So why is it that when a person buys a new program, they sometimes have to either go back to college or spend hundreds on training DVD’s just to learn how to do a basic task? I got a copy of LightWave 9, mostly because like any kid who’s seen computer animation, like those done by Pixar, their first thought is “I wanna make cool movies like that too!”. As a kid with a video camera, I used to try to get my friends to help me make short movies. But the problem with using friends as actors, they often had to spend their Saturday mowing the lawn or doing homework, and you’d have to postpone filming for months at a time just to find a day to get your cast of characters available at the same time. That’s why I quickly switched to frame by frame animation using Legos, Clay, G.I. Joes, and whatever else I could get my hands on. Those actors were ALWAYS available. And my sets were cheap. When computer animation came around, the idea intrigued me. I loved that you could build a set on a computer, and never worry about your characters shrinking or breaking through out a scene the way clay does. And with such grand advances in computer technology, computer animation looks more realistic every day. Now be aware, this is a review written for those who are completely new to LightWave. I’ve never used LightWave before today, and am writing this review from that stand point.
Upon installing LightWave 9, I felt confident that within a few hours I’d be able to have a primitive understanding of how to do simple tasks, like make a ball bounce on a platform. After a lot of frustration, I had my ball and platform, but couldn’t figure out how to make it bounce. I had worked with other 3D animation software before, so I knew once I found the right menu or button, I’d be fine. But that’s the big issue. LightWave does not put its menus or buttons in easy to find places. I’m guessing that’s why LightWave has such a mystery of being “elite”. I will say, though, that once you find all your tools, the navigation through LightWave is pretty easy. It’s getting the ball rolling, or bouncing in my case, that takes some time.
So I turned to the internet, hoping to find free tutorials. I found plenty of videos and text showing how to do complex things in LightWave, but nothing that just gave a basic overview. Every article I read started “Well, I’m assuming that you already have a basic understanding of LightWave and how it works” and then they’d use terms and speak of things I didn’t know anything about. Mainly because their assumptions were incorrect. I knew nothing of LightWave.
My goal here is not only to review the product, but also to show some very basic things to get you started in LightWave. Honestly, I don’t think LightWave 9 really needs an in depth review. The question beginners have is “How is the Learning Curve? Is it hard to Learn?” The answer is “Yes, it is hard to learn if you don’t have a teacher.” So my suggestion is to take a class, buy a class on DVD, or find a friend willing to work with you on LightWave.
LightWave for Dummies
First thing to know, LightWave consists of Two Programs. One is the Modeler (where you draw all your objects) and the other is the Layout (where you make all your objects interact). Both programs are in your NewTek Folder. Modeler is Purple; Layout is Red. It’s best to start with the Modeler and draw things. Else, you’ll have nothing to import into your Layout.
In Modeler, the process is simple. The tabs on the top generically will lead you down the path of Object creation starting on the left most tab (Create) and moving down to the right. In the Create Tab, you can make simple objects like boxes and balls. The next tab over (Modify) will let you modify your object. The buttons stacked in a list on the left of the program are tools you can use while working with your object. These lists of tools will change as you click on new tabs at the top.
When you’ve customized your shape the way you want, you must save it by flicking on “file” drop down list in the top left and then “Save Object”. Once your object is saved, you can import it into the Layout Program.
With the Layout Program open, go to “File” and “Import Object”. It will then open up a browser window where you can browse for your saved object and import it into the Modeler. At this point, feel free to click on your newly imported object. You can position it in the scene and even change its properties to decide how it will react in the scene. Your object’s properties are hanging out at the bottom of the window. Click the Button that says “Objects” and then the button to the right of it called “Properties”. This will open up a new window called “Object Properties”. You can also adjust the properties for other things like Bones, Lights, and Cameras by click on those buttons at the bottom and then on the Properties Button.
