LightWave 3D 9.2

[ed209]

October 31, 2006

Are You Ready?
We’re nearing the final stages of preparation for LightWave v9.2 Open Beta. Advancements made are complex and far reaching, so it’s taken a bit more time than expected... we are excited about these new changes and feel they are worth the time and effort. Improvements have been made across the board in key areas such as new advanced cameras, improved precision and performance in the IK solvers, new nodes, rendering, texturing, Modeler performance and workflow improvements.

Modeling
We’re excited to report that the changes in Modeler bring the OpenGL capabilities on par with the power that was delivered in Layout for v9.0. In addition, the speed of geometry selection and modification has been greatly enhanced due the development of a new system based on technology invented by NewTek's 3D development team. Taken together, these changes make Modeler much faster and more responsive, which sets the stage for a wide range of capabilities to come. All that... and a new set of Modeler selection tools await our Open Beta participants.

Rendering
Of course, we will always continue to push the envelope of development for LightWave’s outstanding render system. New improvements in this arena include: a new photo-realistic motion blur, accompanied by new anti-aliasing and adaptive sampling methods, advancing LightWave’s render engine to a new level of realism and quality when using the new cameras. In addition, radiosity has received the first in a series of scheduled enhancements; for this round, the Backdrop, Monte Carlo and Interpolated modes have been joined by a new "Filtered" mode providing faster results in some situations. Further, new control options are now available to fine-tune the look of the render. The latter includes a Phong setting which can provide darker edges and more contrast in the final image.

Animation
As you know, one of the key components in the LightWave v9 cycle is a re-write of the core LightWave animation system. One of the major aspects of this revision involves the ObjectID system. An overhaul of this area of the code has been long overdue and we’re proud to inform you that we have tamed this beast over the last several months. The ObjectID system manages how Layout tracks items within a scene, including how animation, deformation, expressions and other modifiers are linked. Simply put, a wide range of long standing issues have been addressed with this one core re-write, clearing the path for the advanced development of LightWave’s character and animation tools that we all hunger for.

Open Beta
We’re very excited about the improvements in this latest release of the LightWave v9 series and are anxious to get it in your hands. Keep an eye out for the official re-opening of LightWave Open Beta. For those of you who haven’t participated in Open Beta before the process is simple, as a LightWave v9 owner you automatically qualify for Open Beta. All you have to do is login at register.newtek.com, click on the Open Beta banner and agree to the NDA and download the software. At that point, you’ll receive an unlock key for the update and you’ll be added to the Open Beta forums.