Introduction

Welcome to yet another installment of Inside LightWave. This book represents more than... well, more than a lot of years of LightWave® books written and published by me, a few good friends, and New Riders. Inside books—a staple in the ever-growing digital-image creation industry and your own personal library—are found in bookstores and online retailers around the globe. I personally want to thank you for your continued support, suggestions, and comments, which have helped make this new version of Inside LightWave the best the series has ever seen. Sure, we said that in the last book, and probably the one before that, but really, this is the best one!

To give you the most complete and up-to-date information, Inside LightWave was written in conjunction with the development of the LightWave 10® software (including CORE) from NewTek, Inc. No other book can offer you as much comprehensive information. With Inside LightWave, you will take this classic 3D application to the next level. LightWave 10 is a major release for NewTek, Inc., and I’ve tried to put as much information in this book as possible while keeping it organized and to the point. Every project you’ll create is straightforward so you can get up to speed with this powerful program quickly. Every exercise will give you a clear and concise understanding of the powerhouse of tools LightWave 10 has to offer through simple and easy-to-follow tutorials.

What’s the deal with CORE?

I know what you’re thinking. I’ve thought the same thing too. A third application included with LightWave 10? It’s supposed to get simpler and easier to use. Adding a brand new third application kind of complicates things, right? Well, the answer to that is yes, and no. Simply put, LightWave 10 includes Modeler, for well, modeling! Then there’s Layout, for lighting, animation, and rendering. And then there’s CORE. CORE is the future technology of LightWave, and it will continue to be developed by the team at NewTek for enhanced modeling, better animation, dynamics, and more. It’s an entirely new program, but it’s designed to integrate with LightWave’s existing applications, the newly updated Layout and Modeler. You’ll be able to learn about CORE with a chapter that’s not found in this book, because the application wasn’t finalized at press time, but posted online. Visit www.3dgarage.com and go to the book’s page. Click the Inside LightWave 10 cover and you’ll find the latest information on CORE training to accompany this book. In order to access the additional chapter(s), you’ll need a password. The password will change often and be a specific word on one of these pages, so you’ll always need this book to get access.

Getting the Most from Inside LightWave

Although we have a set format for the Inside books, I had a situation while planning the Inside LightWave [8] book in 2004 that forced me to change how I approached these books. I was at my favorite Borders bookstore in Chicago, looking for ideas to create a cool and modern Web site. Using my suite of tools from Macromedia and Adobe Photoshop 7, I had built a decent Web site but I still needed some excitement. Perhaps some of those cool animated Macromedia Flash header bars, some animated buttons, and a few little gizmos to spice up the site. But I found that there wasn’t a book that showed me how to do what I wanted. All the books I looked at were good, informative, well thought-out, and so on. But I just wanted to get going! I didn’t want to sift through page after page of making curves and animating little clip-art bumblebees and the like. This experience got me thinking! Afterward, I went back to the office and jotted down some notes on how I wanted to refocus the Inside LightWave books.

The formula for the Inside books has worked well since the first Inside LightWave edition in 1997, and I don’t want to change that. Many of the longtime readers look for this same format because of its proven track record. However, I did not want you to find yourselves in the situation I was in, especially when trying to learn a complex 3D application, not just a simple Web-creation program. Therefore, I’ve added a series of topic-specific videos to the book’s DVD to enhance various chapters. This is a not-too-involved type of tutorial that will get you up and running with LightWave 10.

About the Creation of This Book

Inside LightWave was written entirely on a MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo laptop computer. That I was able to build the projects for this book on a mainstream consumer system—and a laptop at that—is a testament to the performance of computer systems in today’s marketplace, as many desktop systems couldn’t support 3D applications a few years ago. There are few differences between LightWave on the Mac and LightWave on Windows. The biggest difference is the use of a two-button mouse. If you are a Mac user, you probably know that Macs shipped with single-button mice for years and only recently started shipping with the two-button Mighty Mouse. Many programs, and the Mac OS X operating system itself, employ right-mouse-button functions, however, and I highly recommend you get a two- or three-button mouse if you’re working on the Mac. This will benefit you greatly working in LightWave 10 as well as other programs. Logitech-brand optical mice work well, from my experience. For you Mac users who cannot part with the one-button mouse, simply hold your Control key in conjunction with the mouse button to achieve right-mouse-button functions. We’ll provide reminders to you throughout this book.

Your choice of using Mac or Windows is strictly up to you. There is no benefit or drawback to either. It’s merely a matter of preference.

