Nevercenter releases Silo 2022.3 and Milo 2022.2
Nevercenter has updated Silo, its lightweight modelling software, and Milo, its standalone real-time render engine and VR viewer.
Silo 2022.3, the latest update, adds new gear, quad sphere and tri sphere primitives.
Other key features in the Silo 2022 releases include support for Pixar’s OpenSubdiv library for faster subdivision surface modelling, and built-in timelapse screen recording.
Key features in the Milo 2022 releases include a new VR interface and new turntable rendering options.
A lightweight sub-D modeller remembered fondly by many older 3D artists
First released in 2003, Silo built up a reputation as an efficient, focused modelling package.
It has a streamlined set of polygonal and subdivision surface modelling tools, a topology brush for drawing new topology over a reference object, and interactive real-time UV unwrapping.
As well as creating low-poly assets for games or real-time applications, it can be used to rough out base models for sculpting in ZBrush, and supports Pixologic’s GoZ bridge system.
Although development stalled during the 2010s, the pace picked up again with the release of Silo 2021, with Nevercenter also launching Milo, a new standalone Unreal-Engine-based real-time renderer and VR viewer.
Silo 2022: OpenSubdiv, screen recording and new 3D primitives
Key changes in the Silo 2022 updates include support for OpenSubdiv, Pixar’s open-source libraries for high-performance subdivision modelling, supported in many other DCC applications.
Subdivision now uses “approximately 50% less memory”, and is “many times faster” on high-res models.
Several other key parts of the software have also been reworked to improve performance and stability, including memory management, tools drawing and the undo stack.
New features include built-in screen recording and new tools for aligning and distributing objects, plus initial suppport for 3Dconnexion’s SpaceMouse.
The latest release, Silo 2022.3, adds three new 3D primitives: a Gear/Wheel primitive, a Tri Sphere for use in game engines, and a Quad Sphere, for use as a base for subdivision box modelling workflows.
Milo 2022: new VR interface and improved turntable rendering
Key changes in the Milo 2022 releases include a new VR interface with “almost all” of the functionality of the desktop renderer, making it possible to change scene settings inside virtual reality.
Other new features include ‘playable reference characters‘ – gamepad-controllable human characters that can be used to give a sense of scale to a scene.
The latest release, Milo 2022.2, extends Milo’s turntable rendering system for 3D models – previously limited to animated GIFs – to support output of movies in formats including MP4, M4V and MOV.
Pricing and availability
Silo amd Milo are both available for Windows 10 and macOS 10.14.6+. The MSRP of Silo has risen slightly since the release of Silo 2021, to $159, which also includes the early access release of Milo.
Read a full list of new features in Silo 2022 and Milo 2022 in Nevercenter’s release notes
Read more about Silo and Milo on Nevercenter’s product website