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LightWave 3D

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LightWave 3D
Developer(s)NewTek, Inc.
Stable release
9.3 / August 7, 2007
Operating systemAmiga, Mac OS X, Windows
Type3D computer graphics
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.newtek.com

LightWave 3D (or simply LightWave) is a high-end computer graphics program developed by NewTek, Inc. The latest release of LightWave runs on Windows and Mac OSX, and has been optimized for usage on Intel Macs. LightWave's network rendering system, ScreamerNet, has also been ported to Linux platforms.

Overview

LightWave was one of the first high profile industry standard 3D packages featuring a built-in radiosity render engine, complete with a complex light calculation model for support of caustics. Though the renderer has dated slightly, often requiring the use of third-party renderer plugins such as Fprime or Kray, it has a reputation as one of the most developed native renderers of the main 3D packages.

Most functions within LightWave are multi-threaded, which means that those components can simultaneously use multiple processors in the same machine when performing complex calculations. Programmers can expand LightWave's capabilities using an included SDK as well as a special scripting language called LScript, which is based on the C language.

History

File:LW9 modeler.jpg
Screenshot of LightWave 3D 9.0 (Modeler)

In 1988, Allen Hastings created a rendering and animation program called Videoscape, and his friend Stuart Ferguson created a complementary 3D modeling program called Modeler, both sold by Aegis Software. NewTek planned to incorporate Videoscape and Modeler into its video editing suite, Video Toaster. NewTek originally intended to call the new 3D program 'NewTek 3D Animation System for the Amiga.' Later, in December 1989, Hastings came up with the name 'LightWave 3D,' inspired by two of the high-end 3D packages of that time: Intelligent Light and Wavefront. In 1990, the Video Toaster suite was released, incorporating LightWave 3D, and running on the Commodore Amiga computer.

LightWave 3D has been available as a standalone application since 1994, and version 9.3 runs on Mac OS X and Windows-based PC computers.

LightWave gained fame as the program used to create special effects for the Babylon 5, Star Trek Voyager and seaQuest DSV science fiction television series; the program was also utilized in the production of Titanic as well as the recent Battlestar Galactica TV-series, Sin City, 300 (film) and Star Wars movies. The acclaimed short film, 405 was also produced by two artist from their homes using Lightwave.

In 2001, a rift developed between NewTek management and a group headed by Vice President of 3D Development Brad Peebler, which included Allen Hastings and Stuart Ferguson. NewTek faced a major walkout, with most of its key engineers and programmers leaving and forming a new company, Luxology.

NewTek and LightWave have been awarded Emmy Awards since 1993 and won their 10th and 11th awards in 2004. In 2003 NewTek was awarded an Emmy for technology for its major impact on the television industry partly through the development of LightWave.

Now in its ninth version, its market ranges from hobbyists to high-end deployment in video games, television and cinema. The company recently shipped its 64-bit version of LightWave 3D (part of the fifth free update of LightWave 3D 8), and was featured heavily in a keynote speech by Bill Gates at WinHEC 2005.

LightWave 3D 9 was officially launched on 13 July 2006. The latest released version is 9.3. New features include a node-based surface editor and Adaptive Pixel Subdivision (APS) which maximizes rendering efficiency. Many improvements made on the render engine to speed up the rendering process. Also there are many updates made on the Modeler, including true edge-weighting and implementation of the Catmull-Clark subdivision surface algorithm. LightWave 9.3 also has introduced a Universal version for Intel Macs.

Modeler and Layout

Unlike most other 3D packages, LightWave is composed of two separate programs: Modeler and Layout. Each program is specifically designed to provide a dedicated workspace for specific tasks. Appropriately, Modeler provides tools for creating and surfacing objects, whereas Layout provides a workspace for lighting, animating, and rendering. When the two programs are running simultaneously, a feature called the Hub can be used to automatically synchronize data.

Layout contains the LightWave renderer which provides the user with several options including ray tracing options, multithreading, global illumination, and output parameters. This differs from most 3D computer graphics packages which normally integrate the renderer and the modeler. A long-standing debate in the LightWave user community has consisted of whether or not to integrate Modeler and Layout into a single program. In response to this, NewTek has begun an integration process by including several basic modeling tools with Layout.

Licensing

Current versions of LightWave require that a dongle be present in order to run without limitations. These dongles often come in the form of a small USB dongle, though parallel port dongles are still supported for backward compatibility.

See also

  • Shaxam - LightWave to XAML converter
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