Model a Photorealistic Boss Tu-2 FX Pedal in Modo, Day 1 – Basix
In this two-part tutorial, you will learn how to model the Boss Tu-2 FX pedal using Luxology’s Modo 302. Taking advantage of Modo’s workflow enhancing toolset, the model will be highly-detailed, and suitable for close up renders from any angle.
This tutorial is Day 1 in a series – Go to Day 2
This tutorial can be used as a crash course in using Modo for your product design work.
On day 1, you will learn the basics of modeling in Modo as you work through creating the main body, and on day 2, once the main tools have been covered, you will speed things up and add in the remaining details.
Project Files
Download
Final Effect Preview
Full Video
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Note: click the ‘Monitor’ icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.
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By Matt Brealey
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Interesting. Maybe I’ll take a look at Modo with this tutorial.
The outcome is brilliant.. and Ive never ever heard of Modo…
Modo, developed by the original developers of Newtek Lightwave 3d, and lightwave 3d has been around since 1989, used in most television series’ on the tele.
Give Modo just a liiiiiittle more time and it will be one of the 3d packages on the market, DON’T GET SIDE-TRACKED BY THOSE FALSE ProfitS OF AUTODESK.
You want as 3dpackage where training is readily available, not too sure about Modo…yet…but lightwave has a hours of training on their site, and best of all, it is absolutely FREE.
Thanks Modisana! I used to model all of my objects in Maya, but since making the switch to Modo I haven’t looked back. After I got used to it’s unique features (which admittedly took me a little while) it hugely sped up my workflow.
Luxology also have one of the best documentation systems I’ve come across, and the openness with which they interact with their community is a refreshing change of pace from some other companies I’ve dealt with in the past
Basically…give it a go!
Coolness mate!
I remember back when those Boss pedals came out.
Had a few of them(distortion and stereo chorus) and the 1st Digitech Digital Delay with my 59 Strat. Showing my old age again.
oh…why my safari can’t open the video….
ummm…..switch to firefox. even if your on mac it’s faster than safari.
What brilliant subject matter!!!
This is a great tutorial with a lot of nice geometry to work with, and that final effect preview has a really nice lighting setup too!
It would also be great to get a tutorial like this for Maya with an outcome this slick.
The video quality sucks, the sound is messed up, sorry. Im on a mac and firefox
Hi mate. I love it!!!
Great attention to details and nice workflow. Super awesome.
I’d love if Maxon updates it’s modeling tools in a short while so modeling would go much smoother, as in Modo…
Any ways, great stuff dude.
Just one question. Why did you leave the bottom part of the object unsliced? I mean the could be some awkward polyflow down there after beveling, no?
Thanks Tomas, I’m glad you liked it! That giant polygon is taken care of in part 2 when we begin to add in the extra details, and it actually ends up being bevelled in and then deleted, as the hole it leaves is hidden by the bottom pad layer. Great catch though!
i saw this tutorial a couple of days ago by pressing “Guide and details about this episode” in the player and then “latest tuorials”, also watched the day 3 of the knife tutorial
Nice job!
haha yeaaaaa i have this pedal. Cool tutorial
Photorealistic is right!
Unique object. Good job.
Sound messed up for anyone?
for me!!
I’m contacting BlipTV about the sound issues now!
OK, I think we could officially say that this is the first tutorial using MODO, and I must say that is a good tutorial.
Yeah, sound is messed up for me too.
Yup sound really messes it up… but looks like a good tutorial. Please can it be fixed?
Sound cracks for few seconds, then its mutes completely, after that some videoplayback issues too, Firefox 3.5.2 / W7.
Looking forward for a fixed version.
I have some sounds issues and the video hangs up, is it just me?
It looks like a very interesting tutorial
I was getting problems with the audio as well, but it seems to be a encoding or a player problem. I downloaded the .flv file with a Firefox plugin, and the video is working fine when played locally.
Very nice to see a modo tutorial! Thanks Matt….. I’d love to see more!
Has anyone actually been able to watch this? The sound is messed up and the video hangs. This looks interesting, but it is unwatchable.
Great tutorial. Thank you for doing this. More modo tutorials would be much appreciated.
Modo is favorite 3d tool.
The sound was very choppy and the loading of the video was very slow from the website. I had to download the flash file and play it independently from the website.
I’m using Safari and the sound is messed up and the video won’t play past a few seconds.
where is the reference file available?