Using the LightWave 10 Software with This Book

LightWave 10 has many differences from LightWave 9. I recommend that you use the latest revision of LightWave with this book to maximize your learning. Many of the tutorials in this book use tools only available in version 10. Consequently, some of these tutorials won’t work with previous versions of LightWave. However, if you happen to have the Inside LightWave 6, Inside LightWave 7, or Inside LightWave [8] or v9 books, you can take advantage of the tutorials in those books with the LightWave 10 software. Although some buttons and panels may have changed, the primary workflow and key functions of LightWave 10 operate the same as with previous versions. Additionally, you can change LightWave’s menus back to v9 series mode through the Edit Menu Layout panel, found in the Edit drop-down lists in the program.

Always Use the LightWave 10 Manual

People always criticize software manuals. I think it’s almost a preconceived notion that they are not the best learning tools; and in some cases, they are not. However, they do serve a strong purpose: to introduce and offer reference material on the current version. The LightWave manuals are included with LightWave 10 in electronic form and provide great reference information when you need to find out about a key function or tool. The current manuals from NewTek are the best they’ve been in years, so refer to them often for specific technical information. For learning beyond what you find in the manual, use Inside LightWave. This book is not intended to replace the manual or the reference function it serves, but it takes you to the next level by walking you through the toolset with projects and tasks.

Where Should You Start?

As I mentioned earlier, it kills me to buy a big new book on a software application and be forced to sift through page after page of information that doesn’t provide the answer I’m looking for. In the past, I’ve written the Inside LightWave books as “start to finish” guides. With this version, I’ve tried to make a collection of little books, with each chapter being self-contained. But, there might be some overlap as the new CORE application tends to blend in with Layout and Modeler from time to time, as you’ll find when you download the CORE chapter posted online. When you’re comfortable with the workflow of LightWave 10 and ready to go further, pick up this book and do one of two things. You can either start at the beginning with Chapter 1, learning about Modeler, and then move to Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and so on. Or you can hop over to a chapter of your choice and start working through a project right away. The benefit of this is time efficiency—if you’re short on time, you can get in, learn something, and get out, then come back later for more. It’s totally up to you. Some chapters will use projects from other chapters. For example, you might model in one chapter and then animate that object in another. If you would like to just learn about animation, you can load the finished object from this book’s DVD without having to complete the modeling chapter first.

Explore the Software

When learning LightWave, or any other software application, technical skill, keen insight, forethought, and clever deduction are always helpful, but there’s another ingredient that’s far more important to your success: experimentation. As you work through the exercises in this book, don’t get hung up on being a mathematical wizard or a serious traditional artist. These skills may help, but they are not necessary to create beautiful 3D animations and graphics. Explore the software on your own terms. Experiment with buttons and tools, and don’t be intimidated. There is no substitute for practice, whether it’s a musical instrument, athletic ability, or 3D animation. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Don’t wait until you have a paid project or assignment to work in LightWave! All the extra time you spend modeling and animating will give you an extra edge.

No Method Is the Best Method

If you’ve ever read any of the 3D forums on the Internet, you might have seen some discussions about what is “the best” modeling method, or “the best” renderer, and so on. Do yourself a favor: Read those posts and then forget them. They are nothing more than opinion. What matters is what works for you. Perhaps you like to model with splines. Great. Perhaps you would never like to see a spline curve for the rest of your life. That’s great, too.

Have you ever watched the Fox television show American Idol? If you’ve heard its judges tell young hopefuls to take a song and “Make it your own,” you’ve heard some good advice—advice that applies to 3D design and animation as well as pop stardom. When a prospective Idol sings her guts out on live television with a rendition of a popular tune, raw talent can make a performance stand out, but to really wow the judges, she must invest the song with her own personal feeling, style, and creativity. In other words, make it her own. You can do the same with 3D modeling and animation. Find what works for you and run with it.

Use Other Books with This Book

People often ask me how I write these books. Sometimes, I ask myself the very same question! Whether I’m completing my daily animation work, writing another book, or creating courseware for 3D Garage, I find that using other books is a huge help. Books on topics such as architectural design, photography, anatomy, and many other subjects can be significant resources for 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, and animation. Don’t limit yourself to only books and magazines focused on LightWave, computers, or 3D. Go beyond the scope of what you’re doing by referencing other books. You can find many resources for character study, sculpture, and even drawing that will help you understand the foundations 3D models and animations are based on—or that will simply inspire you to create.

The Organization of This Book

Inside LightWave 10 is organized similarly to our previous versions. This book starts with the basics, then moves to intermediate projects, and then walks you through a few advanced concepts.

