Will

Updated : November 07, 2023 15:52

Created : April 20, 2016 11:46

SUMMARY

This article will help you set up and start using Modo CL, a command line version of Modo.

MORE INFORMATION

Modo CL is a headless (no GUI) instance of the application.

The advantages of this are as follows:

• Reduced memory usage
• No license requirement
• Assists integration with Render Farms

Launching Modo CL:

Modo CL can be launched through the Terminal or Command Prompt. The default locations for launching Modo CL are:

Windows:

For Modo 11.1v1 and below:

 "C:\Program Files\Luxology\modo\[version]\modo_cl.exe"

For Modo 11.2v1 to 16.0v4:

"C:\Program Files\Foundry\Modo\[version]\modo_cl.exe"

For Modo 16.1v1 onward:

"C:\Program Files\Modo[version]\modo\modo_cl.exe"

macOS:

/Applications/Modo[version].app/Contents/MacOS/modo_cl

Linux:

Navigate to where you installed Modo and type:

./modo_cl

Executing and Querying Commands:

Commands can be queried in the main Modo application through the Command History. Every time a tool or feature is used in Modo, the equivalent command will be displayed here under the Undos tab. The command history can be accessed by pressing "F5" on the keyboard, or by clicking and dragging on the partition between the command bar and the item properties form.

Image 1: Revealing the Command History

Alternatively, you can look up every command under the Commands tab of the Command History:

Image 2: The "Commands" tab of the Command History Window

Example Commands:

The following commands will; enable console output, open a scene, select the Render item, change the render frame range, render the scene and quit the app: 

log.toConsole true
log.toConsoleRolling true
scene.open "path/path/scene.lxo"
select.subItem Render
item.channel polyRender$first 1
item.channel polyRender$last 10
item.channel polyRender$step 1 
render.animation "path/path/renderName" PNG
app.quit

PLEASE NOTE: The paths will need to be amended to match your environment. You can change the frame range (format: <first> <last> <stepsize>) and the file type if desired:

• JPG
• $Targa
• TIF
• TIF16
• openexr
• openexr_32

Launching from a File:

You can pass a list of commands from a file which will then be run on launch. Modo will automatically quit after executing the command file. For example:

• Save a file with the desired commands listed within as "commands.txt"
• Launch Modo CL with the addition of '< commands.txt'

modo_cl.exe < commands.txt

modo_cl < commands.txt

Further information about Modo CL can be found here:

https://learn.foundry.com/modo/developers/latest/SDK/pages/general/systems/Headless.html

Further Help

If you encounter any issues using Modo CL, please open a Support ticket and let us know what issues you are encountering and the troubleshooting steps you have taken so far.

For more information on how to do this, please see the following article: Q1000064: How to raise a support ticket.