Modo

Modo

Modo is a polygon and subdivision surface modeling, sculpting, 3D painting, animation and rendering package. The program incorporates features such as n-gons and edge weighting, and runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux and macOS platforms.

Hardware Recommendations

Processor

3D Modeling

Building meshes, extruding polygons and other 3D modeling tasks are single-threaded, meaning they only utilize one CPU core. If using this software mostly for modeling, we recommend a 6 to 8 core processor with a high turbo boost frequency (4.5 GHz and greater).

Animation

Like 3D modeling, animation is also single-threaded. Therefore a processor with high clockspeed and 4 to 6 cores is also recommended.

Rendering

While 3D modeling and animation only utilize one CPU core, rendering is a highly multi-threaded task and therefore a high amount of CPU cores will provide better performance.

Graphics

Premiere Pro and After Effects take advantage of the GPU. We recommend a GPU with at least 8GB of memory. Multiple GPUs will speed up export and rendering.

6K/8K production recommendations

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super
NVIDIA Quadro RTX A6000 / A5500 / A5000
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 Ada / 5000 Ada

4K production recommendations

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super / 4070 Super
NVIDIA Quadro RTX A5000 / A4500
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4500 Ada / 4000 Ada

A common question we get is whether to go with a GeForce or Quadro graphics card and what the main differences are. In short, the actual graphics processor powering both series of cards is exactly the same. In fact, the processors come off of the same assembly line.

So why does the Quadro cost multiples more than the GeForce? The main reason is because the target customers for Quadro cards, namely large content production studios and engineering firms can afford these cards which allows NVIDIA to charge a premium for the couple extra features they enable.

However the GeForce and Quadro cards are not quite the same. For example, NVIDIA controls the specifications and quality assurance on all Quadro cards, while with GeForce cards the specifications and quality assurance are managed by the third party board partners. Furthermore, Quadro cards are a little more reliable because NVIDIA chooses the higher quality graphics chips for them. This results in better reliability, lower power consumption and lower heat output. In addition, Quadro cards have a larger video memory frame buffer that features error correction technology.

In terms of drivers, Quadro cards also get special drivers that are validated for professional grade applications such as for 3D modeling, animation, etc.

Storage

We recommend a NVMe SSD for the operating system, applications and project files. 1TB is the most common capacity for Modo workstations. 1TB is fine if your projects are moderately sized. 2TB is recommended if your projects are large and you will you will use the workstation for a variety of professional applications.

If your projects are complex, are running multiple applications as the same time, and you want to maximize performance, we recommend two SSDs:

  1. Primary NVMe SSD: operating system and applications
  2. Secondary NVMe SSD: dedicated to active projects

For storage or backup, we recommend a SATA SSD or Hard Drive.

M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD performs at ~5,000MB/s
2.5-inch SATA SSD performs at ~500MB/s
3.5-inch SATA Hard Drive performs at ~250MB/s

Memory

In general, 4GB of RAM per CPU core is recommended. For example, if you select a single 12-core processor, 32GB will suffice for basic tasks or 64GB for more demanding workloads.


Configuration Recommendations

HP Z8 G5 Fury Workstation

 

  • Intel Xeon w9-3475X | 36 cores, 2.2 GHz base frequency
  • 256GB (8x 32GB) of 4800MT/s DDR5 ECC Memory
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • 4TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 Ada 48GB
  • Single HP Z8 G5 Fury 1125W Power Supply

HP Z6 G5 A Workstation

 

  • AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7975WX | 32 cores, 4.0GHz base clock
  • 128GB (8x 16GB) of 5200MT/s DDR5 ECC Memory
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • 4TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Ada 32GB

HP Z6 G5 Workstation

 

  • Intel Xeon w7-3455 | 24 cores, 2.5 GHz base frequency
  • 128GB (8x 16GB) of 4800MT/s DDR5 ECC Memory
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4500 Ada 24GB

HP Z4 G5 Workstation

 

  • Intel Xeon w5-2465X | 16 cores, 3.1 GHz base frequency
  • 128GB (4x 32GB) of 4400MT/s DDR5 ECC Memory
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Ada 20GB

HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation

 

  • Intel Core i9-14900K | 24 cores, 3.2GHz base, 5.6GHz turbo
  • 64GB (4x 16GB) of 4800MT/s DDR5 Memory
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB

HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation

 

  • Intel Core i7-14700K | 20 cores, 3.4GHz base, 5.5GHz turbo
  • 64GB (4x 16GB) of 4800MT/s DDR5 Memory
  • 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe 4.0 Solid-State Drive
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB

Condition

New: Purchased new from the manufacturer or authorized distribution. Package opened for customization process and testing. Ships in original retail manufacturer packaging.

Refurbished: Pulled from corporate environment in working condition. Tested upon arrival at our location and also after customization. Cosmetically grade A or B. Overall in good condition, but could have light scratches / scuffs. Ships in double-wall brown box with durable packaging material.