LightWave 9 Full with PDF Manual
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Version 9 adds comprehensive new features such as a node-based materials editor, optically correct cameras, adaptive pixel subdivision, Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces, sub-surface scattering and vast render speed improvements.
Reborn! LightWave v9 is the newest generation of the Emmy®-winning 3D application from NewTek.
The most noticeable changes for v9 are the addition of a node-based materials system that adds new shading models to LightWave, such as Oren-Nayar, anisotropic, and sub-surface scattering; the greatly improved rendering speed for today's high-demand scenes; and the enhancement of subdivision surfaces in Modeler and Layout, including Adaptive Pixel Subdivision, which gives you a variety of capabilities for film-quality displacement mapping, normal mapping (including ZBrush support) and level-of-detail control at render time. LightWave now has one of the most comprehensive toolsets for matching real camera lenses, an addition that will greatly enhance the ability of visual effects artists to match 3D elements to live footage.
Among the changes that contribute to enhanced workflow in Layout are faster OpenGL performance and additional OpenGL hardware shader support, building on the initial implementation in version 8.5. For many scenes this provides a very accurate preview of the look of the final image or animation in real-time, without the need to create test renders. The GUI has been enhanced to allow far more user configurability than in the past. You can adapt the look to fit your needs and preferences to provide the best workflow for the ways in which you use LightWave.
Features:
- Rendering:
- Implementation of BSP/KD Tree Algorithm to achieve improved speeds as scene complexity rises
- Complete replacement of the original ray tracing core
- Improved multi-threading with dynamic segmentation to insure maximum use of available CPUs
- Typical speed improvements at 2.5x over LightWave version 8.5 for today's increasingly ambitious high-polygon count production scenes
- Adaptive Pixel Subdivision:
- Adaptive subdivision of a mesh based on distance from camera and visibility
- Choice of Adaptive Sub-division methods Per Object, Per Polygon and Per Pixel
- Highly optimized mesh, tied to render resolution when using Per Pixel
- Visibly similar to micro-poly displacement
- Modeling:
- Added Catmull-Clark Subdivision Surfaces
- Subdivision level can be controlled via numerical values, envelopes, expressions, motion modifiers, textures, procedurals, gradients and more
- Edge Selection
- Edge Weights
- N-gons (polygons greater than 4 sides) for subdivision surface modeling
- Node Editor:
- New Shading Models
- Normal Maps from ZBrush 2 Supported
- Branches can be imported and exported
- Math Animation Nodes
- Animated Gradient Node
- Work how you want to work: Layers in Nodes; Nodes in Layers; Layers Only; Nodes Only
- Full support of native controls and envelopes
- Available in Layout and Modeler, and maintains context when switching between the two
- Full SDK Support for third parties to create nodes (including shading models) and for third party renderers to interface with and query nodal shaders.
- Advanced Camera Tools:
- New rendering technology renders scenes using arbitrary camera lenses and warps. This allows for some fantastic effects, such as:
- Camera plane deformations
- Arbitrary projections
- UV map generation
- True orthographic rendering
- Space warp simulations
- Lens distortion duplicating physically accurate real world lenses or non-existent "imaginary" lenses
- 360 degree panorama rendering (one camera)
- OpenGL:
- Preview lighting scenarios within the UI
- Less need for preview renders
- Hardware shading of procedural textures
- Other:
- Timewarp - Time Re-mapping and Warping Shader
- CCTV Shader
- HV Deformer: HyperVoxel Particle Displacement Shader
- Stress Map
- Sketch Image Filter
- Pixie Dust Volumetric shader
- Relativity 2
- Quaternion Rotations
- Mesh Editing in Layout
- Native 64-bit support
- Multiplatform
- Dual and multi-core support
System Requirements:
- System RAM: 512 MB minimum requirement, 1 GB recommended
- Graphics Card: nVidia FX 5200 series (minimum), ATIFireGL V 5100 (minimum)
- Graphics support: Full OpenGL (OpenGL 2.0 support, or ARB_shading_language_100 OpenGL extension in earlier versions, required to use GLSL features)
- Driver: Latest from chipset manufacturer
- Dedicated Video RAM: 64 MB per display minimum requirement, 128 MB recommended
- Minimum Screen Resolution: 1024x768 minimum requirement, 1280x1024 recommended
- Hard Drive Space: 230 MB for program installation (not including content)
- Windows® 32-Bit:
- Operating System: Windows® XP
- Processor: Intel® or AMD
- Windows® 64-Bit:
- Operating System: Windows® XP Professional x64 Edition
- Processor: Intel® EM64T or AMD64
- RAM: 1 GB
- Macintosh®:
- Operating System: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 Panther(TM)
- Processor: PowerPC® G4 minimum requirement, G5 recommended
Specifications subject to change without notice.Explore the great new features of LightWave 9 in six easy lessons!
