Genoma character rigging system
Burbank, CALIF. – The LightWave 3D Group, a division of NewTek, Inc., has introduced LightWave 11.5, the newest version of its 3D modeling, animation and rendering software for artists and designers.
“Leveraging the rich collection of new tools in LightWave 11.5 allows us to continue to deliver movies on time and on budget,” said Scott Wheeler, visual effects supervisor at Rogue State and LightWave beta team member. “No other software gives us the scalability to do small team projects while still being capable of handling major studio effects movies quite like LightWave. It’s a must have in our CG arsenal.”
LightWave 11.5 includes new features that enhance creativity and streamline productivity.
Soft Body Bullet Dynamics includes dynamics for effects such as cloth, rubber, jelly or other deforming properties. Bullet meshes are also reactive to bone deformations and wind forces can be added for rippling effects.
After Effects and ZBrush interchange tools offer a LightWave to After Effects button that enables users to select elements in a scene and see them in Adobe After Effects. The After Effects camera can also be exported to LightWave to take advantage of the Camera Tracker and to provide matching between the two programs. GoZ technology for Pixologic’s ZBrush enables users to send models to and from LightWave with automatic node flows for textures and normal maps, and ZBrush styling tools can also be imported.
Zbrush interchange tools Additional interactive modeling tools provide new functionality and architectural advancements in Modeler for faster interactivity, performance and tool development. The upgrade adds UV Unwrap, Edit Edges, Place Mesh, Slice, Thicken and Heat Shrink.
Fiber FX respects soft bodies, offers improved Z-buffer support and adds bundling around guide chains to create fiber braiding and twisting effects. FiberFX now also supports curve poly types, the sketching of curves in Modeler and rendering directly without using the Strand Maker conversion.
Genoma Character Rigging System introduces a new modular instant-rigging system that can be used to quickly rig a biped or quadruped for animation in Modeler without the need for specialized tools. It offers modular rig presets that consist of skeletal parts, and complete rigs for biped and quadrupeds can also be customized.
LightWave 11.5 also expands its suite of virtual studio tools and adds support in the Viewport Preview Renderer for depth-of-field motion blur, node-edge rendering and stereoscopic 3D, as well as new functionality for Flocking and Instancing, as well as workflow enhancements.
LightWave 11 customers can upgrade free of charge online, and educational pricing is also available. Download a free 60-day full-feature trial of LightWave 11.5 here.
LightWave 3D combines a state-of-the-art renderer with powerful and intuitive modeling and animation tools. LightWave includes cross-platform render nodes, support for Windows and Mac UB 64- and 32-bit operating systems and free technical support. LightWave is a 3D production solution for feature film and television visual effects, broadcast design, print graphics, architectural visualization and game development.
LightWave has been used in the creation of films and TV shows, including “Skyfall,” “The Hunger Games,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Avatar,” The Walking Dead,” “Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome,” “Fringe” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
