Modeler is a breath of fresh air for modelers
The main takeaway is that this tool completely changes how people perceive Houdini.

Traditionally, Houdini is seen as a complex, pure procedural software for simulations, where classic polygonal modeling is clunky and node-heavy out of the box.

Modeler is praised for bringing back the familiar, fast, and intuitive direct modeling workflow (similar to Modo, Silo, or Blender) while keeping all the power of the procedural engine under the hood.

Comparison with Modo
In the context of Modo's decline and eventual shutdown, Reddit users frequently mentioned Modeler as its spiritual successor. Artists note that the "fewer clicks, more action" philosophy and viewport responsiveness combined with Houdini actually run more stable and faster than the original Modo when handling heavy geometry.

The ideal tool for concept art and Hard Surface
Reddit users highly value Modeler for its speed in creating complex hard-surface shapes. Designers write that being able to quickly cut, stitch, and deform geometry with a pen or mouse without getting distracted by building complex node trees provides a massive boost to their project timelines.

Overall, this project is highly regarded as a unique, top-tier tool created by a solo developer who managed to fill a significant gap in the industry and prove that classic direct modeling in Houdini can be fast and comfortable. It is worth noting that SideFX is also actively developing modeling tools: the introduction of Topobuild, the new sculpting system, and now, in version 22, the viewport display of subdivision models with isolines—all of this plays a key role, significantly simplifying the workflow. It is precisely thanks to such comprehensive changes introduced by SideFX that modeling today has reached a qualitatively new level of power and has no equal.

Modeler 26 on Gumroad [alexeyvanzhula.gumroad.com]