Model a Photorealistic Boss Tu-2 FX Pedal in Modo, Day 1

on Sep 7th 2011 with 72 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Software: Luxology Modo
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Estimated Completion Time: 1 Hour
This entry is part 2 of 9 in the Best Of Modo Session
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This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Model a Photorealistic Boss Pedal in Modo

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.

Republished Tutorial

Every few weeks, we revisit some of our reader's favorite posts from throughout the history of the site. This tutorial was first published in August of 2009.

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.

Additional Files/ Plugins:

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

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

Matt is currently working as a freelance 3D designer in the UK, trying his hand at VFX work in his free-time. He loves learning new things, finding inspiring graphics, and dreaming up impossible fx shots.  

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  • accessoire

    Interesting. Maybe I’ll take a look at Modo with this tutorial.

  • http://www.behance.net/Modisana Modisana

    The outcome is brilliant.. and Ive never ever heard of Modo…

    • D.V.

      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.

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      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!

  • Hooper

    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.

  • http://silenceylj.yo2.cn/ silence

    oh…why my safari can’t open the video….

    • frozen smoke

      ummm…..switch to firefox. even if your on mac it’s faster than safari.

  • aido

    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.

  • http://paullinder.se Paul

    The video quality sucks, the sound is messed up, sorry. Im on a mac and firefox

  • http://www.rendertom.com Tomas Sinkunas

    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?

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      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!

  • Nicklas

    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 :D

    Nice job!

  • Jesus Christ

    haha yeaaaaa i have this pedal. Cool tutorial

  • http://www.arvinbautista.com Arvin Motion Design

    Photorealistic is right!

  • Tim

    Unique object. Good job.

  • Andrew M

    Sound messed up for anyone?

    • http://www.fenixkim.com fenixkim

      for me!!

    • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

      I’m contacting BlipTV about the sound issues now!

  • http://www.fenixkim.com fenixkim

    OK, I think we could officially say that this is the first tutorial using MODO, and I must say that is a good tutorial.

  • http://www.evanschaible.com Evan Schaible

    Yeah, sound is messed up for me too.

  • Roddy

    Yup sound really messes it up… but looks like a good tutorial. Please can it be fixed?

  • Matt

    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.

  • Veizer

    I have some sounds issues and the video hangs up, is it just me?
    It looks like a very interesting tutorial

  • Andre Goersch

    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.

  • kevweb

    Very nice to see a modo tutorial! Thanks Matt….. I’d love to see more!

  • jack

    Has anyone actually been able to watch this? The sound is messed up and the video hangs. This looks interesting, but it is unwatchable.

  • jasonb

    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.

  • Bob deWitt

    I’m using Safari and the sound is messed up and the video won’t play past a few seconds.

  • andrew

    where is the reference file available?

    • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

      Top of the post in the form of a download link.

  • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

    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 :)

  • Mike

    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.

    • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

      Re-encoded and re-uploaded…still not working. Waiting on Bliptv to fix it.

  • kinch

    Very interesting tutorial…but unfortunately I’ve some audio issues and it’s
    impossible for me to follow

  • Veizer

    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?

    • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

      Just added it at the top of the post.

      • Veizer

        Thank you

  • Bob deWitt

    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.

    • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

      Waiting on Blips reply about this issue

      • Kaleb Aylsworth

        Should work now guys!

  • JBiii

    Where can I find the reference file?

    Downloaded the vid with Safari browser, quality is good!

    Thnx!

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      You can now download it by clicking the ‘Project Files’ link at the top of the page.

      Thanks!

      Matt

  • Steve-O

    when I try to download the reference scene with the link above – it downloads a corrupt ReferenceScene.zip

    Anyone else having trouble with this?

    • Kaleb Aylsworth

      It works fine for me when I download it. Anyone else?

    • Veizer

      I had a problem doing it with the Unarchiver utility on Mac but the Stuffit Expander did well hope it helps.

  • Nathaniel

    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!

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      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

      • Veizer

        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.

