As one of the most popular 3D applications in the Film and TV industries, LightWave continues to wow its users with every new release. Keeping up with the changes and improved functionality of each new version can be challenging, but with the hands-on projects and tutorials provided here, you'll get up to speed quickly. Detailed guidelines walk you through the maze of features found in the Layout and Modeler interfaces, and teach you how to select the right tools for specific tasks. Through the tutorial-based approach, novice users will learn new skills and increase their mastery of this powerful program, and intermediate users will gain access to new modeling ideas and insights.
The book is broken into five main parts exploring the ins and outs of LightWave modeling. Part I, Basics of LightWave Modeling, provides a refresher course that targets all of the basic LightWave modeling techniques. Part II, More Advanced Modeling Techniques, walks you through more complex modeling alternatives, including Displacement Modeling, Metaballs, HyperVoxels, Metaform Modeling, Self-Similar Modeling (Mirror, Array, Clone, Symmetrize), Modeling with Particles, Pivots/Parenting/ Hinges, and more. Part III, Plugins, deals with the specific use of both commercial and shareware/ freeware plugins. Part IV, Handshaking Applications, includes tutorials on external applications including DarkTree Textures, Surface Toolkit from dvGarage, Eovia's Amapi, ElectricImage's Amorphium, Impulse's Illusion, Greenwork's XFrog, and Onyx Software's Tree Professional. Part V, Projects, provides a selection of detailed project tutorials.