NewTek's LightWave 2015 3D modeling and animation software is an update on the already powerful LightWave 11 with new features and a faster, more efficient workflow. This full version of the software is an electronic software download compatible with Windows and Mac OS (see specifications for more info).
The 2015 version of LightWave has a number of improvements and features. One new feature to improve image quality is Importance Sampling. This feature improves the quality of rendered images by prioritizing ray concentration, removing noise and splotches that can occur in areas of highly differing light intensities. NewTek also made improvements in Lightwave's edge rendering. Intersecting edges can now be drawn on the same or separate objects for more creative control over cel rendering. In addition, sub-division patch borders can now be made visible on the final rendering with one click to easily show off your model's mesh topology.
Another improvement streamlines the placement of 3D models. One of the more demanding tasks to accomplish in any modeling software is to make your 3D models fit into an existing photograph or other two-dimensional plate. To mitigate the difficulty, LightWave has a Match Solver that can calculate the correct camera position and angle to match the photograph, allowing your 3D models to retain correct perspective when applied onto a two-dimensional background.
LightWave 2015 features the Genoma 2 rigging development kit (RDK) for quickly rigging characters and models by using presets. Custom preset rigs can also be made to any degree of complexity to fit into your character animation workflow, including the use of Math Expressions and Scripts.
LightWave software is designed to be self contained, so you can create models, animations, and rigs and work with them through to the final rendering without having to switch programs. However, LightWave can also be used in conjunction with other 3D software packages like Autodesk's Maya, allowing it to add its feature set to another established workflow.
These systems can be used independently of each other, but LightWave allows you to mix them together as well. You can use the layered surfacing to achieve results quickly, then choose any of the surface properties to use in a nodal context. This allows you to create complex materials quickly. The nodal system also includes easy to use, physically accurate material shaders for glass, metal, skin, and car paint, allowing you to achieve photo-realistic models
For facial animation LightWave includes an efficient blend-shape system called Endomorphs which includes all of your morph targets within your base object. Endomorphs can also be sculpted in ZBrush using the ZBrush GoZ interchange tools included in LightWave.
While instancing can be thought of as clones of the original source objects, they do not need to look identical. They can be randomly scaled, positioned, rotated, and surfaced entirely differently from the source, allowing for a wide variety of uses.
LightWave features the Bullet dynamics engine directly in Layout so that it can be used with the Fracture tool in Modeler to create compelling physics-base animation. Things like collapsing buildings, explosions, and even natural placement of items in a random pattern, would otherwise be difficult to accomplish by hand.
In LightWave 2015 Bullet has some new dynamic constraints:
- Point-to-Point: Also known as a ball socket joint. Allows items to be connected to one another.
- Hinge: Restricts rotation to one axis, perfect for things like doors. A motor can also be applied, allowing for powered movement.
- Slider: Allows movement to rotate in one axis, while sliding along that axis. Great for simulating mechanical movement.
- Cone Twist: A hybrid point to point constraint, that restricts movement within a cone angle, useful for rag doll limb movement.
- Spring: As the name suggests, this constraint is good for simulating car suspension and other mechanical properties.
- 6 Degrees of Freedom: A general purpose constraint that combines many of the other attributes, allows locking of translation and rotation in all axis.
ParticleFX works seamlessly with HyperVoxels to allow the rendering of particles in many different ways.
Use the Flock controller, which calculates crowd avoidance of neighbors, target alignment, and cohesive attractions, to create realistic natural motions with ease.
This process can be quite complex in other software. In LightWave, it's as simple as turning it on, and choosing the output profile. LWF in LightWave supports standard sRGB as well as ICC Color profiles. You have complete control over which assets are profiled, along with pre-defined presets to make setup a one-click process.
The way that LightWave references separate object files allows a modeling team to update the object files as the design progresses. As the updates happen, those objects are instantly updated across all scenes in the production. Additionally you can try different looks on your character rigs with a simple object replace with none of the hassles that you might encounter in other software packages.