NewTek, a provider of 3D animation and video products, is showcasing NewTek LightWave 10.1, the latest version of its Emmy Award-winning 3D software. LightWave 10.1 delivers new capabilities for 3D artists, such as a new off-axis stereoscopic camera rig option, an improved Viewport Preview Renderer (VPR), more powerful import and export capabilities with FBX, MDD, and integrated Autodesk Geometry Cache support, and a new Skin material node.
Visit NewTek (booth SL4514) during NAB to see the latest advancements in LightWave software.
LightWave 10.1 provides access to all major stereo camera rigs--parallel, toe-in, and off-axis--allowing artists to correct for toe-in distortion in the animation pipeline, dynamically. Other enhancements include: interactive OpenGL off-axis adjustment of the right and left camera planes, user-friendly click-and-drag convergence point adjustment in the viewport, and the ability to disable the anaglyph representation of the stereo camera in OpenGL. Also in Version 10.1, interocular and convergence point can be animated dynamically over time to track stereo changes within a shot.
"Our long-standing relationships with leading studios and our user community inspire the innovation for our LightWave application-and this certainly rings true with LightWave 10.1," says NewTek vice president of 3D development, Rob Powers. "As a 3D artist, I'm excited about the changes to our stereoscopic camera rig and interchange tools, which makes LightWave deliver even greater value to any production pipeline."
Using the LightWave VPR, artists can directly interact and easily adjust lights, textures, volumetrics, and more, within the viewport. Artists can use the VPR to view updates and deliver realistic environmental walkthroughs quickly, and perform virtual location scouts. LightWave 10.1 extends the functionality of VPR with the support of clip maps in the VPR render, the addition of object and distance dissolve, and improved nodal shaders, such as the new Skin material node. The Skin material node uses a proprietary subsurface shading model for a simple "connect-and-go" way to create realistic-looking skin.
LightWave 10.1 with integrated Autodesk Geometry Cache Support gives artists the ability to include or exclude models, morphs, animations, cameras, and lights upon export. Other workflow features in LightWave 10.1 offer the ability to import joints as LightWave bones for greater compatibility with other programs; multi-threaded mesh evaluation optimization and sub-d mesh freezing acceleration; and linear color space workflow improvements, including new support for .ICC/.ICM monitor profiles.
Additional LightWave 10.1 features include:
- Virtual Studio Tools-supports InterSense Virtual Camera Tracking System (VCAM) and 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator 3D mouse, allowing interaction with models and scenes in real time
- FiberFX-hair and fur shader now supports VPR and includes improved speed, stability and displacement handling
- Linear Color Space Workflow-supports custom Look Up Tables (LUTs) for more realistic lighting and compositing flexibility, color space correction for HyperVoxels™, XYZ, Lab, RGB and CMYK data, and more
- Updated User Interface (UI)-interactive channel sliders, added control for custom colors, and numerous workflow enhancements deliver a more dynamic user experience
Try LightWave free for 30 days at: http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/lwtrial.php.
LightWave 10.1 is expected to be available to registered users of LightWave 10 in Q2 2011.
- For a limited time the upgrade price from LightWave v9 to LightWave 10.1 is US $495; a full license for LightWave 10.1 is US $895.
Educational pricing is also available.