Thomas Cushwa

LukeP
Why just hard surface modelling?

Hard surface modelling is some of the most technically difficult modelling that requires these sorts of tools. You can do anything you want these tools. You can do base meshes that you then take into Zbrush. Or do organic modeling for foliage, etc. It's up to you.

LukeP
How does it compare to other top modellers out there?

Alexey seems to have a lot of modeling experience and has draw ideas from many different modeling packages. There are ideas from Maya, Zbrush, Modo, and others that I don't even know. Of course, it is built on top of Houdini so there are many Houdini tools in it. The pen tool alone IS worth the price of admission which is very reasonable. Every modeling application is different but if you want to do hard-surface direct modeling in Houdini then Modeler2023 is a no-brainer.
The interface for modeler has developed over the last couple of years and the latest Modeler 2023 is the best yet. I used Maya for many years for modeling and I would say that Modeler along with native Houdini tools does everything that Maya does and SO Much more.

Alexey
Personally, I think having Modeler in my tool kit gives me the best of both worlds. It is important to be able to model procedurally in Houdini. Clearly proceduralism is one of the main strengths of Houdini. As a 3D modeler with lots of experience I know that non-procedural and semi-procedural workflows are also very important. Having both workflows available in Houdini is truly a game changer and makes for a more complete modeling experience. Now I can ditch some other software and use Houdini more and more. That's a good thing imho.

BTW, I am not saying you can't model non-procedurally in vanilla Houdini but it is Modeler's emphasis on SPEED! that sets it apart.