LightWave 3D is the perfect combination of power, speed and value. Easy to learn and

use and versatile enough for any application. LightWave is a complete modeling,

rendering and animation system used extensively in broadcast television production, film

visual effects, video game development, print graphics and visualization. LightWave

offers extensive platform support including, Windows 32-bit, Windows 64-bit and Mac.

LightWave also offers full support of systems with multi-core processors. In addition to

LightWave’s highly regarded photo-real render engine each license comes with 999 free

render nodes, making it the most affordable, efficient render pipeline option on the

market.

LightWave 3D® is a complete modeling, animation and rendering solution. Its native renderer is unparalleled and serves as the centerpiece in the production pipeline of many facilities both large and small. Render nodes are free and set up is quite straightforward. LightWave Modeler excels both as a subdivision surface and a polygonal modeler, fast, efficient and again, straightforward in functionality. In addition, an industry leading node-based texturing and shading system allows you to create any look you desire - quickly and easily.

At NewTek, our mission is to develop cutting-edge and feature-rich products which allow ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We have a history of revolutionizing the industry with powerful, easy to use tools that work like you do - and don't break the bank in the process. It is our mission to make it realistic for you to realize your dreams, no matter where they take you, from architectural visualization, to independent production and major studio visual effects.

You'll find LightWave is the most complete and robust 3D system right out of the box anywhere at any price. It is a thriving, dynamic system, ever evolving to meet the needs of our users. We work closely on a day-to-day basis with LightWave artists so that we know exactly what you are trying to accomplish. The LightWave renderer is first class and infinitely easier to set up and use than any other, not to mention the fact that unlimited render nodes are free.

We take great pride in the fact that LightWave artists have won more Emmy Awards than those using any other package. We are proud of the fact that our user community is the most passionate, most active and most helpful in the industry. LightWave is more than a 3D program, it is a business, it is an art form, it is a film, it is a game, it is realistic, it is cartoonish, it is moving, it is still... it is whatever you make of it.

LightWave is in the midst of a major renaissance driven by the needs of 3D artists worldwide. Vast improvements have been made to the system in the LightWave v9 development cycle. A large troupe of LightWave artists contribute to the development efforts through the Open Beta program, where registered owners of LightWave v9 gain early access to the software for testing and feedback. As a result, the LightWave v9 series, including the recent LightWave v9.5, has seen the addition of the following benefits:

Character Animation Enhancements:

FiberFX: Complete hair and fur solution for all platforms.
Collada, FBX and OBJ I/O support: Improved compatibility with other applications.
Enhanced IK and Animation Systems: Provides improved character animation controls.

Rendering:

IES Lighting: Accurately duplicate physical lights from manufacturers’ datasheets.
Radiosity Cache: Unique animated and static caching with size multipliers.
Photoreal Motion Blur: Artifact-free live action blur as if photographed with film
New anti-aliasing methods: Greater control for balancing quality with render speed.
New global illumination and radiosity: Easily create photorealistic scenes, sharacters and products while simulating the effect of real-world lighting in photography.
Progressive previews for global illumination: Provide immediate feedback
Implementation of state-of-the-art BSP/KD Tree Algorithm: Provides much faster and more efficient raytracing; bigger scenes render a lot faster.
Improved multi-threading with dynamic segmentation: Insures maximum use of available CPUs, optimizing render times.

Adaptive Pixel Subdivision:

Speed increases many times over previous versions of LightWave: More efficient render times for today's increasingly ambitious high polygon-count scenes for production.
Adaptive subdivision of a mesh based upon distance from the camera and visibility: Allows for effective use of system resources for workflow viewing versus rendering.
APS Choice: Per Object, Per Polygon and Per Pixel: Provides the widest range of flexibility.

Advanced Camera Tools:

RealLens Camera: Physically correct cameras allow recreation of any real-world camera lens for matching footage rendered in LightWave to real-world photography. (a must for compositing CGI and real footage together)
New rendering technology produces scenes using arbitrary camera lenses and warps: Create fantastic effects such as: camera plane deformations, arbitrary projections, UV map generation, true orthographic rendering, space warp simulations, lens distortion duplicating real-world lenses or "imaginary" lenses and one-camera 360° panorama rendering.

Node Editor:

New subsurface scattering materials and shaders: Accurately simulates lighting and shading for materials such as marble, milk, etc., as well as a specific and easy to use material for skin shading.
Material Nodes: Conductor, Dielectric, Delta and more: Allow for the creation of physically accurate surfaces such as glass, liquid and metals quicker and easier than ever before.
New Make Material and Standard Nodes: Allow for conbination of shading models and other node maps to create your own distinct material.
Blinn, Oren-Nayar, Ambient Occlusion and other shading models: Provide unlimited shading possibilites.
Shaders for sub-surface scattering & anisotropic specular & reflection shaders: Allow for easy-to-use chromatic dispersion in surfaces, and offer spectacular visual impact.
Support for normal maps from ZBrush® 2 and Mudbox™: Adds incredible detail to low-poly models via displacement.
Workflow flexibility: Nodes can be used freely with layers and even shader plug-ins.
Full support of native controls and envelopes: Best of both worlds when texturing materials - quick and easy traditional layers and powerful and flexible nodes.
Full SDK support: Allows third-parties to create nodes (including shading models) and for third-party renderers to interface with and query nodal shaders. A vast selection of third-party nodes and cameras is already available.

Modeling:

Improved editing performance: Create and edit your models and meshes faster than ever before.
New screen drawing system in OpenGL: See the results of your changes faster than ever before.
Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces: Expand and simplify the modling workflow by widening subdivision capabilities to include edges, edge weighting and n-gons.

Other LightWave Benefits:

Native 64-bit support: Ability to access more RAM allows for creation of more complex and realistic scenes, as well as production at higher resolutions for film, high-definition television and print.
Multiplatform: Provides complete operating system flexibility from work to home: Windows 32-bit, 64-bit, Mac Universal Binary.
Dual & Multicore support: Allow you to tap into the full power of the latest advancements in hardware technology.
Unlimited Free Render Nodes: Make photorealistic rendering affordable across a large network.
Free technical support: Saves time and money.