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Users Continue To Ride The Wave In 3D Animation
About a decade ago an upstart company named NewTek unveiled a product called the Video Toaster that revolutionized the teleproduction industry by shoehorning the best parts of a modern studio into one box for a fraction of the price.
Though Toasters today are now few and far between, a part of the Toaster legacy lives on in LightWave-the 3D modeling and animation module of this once-proprietary package. Now a formidable standalone 3D animation program, LightWave defines itself as an affordable, integrated package for professional-level 3D animation that is more than capable of taking the aspiring animator from back bedroom to backlot without ever having to learn a new program.
Going Into The Light
LightWave is probably one of the easiest 3D packages to get up and running-even for the novice. Two manuals are included in the box-a User Guide and a Reference Manual-and while they don't make for the most interesting reading, they are well written and free of most confusing jargon. I noticed a conspicuous absence of tutorials in these books, but the presence of numerous Hints, Notes, and How-Tos made up for this in many ways. I would still like to see something of a consolidated glossary-at least in the Reference Manual-and the Index listings could use some additional detailing. (I often found myself hunting through the books for even the most basic of functions).
A big plus comes in the form of the Desktop Images videotape (LightWave 3D Quickstart) included with each copy of the program. This will definitely help newcomers find their way around the LightWave universe. Considering the wealth of thirdparty books and videos available for LightWave, users-both new and experienced in 3D animation-should have no problem establishing a comfortable and effective learning curve for the software.
LightWave On The Wire
Today's studio marketplace is still very platform-dependent....