About This Software

MODO indie packs powerful, industry-leading 3D modeling, sculpting, and animation tools into an affordable package that's perfect for developers and freelance game artists.

The fastest, most advanced polygonal and subdivision surface 3D modeler anywhere, MODO indie delivers amazing creative flexibility for crafting detailed 3D game content -- free of individual commercial restrictions and without breaking your budget. Whether you're creating vivid character models, stunning level designs, fully-fledged cut scenes, or more, MODO indie has everything you need to take your game assets to the next level!

Speed. Scope. Flexibility. Power. Community. MODO indie delivers.

MODO indie's flexible modeling tools are ideal for precision modeling of hard surface objects and environment structures, and for freeform organic sculpting of virtually any shape. The integrated multi-res sculpting and animations tools work alongside traditional modeling and UV toolsets to offer a superior experience for game artists. The combination of modeling, sculpting, animation, rendering, and UV tools in a single application delivers a uniquely powerful content creation toolset.

What devs are saying about MODO

"MODO is perfect for indie developers in so many ways. Aside from the fact it’s super intuitive, I've not known a package where you get so much bang for the buck. Not only can you use it for in-game assets, but you can do all your promotional and high end art in the same package." - Steve Wilding, Mad Atom Studios. (Monkey Slam)

"MODO is just a life saver, I came from a 3ds Max/Maya background and I always felt like I was fighting to get anything done. From the start, MODO has always felt comfortable and made sense to me as a user." - James Guard, Epsilon Studios (Farrah Rogue: Zero Hour)

"MODO is pretty much the center of our art pipeline... It’s definitely my favorite tool. I have used MODO for many years, but I am still discovering new possibilities and tricks every week. For a modeler I think it’s one of the most powerful tools there is." - Tor Frick, MachineGames (Wolfenstein: The New Order)

Features and Benefits

MODO indie Includes Features For:

• Powerful 3D modeling that’s intuitive and fun
  
• Dynamic sculpting tools for expert tinkering
  
• Powerful animation and rigging tools to bring your 3D models to life
  
• UV Editing tools make texturing objects in 3D a breeze
  
• Texture baking lets you package everything quickly for export
  
• Materials setup and painting gives you great artistic flexibility
  
• High performance rendering
  
• Easy export OBJ and FBX output to game engines

Key Features and Workflows Explained

Modeling:
MODO indie contains the industry-leading modeling toolset found in MODO 801. Leverage professional quality tools and streamlined modeling methods to produce the best 3D models out there. Easily create 3D-based details with instancing and bake to textures that standout from the rest.

Sculpting:
Spend less time sending models back and forth between applications, as MODO indie also contains powerful sculpting tools. Do you already have models created in another app? Don't worry, we have that covered too! MODO indie is better at high resolution data exchange with other sculpting apps than most applications out there. Exchange models with almost 1 to 1 accuracy using vector displacement maps and convert to multiresolution.

Painting:
Paint on a 2D plane or directly on the surface of your 3D model. From connecting to texturing, MODO indie’s robust painting tools can be leveraged to improve the speed and quality of almost every stage of the workflow.

UV's:
UV's were never fun until now. MODO indie comes complete with UV tools that allow for both accuracy and precision. Create that perfect, low-distortion UV map for when painting textures in 2D. Or create an efficient and compact UV map to capture extra detail for 3D painting and baking workflows. It's all about flexibility with MODO indie and, more importantly, keeping technical tasks fun!

Topology:
Too many polygons, no attention paid to surface topology? This and other things can lead to odd, unrealistic animations in your games. The solution is to “retopologize” the model. MODO is known as the retopology tool of choice for professional game developers, and again MODO indie also includes all of these powerful features.

Shading:
Use MODO indie’s's shader tree to develop high quality materials and aid in the creation of in-game textures. Full GI, ray-traced reflections and render outputs let you take your textures to the next level. You can even use MODO indie to composite your shader mask layers together for even greater precision, or use advanced shaders like the occlusion shader to create painterly effects and add dirt/grime.

Baking:
Quickly bake textures and visually get a feel for how your assets will look in context without having to jump into the game. Render layered shader mask outputs to streamline the baking process and provide you with more options to control your texture painting.

Preview/Rendering:
Leverage MODO indie’s powerful rendering engine to preview surfaces and adjust lighting and shader setups directly in app. This allows you to easily visualize complex materials, such as fur, without the need to export to your game first.

Animation:
Ready to make your detailed 3D models come to life? MODO indie’s dynamic 3D animation framework is highly customizable to any size gaming project, and it’s packed with extra features that build on traditional animation techniques in exciting and powerful ways.

Rigging:
MODO indie’s modular node-based rigging system makes it simple to create, edit, and reuse complex character rigs, using a nondestructive and nonlinear toolset that’s fully integrated to give you the flexibility you need.

Learning:
Professional 3D authoring tools can sometimes take a career to learn and afford. With MODO indie, everyone can learn the basics of game content creation without breaking the bank. MODO's exceptional community of learning resources helps indie studios and independent content creators around the globe grow their 3D skills.

MODO indie vs MODO SE

Based on your feedback and success of MODO Steam Edition we have added features and made numerous improvements in what is now MODO indie. If you previously purchased MODO Steam Edition from the Steam storefront we want you to know that we appreciate your business and all owners of MODO Steam Edition will receive a FREE upgrade to MODO indie.

To better meet your needs as an independent artist MODO indie now includes:

• MODO indie has no commercial restrictions for individual use. You are free to use your creations for paid commercial products, for your own personal projects, or even as a learning tool
  
• We’ve upped the FBX and OBJ poly output limit to 100k
  
• Dynamics, animation, and rendering capabilities have been added
  
• Affordable subscription option now available

Differences between MODO indie and full MODO

• Project file (.lxf) linked to Steam account / cannot be shared with other users
  
• OBJ and FBX export limited to 100k polys
  
• Bake and render resolution limited to 4k
  
• Command eval options unavailable
  
• Command, scripts, and command history panel results unavailable except “undo” and “history”
  
• Python editor, third-party scripts, and third-party plugins unavailable
  
• OBJ and FBX export only
  
• Can import all formats but can only save in .lxf format
  
• Image save formats limited to .png, .jpg, .tiff and .exr

MODO indie + MARI indie Bundle!

Why not double your creative might by pairing MODO indie and MARI indie together in your solo 3D game asset pipeline? Read more about MARI indie’s incredible 3D painting and texturing capabilities here! Monthly subscription or perpetual license bundles available.

Have More Questions?

Check out our in-depth MODO indie FAQ right here!