In Layout, you’re working in a scene. This scene can play like a movie. It defaults to 60 frames of movie, but can extend as high as you’d like. In the lower right had corner of layout, you’ll see buttons similar to those on a VCR. (Play, fast forward, rewind, etc) Right about the fast forward button, you’ll see the number “60”. This number determines how many total frames are in your Scene. Feel free to increase this number now, or as you go along. When that number changes, so will the numbers directly to the left of that field on your timeline. It defaults 0 to 60, but will change as your total frames change.
Your timeline can hold basic object information called “Key Frames”. A Key Frame can hold information such as an object’s position, rotation, or basic properties. While this may not make a whole lot of sense now, it’ll make sense once you play with it more. It’s a great easy way to animate. So, if I had drawn a ball in the Modeler, and imported the ball into the Layout program I could create a simple animation using key frames. I move the slider on the timeline to Frame 0. Then I move my ball all the way to the left. Then I move my timeline slider to Frame 60 and move my ball all the way to the right. If I hit play to watch my scene, I will see the ball move left to right across all 60 frames. Key Frames are frames where you set up your objects. And LightWave will animate every frame in between. You can have as many key frames as you want inside a scene. And each object, light, or camera, can have its own set of key frames.
Now back to my bouncing ball. I didn’t want to animate every frame of my bouncing ball because there are too many physics involved. Such as making it bounce less and less with each bounce, or even trying to make a nice realistic arch as it bounced down a ramp. I knew that LightWave, just like every other 3D animator out there, has the ability to add Dynamics such as Gravity to objects. So, my goal was to draw a ball, a slanted ramp, and then add gravity to my scene. LightWave could then calculate all the physics behind a ball bouncing down a ramp and animate the whole thing for me. Many people don’t understand that in 3D animation software, you build objects, and then drop them into a world and let them do their own thing. You don’t have to animate each frame. You can draw a bowling ball, an alley, and 10 pins. Then you tell each object what the rules of the scene are. Things like “Gravity pulls you down” or “When something hits you, bounce away from it” and etc. Then, like the director you are, you yell “Action”, throw the ball at the pins, and let the objects act out the rest.
The way to define the physics of each object is to go into the Object Properties Window. (Remember, that’s in the Layout program at the bottom of the screen. Hit the “Objects” Button, then the “Properties” Button.) There’s a tab called “Dynamics”. In here, you can select an object, and then click the Add Dynamics dropdown to add physical properties to each object. Things like “Gravity” or “Collision”.
To make a ball bounce on a platform in LightWave 9, you need to have both your ball and platform imported into your scene. Place the ball directly over the platform. Add the Dynamic FX “Gravity” and “Hard” to the ball. Add the effect “Collision” to the platform. Click the Button “Calculate” in the Object Properties window. LightWave will calculate all the physics of the scene as though it were a real ball bouncing on a real platform. Now you can play your scene and watch the ball bounce. You can customize the effects to change the physics of your scene. Things like increasing the weight of the ball or the strength of gravity. Or even changing the amount of bounce that will happen when the ball hits the platform.
So now you should know two very basic ways to create a very simple animation in LightWave. You can use Key Frames, or Dynamics, or both to create complex scenes. Now, you should be to a point where all the online help available on NewTek’s site or elsewhere will actually help you on your path to making some amazing 3D animations.
Summary
So back to my review of LightWave 9… LightWave is an amazing program. We’ve seen professionals use it to make amazing things. So we all know what it can do. Is it easy to learn? Not on your own. I have a very small amount of experience with other 3D animation software and it took me a few days to get results I was pleased with. My suggestion is to get a training DVD or see if your local college offers a LightWave class you can take. Once you know the basics, there are some great higher end training videos out there to show you ways to improve you animations and artwork. But as far as I can tell, there’s nothing free out there (other than what I just wrote) that covers the extreme basics of the program to help someone who just started in LightWave and doesn’t know anything about it. There are pre-made models and scenes out there for you to work with, but still I think it’s important to be able to make your own creations. LightWave is awesome, but you’ll need some training to match its capabilities.
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