I'm trying to at least learn the Lightwave demo (so I can decide whether to buy the academic version perhaps) and I was wondering if anyone knows some good resources for learning Lightwave because the demo doesn't come with a manual at all and Lightwave is baffling me.

P.S. Although I have primarily used Bryce for 3D I did try blender and seemed to get the hand of that pretty well (with the help of some tutorials) so I don't think Lightwave is much too complicated, I think I must be approaching it wrong.

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(url="http://"http://members.shaw.ca/lightwavetutorials/Main_Menu.htm")http://members.shaw....s/Main_Menu.htm(/url)

good tutorials there...

also try (url="http://"http://lwg3d.org/LWG/")http://lwg3d.org/LWG/(/url)

enjoy.

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i cant believe i forgot flay!
(url="http://"http://www.flay.com/")http://www.flay.com/(/url)

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DeAdBoY-
(url="http://"http://www.grybs.com/harzius")Harzius Productions(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.IcedEarth.com")Iced Earth(/url)
George Harrison, 1943-2001

Where is the demo available? I'd like to try it.

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Apparently, common sense isn't so common...

The academic version is still $800, so I can only get Bryce 5, 10% of that cost.

Except I would like to try the demo...although I will bet money that it's over 25MB.

-Lequis

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Lequis Design
lequis.netfirms.com
PhantoM_63ff@hotmail.com

I don't remember where I got it but it was 17 megs.

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Quote

Originally posted by Lequis MX:
**The academic version is still $800

**

actually it's $900

Quote

Originally posted by Evil Penguin:
actually it's ** $900**

Quote

Originally posted by Onyx:
**That's a whole lot better than the full $2500 non-acad version. Can't wait 'till I get my hands on 7...

**

Dumb question, but what is the academic version of Lightwave, and why is it cheaper? (btw, thanks for posting this topic, daimyo, as I too am trying to learn the demo)
And Onyx, can I use you for the graphics for my and QT's plug, The Ages Trilogy? I don't know whether you'd be edgy after the loss of Cold Blood (God, that looked good), but if you want, you'd only have to do the graphics. Of course, if you want to get involved more, than I'm not one to argue...

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“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”
-- Robin Williams

I think Lightwave is worth it. I got it, and I love it. The only problem with the demo is that you can't really play with the texturing as much (cos save is disabled and the scenes are kinda weird), but those controls are great.

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Quote

Originally posted by Onyx:
**That's a whole lot better than the full $2500 non-acad version. Can't wait 'till I get my hands on 7...

**

Yeah, but I wouldn't like to have commercial restrictions on my academic software... I'd regret purchasing software with such restrictions in the future.

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Is the academic version restricted in some ways?

Also, I know this sounds really dumb, but also does anyone know of any basic things I could try modelling because it seems to me I always choose something too easy, and get bored, or so difficult I end up screwing around with the shear and magnet commands until it becomes some dillapidated flower.

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Lequis MX: The demo is sent, free of charge, to you by mail on a CD. You don't have to download a thing.

All: The academic version is identical to the full version as far as the included items (manuals, software, content, so forth). The difference is in the license - you may not create commercial graphics with the academic version.

Cpt. Skyblade: No, you wouldn't regret it, because you can later upgrade your license to a full commercial license for no more (I believe) than if you bought it as a full version in the first place. It's not like you're restricted forever. There's no difference AFAIK...except you can have the leftover $1500 sitting around collecting interest until you're ready to go pro.

daimyo: I recently made a really cool looking mechanical pencil very (wonderfully!) easily in Lightwave. That was fun. Reproducing everyday objects can be fun, and great for honing skills. (No, Cpt. Skyblade, I won't be submitting anything made with Lightwave to your graphics contest...the extent of my LW skill is that mechanical pencil. :rolleyes: )

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Think of it this way: You learn lightwave - you make kickass graphics. (url="http://"http://www.ap3d.com/betterspace")www.ap3d.com/betterspace(/url) is EXCELLENT - it taught me a heck of a lot of what I now know. ... I might be making a lightwave tute one of theese days....Trust me, lightwave is worth it. I have 7 and its SO good. of course, Its gonna take a lot of hard work to learn it (took me around 14 months total (Nonstop) to get to where I am now.)
Plus, you have to have a good 3D background - you cant just jump into it.

homepage.mac.com/zombat/.Pictures/rotation_B.gif <-- an example of my newest work

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"And the Ignorant shall fall to the squirrels"
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I don't think you can ever "master" a program like Lightwave. It's like mastering Photoshop. You can always get better.