In the book, you’ll find a chapter overview on the new tools and enhancements available in LightWave 10 for both Modeler and Layout (Chapters 1 and 2). From here, you can learn about texturing, following that up with an overview of working with cameras, lights, and motions. You’ll see first-hand the new VPR mode, or virtual preview render.

In the next part of this book, you’ll model with just about all possible methods, allowing you to decide which method is right for you. You’ll start with simple modeling using text, then move to the intermediate with real-world objects, and more. These chapters will instruct you in the process, tools, and organization needed to create literally anything you can think of.

After you have modeling mastered, along with some texturing and animation, you can educate yourself on more powerful texturing and lighting techniques, while learning how to put everything in motion.

Toward the end of this book, you’ll learn to get your animations rendered and into playable formats. You’ll see how easy it is to use real-world physics to collide objects, push them around, and make smoke. You’ll learn about LightWave’s powerful rendering engine and render options.

At the end of the book, you’ll find details about where you can go for further learning as well as important information on using this book’s DVD. Please read this before you insert the DVD into your computer.

As you read this book, you’ll find helpful Notes. These will be noticeably marked with a small icon.

Control areas throughout the program will be referred to as panels. Fields in which you enter values are called requesters, and buttons that have downward-pointing triangles are drop-downs. Be sure to go through Chapters 1 and 2 for clear overviews of Modeler and Layout control areas.

When working in LightWave 10, be sure Caps Lock is off. Keyboard shortcuts are first programmed in lowercase keys, whereas more complex, less-used commands are programmed with uppercase keys. Should you be following a tutorial in this book, be instructed to press a keyboard function, and not see results, there’s a good chance you’ve got your Caps Lock on.

System Considerations

LightWave 10 has had a boost in performance over previous versions. In addition, a good amount of display options have been added, which can be great for your animation setup but taxing on your system. Obviously, the better your video card, the better the performance that you’ll see, and more memory is always good. But you don’t need to have a multithousand-dollar system to run LightWave efficiently. On the contrary, LightWave can run exceptionally well on systems costing just a few hundred dollars. Of course, this is all dependent on the type of work you’re doing. Simply put, the more detail you put into a 3D model and animation, the more system resources you’ll need. If there is one thing I cannot stress enough, it’s memory. Do not go out and get the fastest processor and skimp on the memory. You are better off with a 2 GHz processor and 4 GB of RAM than a 3.6 GHz processor and only 1 GB of RAM. You may render a little slower, but you’ll be able to work faster. Many system crashes are attributed to lack of memory, so try to make your absolute minimum 256 MB. Your NewTek manual can also instruct you on the optimal system requirements. You can also work directly with your LightWave dealer or computer dealer.

One thing to remember when working in a computer-based field: Don’t wait. There will always be an upgrade, always a faster system and cheaper parts. But if you wait too long, you’ll put aside valuable hours in which you could have been creating and learning, as well as earning! Buy a computer that is comfortably within your budget but as powerful as it can be, Mac or PC, and get to work.

Video Memory

Don’t think that because you have the latest PC processor on the market, or the fastest Mac available, you’ll have the best computer for animation. Processing power is only one part of the computing process when it comes to creating with LightWave. Your system memory—in this case, 256 MB of RAM or more—is important to a productive system. However, your video memory is just as important.

With LightWave 10’s expansive interface enhancements, you should have a decent OpenGL-compatible video card with at least 256 MB of DDR Memory. Personally, I wouldn’t go less than that. LightWave’s Modeler and Layout allow great control over viewports, shading, and interface color, and there are brand-new OpenGL controls in Layout, all of which will rely heavily on your video memory. This matters even more with the new VPR interactive render. The better your video card, the better LightWave will run.

You can view images projected through lights, fog, reflections, and multi-textures, and view them more directly in Layout. Because of the popular video-game market, graphics cards have become ridiculously fast and cheap. And, the Macintosh market finally has some powerful graphics cards. It’s highly recommended that you get a decent video card.

Any video graphics card you use should be fully OpenGL-compliant. Also, video cards change often, so be sure to check with NewTek about any new card recommendations the company may have.

Installing LightWave 3D^®

Installing LightWave 3D is as easy as putting the software disc into your PC or Mac. Follow the instructions that NewTek, Inc. has provided in its software manual. If you have any LightWave 3D installation problems, please direct those questions to NewTek’s Technical Support (www.newtek.com). However, it’s often best to let the installer do its job—that is, don’t be clever and try to install different parts of the application to different parts of your hard drive.