      • Nathaniel

        Matt,

        I’ll post it after day two rolls out. I’m looking forward to it anxiously! Thanks!

  • Simone

    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.

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      Thanks Simone! Gives me another reason to upgrade :)

      • Mike

        Don’t know if it’s just me but I’m using 401 and it still did the whole empty polygons thing at that part so I had to do the workaround.

  • Jordan Humphreys

    Wonderful. Modo is astounding! Remember though…modo 401 is out.

  • rich n

    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

    • Carlo

      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!

      • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

        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

  • http://www.van-garde.com Daniel Swanson

    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?

  • FlyingPig

    Looks like an awesome tut!
    Could you provide a download link for the video, like you did on day 2?

    Thanks

  • Str4nger

    The video is gone!
    I’ve already downloaded the “Day 2″ but this first video isn’t working.

  • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

    The video is now available for download

  • Marcus Kjeldsen

    I have fallen in love with modo! I can’t stand modelling in maya nor lightwave any more (and the rendering engine is sweet!)

  • Dan

    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 :-(

  • Navarro Parker

    Project file link is dead?

  • Sam Romeo

    Project file link is dead, any chance of a repost? Thankyou!

  • http://wwww.bdesign.be quella

    Verry gooood tuturial for modo 301 or 401 , well done ,

    In Modo 401 sp4 (last update ) the bevel tool is improved, u don’t have to do this workaround for beveling the edge that you started at +- 21 min.

    Ref image setup for modo 401 sp 4 :

    Hit the ‘o’ key at the viewport, which pops up the viewport options. Halfway down there is a section called ‘Background Imagery’ in which there is a checkbox titled ‘Overlay’. When you turning this on you can see to the reference image, also you need to change the transparency from the ref images to a value of about 75%.

    Can you make also a tutorial for color this model maybe ,…..

    Or maybe a tutorial for this one:

    http://www.drmerman.com/?p=15

    http://www.drmerman.com/?p=9#

    Thanks .

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey
      Author

      Thanks Quella, I’m glad you liked it! And thanks for posting the updates techniques in 401 – I mentioned them in my later Canon A1 tutorial but forgot to add them in here so it’s much appreciated. And rest assured there are more on the way… :)

      Cheers!

      Matt

  • http://www.bdesign.be quella

    Thanks Matt, for your nice answer.

    There are some people that have some problems with the link for the ref. images.

    So my friends use this link: http://cgtuts.s3.amazonaws.com/033_Modo_GuitarPedal/ReferenceScene.zip

    at the moment this works ….

    Second problem there is no explanation about how to use the loop slice tool for horizontal and vertically
    extra edges for the polygons… (around time 00.27.14)
    Link for the video day 2:
    http://blip.tv/file/get/Cgtuts-ModelAPhotorealisticBossTu2FXPedalInModoDay2574.flv

    ithink this is a problem when your new to modo 401 or 301

    Maybe you can explain this or update it

    Thanks

    Quella

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey
      Author

      Hi Quella,

      Thanks for notifying me about the download link, I’ve gone in and updated it and things should now work fine!

      I’ll take a look at the loop slicing issue you’ve brought up and maybe put together an extra video :)

      Thanks again,

      Matt

  • http://www.bdesign.be quella

    Hi Matt,

    Thanks for updating the links.

    The Loop slicing issue is not a big problem if you follow all the other videos,…then you find a solution for how to use the loop slice tool .

    But i think it would be nice if you have some time for making a tutorial about how to use the base pedal layout and add some knobs ,text,numbers, etc….and make a new setup with a final render…..

    For example http://www.bossus.com/go/fender/

    Let me know what you think about these ideas,…

    Thanks

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey
      Author

      Thanks Quella, I’ll definitely take your suggestion on board! :)

      Matt

  • tobo

    very very good and nice turorial, really brilliant

  • Enrico

    Thanks a lot for your tutorial, very well done and easy to understand. Way better than the others i watched since now!