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"There is enough life on earth to fill fifty planets. Be prepared for anything."
K-Pax
(url="http://"http://www.adventuredog.f2s.com")Adventure Dog(/url)

Lequis' notes about Graphics...

Bryce is only good with a patch. Download from (url="http://"http://www.corel.com")www.corel.com(/url)

Academic versions are for those who can't afford a full-cost program. Or for schools. The difference primarily is a label all over it that says "Academic..." on it, and it doesnt have a manual, as in Bryce 5. Plus, you're technically not supposed to use Academic SW for commercial purposes, although who's going to know?

As for LW, does an amateur ok-level Bryce user amount to ANY skill in LW?

-Lequis

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Lequis Design
lequis.netfirms.com
PhantoM_63ff@hotmail.com

Quote

Originally posted by Lequis MX:
**Lequis' notes about Graphics...

Bryce is only good with a patch. Download from www.corel.com

Academic versions are for those who can't afford a full-cost program. Or for schools. The difference primarily is a label all over it that says "Academic..." on it, and it doesnt have a manual, as in Bryce 5. Plus, you're technically not supposed to use Academic SW for commercial purposes, although who's going to know?

As for LW, does an amateur ok-level Bryce user amount to ANY skill in LW?

-Lequis

**

eh, there are manuals in the academic version of lightwave. and the upgrade from acad to commercial lisence is around $500 - so you'd pay a total of $1,500 on LW instead of $2,500... just some trivia that you people didnt seem to be paying attention to.

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DeAdBoY-
(url="http://"http://www.grybs.com/harzius")Harzius Productions(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.IcedEarth.com")Iced Earth(/url)
George Harrison, 1943-2001

(quote)Originally posted by Weepul 884:
**
Cpt. Skyblade: No, you wouldn't regret it, because you can later upgrade your license to a full commercial license for no more (I believe) than if you bought it as a full version in the first place. It's not like you're restricted forever. There's no difference AFAIK...except you can have the leftover $1500 sitting around collecting interest until you're ready to go pro.

(No, Cpt. Skyblade, I won't be submitting anything made with Lightwave to your graphics contest...the extent of my LW skill is that mechanical pencil. But I can understand. The Lightwave demo was enough to tell me that Cinema 4D is better. LW is just... hard.

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(url="http://"http://saberstudios.evula.net")Saber Studios(/url)**

Quote

Originally posted by Captain Skyblade:
**
People say Lightwave just feels more powerful then Cinema 4D, but the truth is, C4D is even better in a few areas.

**

I tried doing stuff in both programs, and Lighwave had smoother solutions. The modeller is amazing. The layout of modeller is so much cleaner looking then C4D, which was cluttered, and the window was squashed into a tiny area. The only thing I liked better in C4D was the fact that it was all in one program. In LW that doesn't even make that much of a difference since you can switch at the touch of a button, and the programs take almost no time to load.

I did like the loft NURBS in C4D, it's more of a pain in LW.

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"There is enough life on earth to fill fifty planets. Be prepared for anything."
K-Pax
(url="http://"http://www.adventuredog.f2s.com")Adventure Dog(/url)

(This message has been edited by Evil Penguin (edited 02-13-2002).)

People say CD4 is good...but when you compare work done in CD4 with lightwave....sometimes it just dosent compare. Sure, lightwave has 2 programs, but when you think about it, they jsut had to do that to save memory. I also like the layering/boolean system/technique in lightwave. Im not sure about CD4, but I like the ability to make it a single object, not have many (like infini-d) Does CD4 have boolean capabilities?

Lightwave!!

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"And the Ignorant shall fall to the squirrels"
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