Top of the post in the form of a download link.
Sorry about the sound issues, guys. I’m encoding another version now and hopefully we can get it fixed asap! Thanks for the comments though, I’m glad those of you who can hear it, enjoyed it
Possible to get a reupload of this video to see if it corrects the sound? Looks awesome and I really want to watch it properly.
Re-encoded and re-uploaded…still not working. Waiting on Bliptv to fix it.
Very interesting tutorial…but unfortunately I’ve some audio issues and it’s
impossible for me to follow
I don’t know why but on the blip.tv CGTUTS+ channel it does sound right and works for me.
Where can I get the scene file?
Just added it at the top of the post.
Thank you
Interestingly-enough, I can get no video at all to show up now (before I could get at least the first 12 seconds). However, as Veizer writes, this video does work perfectly on blip.tv.
Go figure.
Waiting on Blips reply about this issue
Should work now guys!
Where can I find the reference file?
Downloaded the vid with Safari browser, quality is good!
Thnx!
You can now download it by clicking the ‘Project Files’ link at the top of the page.
Thanks!
Matt
when I try to download the reference scene with the link above – it downloads a corrupt ReferenceScene.zip
Anyone else having trouble with this?
It works fine for me when I download it. Anyone else?
I had a problem doing it with the Unarchiver utility on Mac but the Stuffit Expander did well hope it helps.
I’m new to modo, and I was just wondering how you got the model to come up transparent-ish when you were working. Thanks again, this is an excellent tutorial!
Hi Nathaniel. If you load up the reference scene and go into perspective view, you’ll see that I’ve placed the reference images on all sides of the model. Doing this means that when you go into, for instance, a left view, you’re actually looking through the reference image at the left side of the object. However by default, Modo ignores this and puts the object in front of the image.
To change this behaviour, enabling you to see the model through the ref image, you can you can hit the ‘o’ key whilst in the corresponding viewport, which pops up the viewport options. Halfway down there is a section called ‘Background Imagery’ in which there is a checkbox titled ‘Overlay’. Turning this on allows you to see through the reference image, and you can then alter its transparency using the other sliders in that section. I usually go for a transparency value of about 75%.
I hope that’s clear, just let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck with the tutorial! I’d love to see your results.
Matt
I had that question too thanks for solving it, but I have another trouble with the reference images when I open the scene they are small, tiny actually and scaling doesn’t help to much becuase it moves thme closer to each other.
Matt,
I’ll post it after day two rolls out. I’m looking forward to it anxiously! Thanks!
Nice tutorial. Just want to point one thing. In Modo 401 the bevel tool is improved, u don’t have to do this workaround for beveling the edge that you started at 21th min.
Thanks Simone! Gives me another reason to upgrade
Wonderful. Modo is astounding! Remember though…modo 401 is out.
Great tutorial, am trying to figure out modo after using maya for years. One thing thing i’m stuck with tho. When selecting vertices with the lasso tool through a side view, it doesn’t seem to select the ones on the back side of the model, only the ones facing camera.
Anyone know how to make it select everything inside the lasso? In maya i think it was an option called back face culling.
Cheers
rich n: did you mean select backfacing polys/verts/edges? the default i think is you draw the lasso with your middle mouse, give it a try.
oh and great video Matt!
Thanks to you both (and sorry for the late reply here…)
Rich: Carlo is correct. There are two modes for the lasso select tool – using the right mouse button selects only those polys visible to the camera, whilst using the middle mouse button selects all of the polys, regardless of the way they face or if they are visible.
Glad you both liked the tutorial!
Matt
Very nice tutorial so far. Your delivery is good and easy to follow along. I found your site through a link from a recent Luxology rss feed.
You need more modo tuts, though, don’t you think?
With 401 we can show these other chaps a thing or two, wot?
Looks like an awesome tut!
Could you provide a download link for the video, like you did on day 2?
Thanks
The video is gone!
I’ve already downloaded the “Day 2″ but this first video isn’t working.
The video is now available for download
I have fallen in love with modo! I can’t stand modelling in maya nor lightwave any more (and the rendering engine is sweet!)
Hi,
I’m really anxious to give this tutorial a spin (having watched it twice now), but I can’t seem to get the reference files to unzip. OS/X gives me a permissions error, and Windows seems to unzip them, but then the files become impossible to move out of the explorer window