Introduction to Octane for Modo - Part 1: Shading

Simplifying Octane for Modo

For Modo artists familiar with the Shader Tree, nodal shading in Octane can seem daunting at first. The workflow is so different, and the nodal inputs can be difficult to understand: knowing which nodes to use, what order they should go in, and how to translate Modo materials into Octane ones can seem like a challenging task.

This training is designed to clear up all the confusion and present you with a simple and straightforward workflow that will get you up and running in no time. From setting up Octane materials from scratch, to converting existing Modo scenes into Octane-compatible ones, the training will show you how to approach shading in Octane in a clear and approachable way.

What’s more, the tutorial will also demonstrate a series of real-world problems, and how to effectively solve them, by taking a complex Modo scene and converting it to Octane. Many common problems, such as transparent textures not being applied correctly, or layered texture maps not translating, will be resolved in an extensive step-by-step tutorial.

By following through the various stages of the training you will build your Octane shading skills up and be able to solve almost any problem you encounter.

So if you’ve ever felt frustrated trying to shade and texture in Octane for Modo, this training will help you to approach Octane in a hassle-free way and tackle any shading task with ease.

The training will give you a good understanding of the material options in Octane for Modo, and an overview of the most commonly used nodes for shading and texturing.

And for those of you who may be wondering if there is any real benefit to using Octane instead of Modo’s own render engine, the two will be compared in terms of speed and quality, and the benefits of Octane will be clear: it beats Modo’s own render engine on both counts. The cover image of the training not only looks much better with Octane than its Modo counterpart, but it renders ten times faster (on a relatively modest GPU vs an expensive CPU).

With speed and quality that can’t be matched by Modo’s ageing CPU architecture, Octane is clearly the render engine for Modo’s future, especially now that it’s been bundled with every copy of Modo 17.

So take the guesswork out of shading in Octane for Modo and join me in this Introduction to Octane for Modo - Part 1: Shading.