LightWave
by Kevin Dresher · in Artist Corner · 05/16/2008 (6:48 am) · 5 replies
Im not sure if i am asking in the right forums But im looking for some input about lightwave. How good is it? Can I export everything into TGEA or TGE? Can i create large worlds, buildings, characters and everything else inbetween?
What im pretty much asking is it worth spending $500. for the product?
What other model/animation programs would be worth purchasing under $500?
What im pretty much asking is it worth spending $500. for the product?
What other model/animation programs would be worth purchasing under $500?
#2
Good enough to be used in movies, television, and video games. So many I can't list them here. Click Here
You can export models and animations, & UV maps created in Lightwave. You can't export everything that Lightwave can do into torque. If that's what you mean?
Yes. Again I'm not sure what you mean. If your talking about for TGE/A you can create the land in 3D and export the heightmap but you wouldn't want to use an object for the terrain because torque has it's own terrain system. A friend of mine creates terrain in Lightwave then exports the heightmap into L3DT and then makes the Atlas terrain for TGEA. So yes it can be done. You probably won't want to make all objects in Lightwave as in video games to make things run smoother/faster you use BSP (DIF) and you would use Constructor for certain things like indoor scenes.
05/16/2008 (7:22 am)
Quote:How good is it?
Good enough to be used in movies, television, and video games. So many I can't list them here. Click Here
Quote:Can I export everything into TGEA or TGE?
You can export models and animations, & UV maps created in Lightwave. You can't export everything that Lightwave can do into torque. If that's what you mean?
Quote:Can i create large worlds, buildings, characters and everything else inbetween?
Yes. Again I'm not sure what you mean. If your talking about for TGE/A you can create the land in 3D and export the heightmap but you wouldn't want to use an object for the terrain because torque has it's own terrain system. A friend of mine creates terrain in Lightwave then exports the heightmap into L3DT and then makes the Atlas terrain for TGEA. So yes it can be done. You probably won't want to make all objects in Lightwave as in video games to make things run smoother/faster you use BSP (DIF) and you would use Constructor for certain things like indoor scenes.
#3
Yeah I saw that too... LightWave v9 Full with PDF Manuals : Your Price $895.00
He might be looking at the upgrade... Kevin you need the full version.
For free you can get Blender.
05/16/2008 (7:24 am)
@David Blake.Yeah I saw that too... LightWave v9 Full with PDF Manuals : Your Price $895.00
He might be looking at the upgrade... Kevin you need the full version.
Quote:
What other model/animation programs would be worth purchasing under $500?
For free you can get Blender.
#4
We used to use it here where I work but dumped it for Maya shortly after I started here.
Houdini is one of the most powerful programs on the market and you can get the non-commercial version for just $99 that has the torque exporter built in now. The best part is that you can use it to build your whole game and then if you get a deal or something you can then buy the license at that time and you are good to go.
But out of all of the full featured packages that are under $1000 the only solutions are Houdini and then of course Blender which is free. the only thing is that neither of these is a really good poly level modeler in my optinion. But there is Silo 2 which is only about $150 which is an awesome modeler. so you could do you modeling in Silo and then take you model in to Houdini animate and everything else there and you are only out $250!
BTW both programs have demos available. Plus if you really like them Digital Tutors has a really go introduction to Houdini Video tutorial DVD and Kurv Studios has a couple for modeling characters in silo.
Personally my preference is for Maya but, if you are in school perhaps you can get a educational version or Maya or 3ds MAX.
05/16/2008 (7:36 am)
Personally I would just recommend using blender over Lightwave.We used to use it here where I work but dumped it for Maya shortly after I started here.
Houdini is one of the most powerful programs on the market and you can get the non-commercial version for just $99 that has the torque exporter built in now. The best part is that you can use it to build your whole game and then if you get a deal or something you can then buy the license at that time and you are good to go.
But out of all of the full featured packages that are under $1000 the only solutions are Houdini and then of course Blender which is free. the only thing is that neither of these is a really good poly level modeler in my optinion. But there is Silo 2 which is only about $150 which is an awesome modeler. so you could do you modeling in Silo and then take you model in to Houdini animate and everything else there and you are only out $250!
BTW both programs have demos available. Plus if you really like them Digital Tutors has a really go introduction to Houdini Video tutorial DVD and Kurv Studios has a couple for modeling characters in silo.
Personally my preference is for Maya but, if you are in school perhaps you can get a educational version or Maya or 3ds MAX.
#5
Lightwave is a great 3d application but with any 3d app there is going ot be a learning curve on using it and another one getting it to work with TGE(A).
For interiors (dif), I use Constructor.
For shapes (dts), I use Lightwave.
Check out some of these links for more info on Lightwave and Torque.
http://www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=10098
http://www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=70850
http://www.gnometech.com
Andy Hawkins Skeleton Content Pack has a great rig that is a nice stepping stone for getting characters with animation from Lightwave into TGE(A).
My main issue with Lightwave and TGEA is getting the normal mapping to work properly.
Blender is a really powerful program but I just took to Lightwave user interface way more quickly.
I apologize if I'm stating the obvious to you, as I have no clue what kind of background you have but... A typical solution for TGE(A) would be to create your "large worlds" in the TGE(A) editor, create "buildings" in Constructor (or another program the David mentioned), especially buildings that the player will go inside, create "characters and everything else in between" with Lightwave (or Blender, or Max, etc).
Best of luck!
05/16/2008 (7:43 am)
Or, if you're a student you can get it for around $200.Lightwave is a great 3d application but with any 3d app there is going ot be a learning curve on using it and another one getting it to work with TGE(A).
For interiors (dif), I use Constructor.
For shapes (dts), I use Lightwave.
Check out some of these links for more info on Lightwave and Torque.
http://www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=10098
http://www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=70850
http://www.gnometech.com
Andy Hawkins Skeleton Content Pack has a great rig that is a nice stepping stone for getting characters with animation from Lightwave into TGE(A).
My main issue with Lightwave and TGEA is getting the normal mapping to work properly.
Blender is a really powerful program but I just took to Lightwave user interface way more quickly.
I apologize if I'm stating the obvious to you, as I have no clue what kind of background you have but... A typical solution for TGE(A) would be to create your "large worlds" in the TGE(A) editor, create "buildings" in Constructor (or another program the David mentioned), especially buildings that the player will go inside, create "characters and everything else in between" with Lightwave (or Blender, or Max, etc).
Best of luck!
Associate David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake
I would recommend looking at the different software in your price-range, contacting the vendors or downloading demos and figuring out which one fits your workflow best. The Artists page will help you understand which software has exporters available for Torque.
Currently I cannot recommend any polysoup software for creating DIF's for Torque (with the possible exception of 3D Studio Max with Brian's excellent max2ctor plug-in). The process of creating CSG-safe models to compile into DIF's without headache is a headache in itself for most artists. I will recommend Quark, Constructor, 3D World Studio, and GTKRadiant for .map creation, however.
LW has good support for exporting characters and models, but until there is a polysoup solution that includes lighting, zoning, and portaling, it is difficult for me to recommend a polysoup application for creating interiors. The opcode solution is nice at what it does, and it will only get better, but right now there are some limitations to it.
I use LW and love it. I also use Modo and really, really love it. I know people who hate it. It comes down to how you work and what best fits your workflow. If you look at the bullet lists of features, most of the modeling applications have similar features. It really just comes down to workflow and what works best for you. No one but you can answer that, however.