Each lesson introduces new tools as they are applied in a working project. Each project features a different style of animation; Cartoon Animation, Special Effects, Motion Graphics, Technical Animation and more. Designed to introduce users of LightWave 8 and earlier to the new tools of LightWave 9, this instructional DVD will also introduce new users of LightWave to some of the more impressive features of this release such as:
- Advanced Camera Tools
- Time Warp
- HV Deformer
- Stress Map
- Sketch Image Filter
- Relativity 2
- Align to Path
- New SDS (Catmul-Clark)
- Edges
- New Dynamic Tools
- Node Editor
- APS (Adaptive Pixel Sup-division)
- Pixie Dust
- Sticky
- CCTV
- Global Settings
- Layout Modeling
- Animation Path
- Visor
- Flatten tool
- Dissolve Tool
- List Manager
Lessons:
Lesson 1) Cartoon Head
Using some of the new rendering and modeling tools in LightWave 9 we will create a simple 'Toon head. With the powerful new tools in LightWave 9 rigging the eyes, setting up a Toon style render and sending steam out of our angry hero's ears is a simple matter.
Tools Discussed:
- Catmul-Clark Sub Division Surfaces: model our character's head with weight edges and N-Gons Edges Toon Shader
- Center Pivot: Getting the eyes to rotate from the right place
- Pixie Dust
Lesson 2) Race Car
Setting up a car to ride over a rough landscape having its wheels behave correctly does sound intimidating, but with the new tools in LightWave 9 it's a snap. We will quickly set-up a simple car in Modeler, create a track and then it's off to the races! In Layout we will use the new Sticky tool to keep the car on the road, Relativity to steer and rotate the wheels and CCTV to get a view of the action to display on the Jumbotron. A quick visit to the Node Editor and some time spent with the Advance Camera tools and we'll have a great paint job on our new ride.
Tools:
- Sticky make a car follow the terrain, aligning it to the correct path as it races around the track.
- Relativity Setting up the behavior of the wheels with the Relativity 2 expression engine
- CCTV get a second view of the action on a big screen
- Advanced Camera Tools a quick reflection map with Sky Tracer and the Advanced Camera Tool
- Node Editor impressive coat of paint using shading models in the Node Editor and our reflection map.
Lesson 3) Starship Interface
When the actors in Sci-Fi movies look at screens someone has to create what goes on that screen. Starting in Modeler we'll use some more of the great new tools, including the Dissolve Tool and the Flatten Tool to quickly create a simply space ship. Then in layout we'll set-up a great looking display using the Isometric Camera and the Node Editor.
Tools
- Flatten Tool create the smooth sections of our space ship
- Dissolve Tool It's always been easy to add edge loops, we'll use it to remove some unwanted edges.
- Isometric Camera create a slick little diagnostic display with ship rotating around its profiles.
- Node Editor a simple process to create a unique holographic look to our ship a simple GUI overlay.
Lesson 4) Hurricane
When Twister was being made teams of artists spent months to create the exciting weather effects. Using the powerful new Animation Wind Path tool we'll create similar effects in just minutes. We'll then create a landscape for our storm to pass over using the Node Editor both in the Deformation and in the Surface panels. We'll use the Adaptive Pixel Sub-Ds to optimize the rendering times. Then we'll have the twister bend a flag pole, damaging the metal with the Stress Map Tool.
Tools
- Animation Wind Path a particle system for our storm is quick and easy with the Wind Path tool.
- Node Editor Creating and texturing a quick landscape
- APS set up our scene to have only the polygons it needs to look good with Hypervoxels, optimization counts!
- Stress Map Using a simple bone setup, we'll bend a street lamp over and use the Stress Map tool to crumple the metal at the bend point.
Lesson 5) Motion graphics
Motion Graphics are the bread and butter for many animators. LightWave 9 adds many new features to make things easier when creating logos and text graphics. We'll start by creating some text, not in Modeler, but in Layout. Then using the several new tools, including Align to Path and the Node Editor, we will create a quick bit of logo work. We will also explore some of the more fundamental changes in Layout, including the List Manager to keep track of our resources, Visor to keep track of our progress and the new Global Settings panel to set up a render.
Tools:
- Layout Text Tool create text with out touching Modeler.
- List Manager create several lists to avoid any confusion.
- Visor keep track of our changes as we go
- Align to path new Align to path is perfect for animating objects that need to start from a stop or end up not moving.
- Global settings we will setup most or our scenes wide setting, from just one panel.
- Node Editor some really slick textures on out text and other elements.
Lesson 6) Molten Metal
We will be building a scene that would have been almost completely impossible in earlier versions of LightWave. We will create a flow of molten lava that pools realistically on the ground using the new HV Deformer tool. We'll add some sparks and other effects and then use the new Save All Motions option to prep for additional animation and eventual Screamer-net rendering. Then we'll pan a camera right through the chaos and mess with the fabric of time itself with the new Time Warper plug-in.
Tools
- HV Deformer a simple particle scene with some Hypervoxels liquids pool on the ground
- Save All Motions Saving particle motion for many systems
- Time Warper escape the constraints of frame based timelines and do things that could not possibly done any other way.
110 minutes
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