Silo 2.1 represents a major update from version 2.0 - read here for some of the key changes. Silo 2.1 is a free upgrade for all registered users of Silo 2, as are all future version 2.x updates.
Silo Core and Silo Professional
As of 2.1, the complete version of Silo has been renamed to Silo Professional. All current owners of Silo 2 are automatically upgraded to Silo 2.1 Professional using the same registration information. New purchasers of Silo now have the option to purchase Silo Core, a new version of Silo which is focused on modeling and does not contain some of the advanced features of Silo Professional such as displacement painting, retopology tools, and advanced UV editing. For a feature list and comparison,
Bug Fixes, Stability, and Performance
Despite adding significant features, Silo 2.1 is most heavily focused on improving the features introduced in 2.0. It's the little things that can make a big difference, and Silo 2.1 includes literally hundreds of small bug fixes and feature improvements. The net result is an application which feels generally improved in every respect. Bugs will continue to be discovered, but they will remain a priority as they have been in this release.
UV Editing
Silo 2.0 introduced advanced UV layout and editing to Silo, and Silo 2.1 overhauls and refines the entire system. UV editing is now well-integrated into the Silo workflow and toolset. UVs are always assigned to every object, and functions such as pinning and marking seams can be performed in either the UV or 3D viewports. Silo 2.1 offers multiple types of unwrapping, including LSCM, Planar Region, XYZ, Per Face, and By Neighbors, which heals UVs based on the UVs based on the surrounding area. Different unwrapping methods can even be used on parts of the same mesh for optimal results. UVs are preserved during modeling operations, so modeling and UV editing can be freely interchanged with little to no cleanup. (This is particularly useful when a last-minute modeling change needs to be made to a "finished" model.) The UVs/Materials menu has been filled out with all the display, layout, and editing functions necessary to round out the UV toolset. Highlights include Move and Sew, Nudge UVs, Mirror UVs, Flip UVs, Arrange UVs in Bounds, Scale UVs To Bounds, Arrange UVs proportionally, UV grid settings, UV seam display settings, and more.
Surface Tool
The new Surface Tool is a tool for drawing and tweaking strips of polygons which is primarily intended for retopologization. It is interactive and highly context sensitive, offering different functionality based on selection, mouse position, and nearby geometry. In Vertex mode it can be used to draw out polygons vertex by vertex. In Face and Edge modes it is used to extrude and position new polygons. It can also be used to tweak the position of existing geometry, offering a one-stop solution for drawing out and positioning new topology. It can be used with Surface Snapping enabled to draw new geometry over an existing shape.
Custom Primitives
The Create Menu now features a custom primitives drop-down menu, which comes pre-loaded with several useful files. This menu mirrors a folder on the user's hard drive, and any file in any of Silo's supported file types which is placed in that folder will appear in the menu, offering quick access to any primitives the user wishes to add.
Other Feature Updates of Note
Added ability to export UV map to image
Added UV context menu
Improved surface-based falloff for soft selection
Improved grow/shrink selection commands
Improved loop and ring selection
Added gradient background to viewports
Added automatic clipping plane adjustment
Added number of tris to scene info window
Added ability to select by material
Added .tiff image support
Added import/export of UVs to .fact format
Added de-triangulation option to .3ds import
