(or, more properly, '''LightWave 3D''') is a
Computer Graphics program for
3D Modeling , rendering, and animation. Although the program originated on the
Commodore Amiga , it has since been ported to support
Mac OS X ,
Windows , Sgi
IRIX , and the render engine has also been ported to
Linux platforms. It was once licensed by and is now entirely developed by
NewTek .
Lightwave has long been known for its excellent
Rendering abilities and unusual
User Interface (for example, icons are not used; instead functions are all given descriptive titles). Like many other
3D packages Lightwave is composed of two parts, an object modelling environment where 3d models or meshes are created and an
Animation environment where models are arranged and animated for
Render . Unlike most other packages these two parts are stand-alone programs. There is also a separate rendering application which can be run on multiple machines.
Some functions within LightWave are
Multi-threaded which means those components can use as many as eight processors in the same machine at the same time when rendering an image.
Programmers can expand LightWave's capabilities using an included
SDK and also a special scripting language called LScript. This SDK is based on the powerful
C Language and almost anything can be created, from a custom
Shader to a different scene format exporter. LightWave itself includes dozens of free
Plugin s and many more can be obtained from different developers around the globe.
In 1988,
Allen Hastings created a rendering and animation program called Videoscape, and his friend Stuart Ferguson created a complementary 3D modeling program called Aegis Modeler. It is these two programs that would evolve into what would eventually be known as Lightwave 3D.
Newtek planned to incorporate Videoscape and Aegis into its video editing suite, computer.
Lightwave 3D has been available as a standalone application since 1994 and version 8.5 now 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 '' and ''
SeaQuest DSV '' science fiction television series; the program was also utilized in the production of ''
Titanic '' and the recent ''
Sin City '' and ''
Star Wars '' movies.
In 2001, a rift developed between NewTek management and a group headed by Vice President of 3D Development Brad Peebler, which included original developers Allen Hastings and Stuart Ferguson. For the second time in its history NewTek faced a major walkout, this time with most of its key Lightwave engineers and programmers leaving the company. After months of public confusion, the breakaway group formed a new company, Luxology. They have since shipped their own 3D package,
Modo .
NewTek and LightWave have been honored with
Emmy Award s since 1993 and won their 10th and 11th awards in 2004. In 2003 NewTek was awarded an
Emmy For Technology that has had a major impact on television.
Now in its eighth version, its market ranges from hobbyists (because of its low price point) 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 is expected in the coming months.
