's marketing materials for Modo 17.0, performance takes precedence, followed by new features. Key changes include the introduction of a new system called View Objects (VOs), which enables multithreading for viewport OpenGL rendering. Buffers for rendering are generated in background threads and then provided to OpenGL rendering when ready. This change aims to enhance viewport interactivity, particularly during animation playback or complex rig evaluation. The launch video demonstrates frame rate increases of 3-7 times. In Modo 17.0, the program can currently utilize two threads simultaneously, with future updates expected to allow for the use of multiple background threads.

In addition, Modo's modeling tools have been rewritten to follow a faster "incremental code path" for operations that do not create geometry, such as vertex position manipulation. Currently, changes affect 10 modeling tools and MeshOps, including Polygon Extrude, edge tools, Clone Effector, and UV Unwrap.
According to the release video, speed gains can reach "up to 30 times for individual tools," although most examples in the video demonstrate speed increases of around 3-10 times.

For Mac users, Modo 17.0 also includes a new Apple Silicon build, providing "up to 50% speed increase" on modern Macs with M1, M2, and M3 ARM-based processors. Modo is one of the last major DCC applications to receive native Apple Silicon support, and its development seems to have been somewhat challenging. Some features are unavailable in the new version "due to third-party technology incompatibility with Mac ARM," including IKinema full-body IK and AxF material libraries. Users needing affected features, including the Pose Tool and animation retargeting, are advised to use the old Intel build, which runs on modern Macs via Rosetta emulation. Intel builds are also required for plugins without ARM support.

Foundry will update its own NPR suite to support ARM processors during the Modo 17 series release, and is "exploring solutions" for key CAD import/export tools from third-party vendors, such as Power Translators and Power SubD-NURBS plugins from nPower Software.

Another key change announced by Foundry last year was the discontinuation of mPath rendering in Modo in favor of a new API for easier integration with external renders. Modo 17.0 now comes with a Prime version of the OctaneRender integration plugin, allowing free GPU rendering on a single GPU in Windows and Linux, in addition to the existing trial version of Otoy for macOS. A paid Studio+ subscription is required for network rendering and rendering on multiple GPUs.
Modo is the latest DCC application to ship with OctaneRender Prime, after LightWave Digital included its own Octane integration in LightWave 2023 last year.

Updates to existing features include improvements to the Advanced Viewport display mode. Users can now toggle textures in the viewport without using the shader tree, and environment lighting has been separated from scene lighting. Changes to modeling tools include support for bevels in the new PolyHaul tool, support for clones and rounded corners in Primitive Slice, as well as partial circles in Radial Align. The Mesh Cleanup system has received a new Fix Gaps option for meshes with coincident vertices.

Modo 17.0 is available for 64-bit versions of Windows 10 and above, Rocky Linux 9, and macOS 12.0 and above. Foundry ceased selling new perpetual Modo licenses in 2021, although maintenance contracts are still available for users with existing perpetual licenses. An individual subscription now costs $89 per month or $719 per year. The cost of studio subscriptions is determined upon request.