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NEWTEK INC.
LIGHTWAVE 60
In Brief: NewTek's LightWave 6.0 is an advanced and professional grade 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution for film,broadcast and DV. LightWave v.6.0 is Macintosh and Windows resolution-independent.
Price: $2,495.00
Info: www.newtek.com
As part of an ongoing mobile studio concept, this review copy of LightWave was tested on a top of the line 500 MHz G3 Apple PowerBook with 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM as well as on the traditional desktop.
The 3D package LightWave began its early life on the Amiga platform and has steadily evolved out of its humbler "Toaster" days to become one of the premiere dedicated multi-platform animation tools in the industry. Users of LightWave are typically a maverick breed of animator that reflect the rather plucky spirit and dedication of the company behind the program. The role that LightWave has played in bringing sophisticated and ambitious effects and 3D work to network TV and feature films is well-known to admirers and competitors alike.
Among its many early credits are the popular TV series Babylon 5, Hercules, and Xena: Warrior Princess. Star Trek: Voyager is a more recent example of its TV dominance. It's also been used effectively in major feature films such as Titanic, Men in Black, and many others. Digital Domain and other high-end post film and video facilities consistently use LightWave for cinema and commercial spot work. Rumors of its adoption at other companies known for animation feature film work haven't cooled for some time.
The current version of LightWave has been reworked from the ground up in an effort to streamline and infuse the program with power, features, and tools that NewTek has committed to after years of research, development, and feedback from its user base.
General Improvements
Those accustomed to LightWave will find it still recognizable though altered substantially from earlier versions. New converts to the package will find it has a clear and compact interface capable of dramatic creation and animation strengths. Though advocates of wellknown high-end animation companies are typically loathe to admit it, LightWave is one (if not THE one) of a handful of moderately priced animation tools that have helped to propel a downward pricing spiral to their much costlier products.
The interface is now almost completely customizable,...