Using the Book’s DVD

The DVD that comes with this book contains all the project files you’ll need to follow along with the examples. Additionally, you can load finished project scenes and dissect them for your interest and reference.

What’s on the DVD?

In addition to the project files on the book’s DVD, you’ll find materials to take your LightWave 10 learning further than you can with any other LightWave book. You’ll find the following:

• Free video tutorials from 3D Garage, which will take you further with many of the book’s chapters

• High-quality color JPEGs of the book’s screen shots

• All the scene files for the book’s projects and tutorials

• Royalty-free textures and backgrounds from Dan Ablan’s very own portrait studio, www.AblanGallery.com

See “What’s on the DVD,” after the appendix, for more detailed information.

Installing and Using the Practice Files

Too often, readers install a book’s DVD into their drive and then try to open scenes. Sure enough, an error appears. In this case, that error message will tell you that LightWave “can’t find” a necessary object or image. This is not because your DVD is defective; rather, it has to do with LightWave’s content directory. You’ll learn more about this as the chapters progress.

This DVD contains all the files you need to complete the exercises in Inside LightWave 3D v10. These files can be found in the root directory’s Projects folder. To properly access the project files, do the following:

1. In LightWave Layout, press the o key to call up the Preferences panel.
2. At the top of the panel, click the Paths tab and then select the Content Directory button.
3. A system file dialog box titled Set Content Directory opens. Select your DVD/CD-ROM drive, go to the 3D_Content folder, and click Open.
   

   If you’d like to use the files directly from your own hard drive, simply copy the 3D_Content folder from the book’s DVD to your drive.

4. Your content directory is now set for working through the exercises. The content directory path should look something like X:3D_Content, where X is your DVD/CD-ROM drive.

When you select Load Scene, LightWave opens the Projects folder. There, you’ll see folders named Scene, Objects, and Images. Within these folders are the individual chapter folders. Selecting Load Object within LightWave points to the Objects folder within the Projects folder.

Basically, the content directory tells LightWave 3D where to look for files. If you press the o key (not zero) in LightWave Layout or Modeler, you’ll get the Preferences panel. Click the Paths tab. At the top of that tab, you can click the Content Directory button. If you ever have difficulty accessing files, set the content directory to point to your DVD drive://3D_Content. That’s it!

Within the Projects folder is an Images folder for necessary textures and images, an Objects folder containing LightWave 3D objects, and finally a Scenes folder that is home to this book’s LightWave scenes. When you load a scene into LightWave Layout (you cannot load scenes into Modeler, only objects), the Scene file looks to the content directory for the necessary objects. The objects loaded look to the content directory for the necessary images. It sounds complicated, but it’s not. All you’re doing is telling LightWave where to find its files.

Throughout these chapters, if you’re called upon to “load an object,” simply selecting the Load Object command in Layout or Modeler automatically opens the Objects folder within your set content directory. The same goes for images or scenes, so be sure to keep this set while working through the projects.

Words to Work By

The 3D market has changed since I got into this business. I mean really, it’s been 20 years! In the beginning, it was like a little club, and everyone got along. Anything we did, and I want to stress anything, was just cool as hell. In a small LightWave user group in Chicago that met monthly, each month’s 3D creations were crude and generally of poor quality, but great to look at nonetheless. Now, it’s a different world. 3D is everywhere—in movies, television, video games, the Internet, even cell phones. Our likes and dislikes have changed, and the market has grown beyond belief. Not everything is cool to look at anymore, but that’s OK. No matter what, it’s always great to see someone’s work because you can learn from it. The 3D world we live in is no longer a small club of enthusiasts, but rather a planet full of 3D artists all working toward that ultimate render. It has become a competitive industry, but an industry built on passion and the love of 3D art. To this day, I’ve never met anyone that just “had” to do 3D. They “wanted” to, and I’m pretty sure you are one of those people. That hunger for 3D animation is what makes your digital creations better each time you sit down in front of the computer. You’re striving to learn more and to make it better, perhaps convey a message and portray your artistic style. That’s what it’s all about, after all.

The tools you have at your fingertips seemed inconceivable 14 years ago, or even 6 years ago. Some of you are students; some of you are professionals; and some just hobbyists, young and old. You have the ability to create anything you can imagine. Do not feel that you need additional plug-ins, or other four-lettered software applications to do “better” work. You don’t. LightWave, like any other application, is nothing more than code. It is buttons and an interface. It is simply a machine that you are driving, and your job is to finish the race. Now, turn the page and start working as I help you steer down the course.