Zen UI for MODO 10

One of the strengths of MODO is how flexible the UI can be. Zen is a perfect example. (Available for download here.)

Zen is a layout. You access it in the Layout Switcher bar at the top, or using ctrl+tab.

It's also a collection of toolbars and palettes:

• Toolbox - Hit the 'v' key for access to nearly every tool in MODO, all meticulously arranged into a single fast, consistent menu that works no matter where you are in the app. It's always under your mouse, which makes it incredibly fast to use. It even includes selection modes, tool modifiers, viewport display toggles, and other useful modal toggles for things like Setup mode or Game Nav. It's all there, all contextual, all goodness.
• Palettes - Hit the 'g' key for every palette you use in MODO. Click a palette name for access to a quick temporary popover. Alt-click for a static palette. Ctrl-click to replace the current viewport in the layout. "Slash and burn" layout tools are available at the bottom, as well as a dummy-proof reset button when things go awry.
• Render - A special render palette is includes for preview and progressive rendering, including a toolbar with common shortcuts and easy access to render settings.
• Hacks and fixes - Hit 'enter' to rename items in the items list or shader tree. Hit ctrl+d to duplicate in the shader tree. It's the little stuff that counts.

Zen is big. It's the culmination of years of learning and weeks of work, condensed into a single kit. I recommend it for beginners and advanced users alike.

History of Zen

The original Zen circa 701 was pretty nice, and it was one of the most popular plugins I ever made. I was given really stellar feedback, and people wanted to see it updated as MODO grew and changed.

It's taken a few years to find the time, but I think it's worth it. The result is something that not only am I proud of, but that I use every day in my work. It's an incredibly powerful UI.

The original Zen was a super-kit that included scripts, configs, tools, layouts, viewports, and a heavily modified input map. No longer. Zen is now focused specifically on presenting existing MODO functionality in clean, compact, consistent layouts. This will allow me to separate out other functionality into individual plugins, making them easier to maintain and easier for users to find.

The original kit was also free. That was one of the reasons it took me so long to update it. If I'm not being paid, I can't justify the amount of time and effort it takes to build extensive kits like this. If sales work out well, I hope to not only keep Zen up to date, but to continue to improve and extend it and related kits moving forward.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Just because it works well for me doesn't mean it works equally well for everyone. If there are ways to improve it, I want to know!

I hope it's helpful. Enjoy.