LightWave Changelog

What's new in LightWave 2018 Build 20180101

Jan 6, 2018

Physically Based Rendering System: Completely rewritten rendering, shading and lighting architecture for greater realism, accuracy and ease-of-use.
Render and Light Buffers: Expanded workflow for render and light buffers that simplifies compositing and offers more flexibility, including real-time preview of new buffers in any viewport using VPR, as well as custom buffers using the node editor.
Volumetric Engine and Open VDB Support: Using the new volumetric render primitives, artists can specify physically based properties, Scattering, Absorption and Emission parameters, along with powerful node networks
Light Capabilities: New lighting architecture brings physical lights that can be optionally visible to the camera, and improved loading of IES web files to better match the intensity of real manufactured lights.
Surface Editor, Material Nodes and Surface Preview: The Surface Editor has been overhauled for the new shading system with powerful node-based materials that are presented with a familiar interface.
Virtual Reality Camera: Includes both cylindrical and spherical modes for creating stereo 360-degree renders and animations for VR applications
Modifier Stack with New Deformation Nodes: Unlocks and simplifies the previously fixed order of operations for Bones, Morphs, Subdivision and Displacements with the ability to drag and drop to re-order mesh deformations interactively.
Cel Shader and Enhanced Edge Rendering: Offers flexible non photoreal render control over material shading and allows gradient-based cel shading, while Edge Rendering uses any material available in the Surface Editor to shade any line.
More Integrated FiberFX: Expanded to integrated closely with the new lighting and shading system and can use any material on the fibers. Fibers are now generated using the new primitive object architecture
Layout-based Parametric Shapes: Parametric shapes allow for creation of virtual primitive shapes in Layout that can be displaced, surfaced and rendered without needing any geometry.
Noise Reduction Filter: Speeds up render times by using less Global Illumination rays and samples, while allowing for clean up of the resulting noise using filters instead of increased render settings.
New Modeler Features: Layout View viewport shows the current camera view from Layout. Also new are fully interactive tools including Lattice, Smoothing, Array and Spline Bridge.
Additionally, LightWave 2018 includes new enhancements to the Viewport Preview Renderer (VPR) and introduces many additional new features and improvements such UDIM texture support, more supported presets, FiberFX, Unity 5 support, and more.

New in LightWave 2015 Build 20150809 Update 3 (Aug 11, 2015)

New in LightWave 2015 Build 20141124 (Dec 3, 2014)

LightWave 2015 introduces new features that are ideal for character animation, visualization, dynamic simulations, and more. It also extends the functionality of popular features like the Genoma character rigging system, Bullet Dynamics, dynamic parenting, rendering enhancements, and more.
LightWave 2015 includes new enhancements to the Viewport Preview Renderer (VPR) and introduces many new features and improvements such as Interactive Dynamic Parenting, Textured Falloffs in Modeler, Fiber FX, GoZ Multi-tool and Unity 5 support, and more. It also supports the latest interchange formats such as Alembic 1.5 and FBX 2015.
Bullet Constraints:
Take control of dynamic simulations with new constraint types such as Point-to-Point, Hinge, Slider, Cone Twist, Spring and six degrees of freedom (DOF) constraint types. Whether it's a car rolling over a terrain with fully working suspension, or a rag doll falling down the stairs, constraints help make the movement believable.
Importance Sampling:
Greatly improve the quality of scenes lit by GI and HDR images or background lighting. Importance sampling intelligently concentrates rays into important areas and eliminates the noise and splotches that arise from highly differing light intensities for cleaner, more predictable renders.
Match Perspective Tool:
Whether matching plates or simply placing objects in photographs, matching the camera position and rotation can be a time consuming process. The new Match Perspective tool can quickly sync the LightWave camera to an original photo or plate.
Genoma 2 Character Rigging System:
This rapid modular rigging system, which at the base level is a complete rigging development kit (RDK), can be used to quickly rig characters for animation without the need to set up complex rigs from scratch. Genoma 2 can create expert rigs and generate custom presets that perfectly fit into any character animation pipeline. It supports the use of Math Expressions and Scripts and includes new and improved human, feline, and arthropod preset rigs.
Edge Rendering:
Intersection Edges can now be drawn where geometry intersects on the same object and/or separate objects, allowing for more creative control over cel rendering. Use Patch Border Rendering to make Sub-Division patch borders visible in the renderer with the click of a button. It is perfect for modelers who want to showcase their mesh topology combined with the full render. Edge Buffer can be used to render all edges into their own buffer, allowing for post-process manipulation in a compositing software.

New in LightWave 11.5 (Mar 29, 2013)

Dongle-Free Licensing - Dongles are no longer required to access the many features of LightWave
Bullet Soft Body Dynamics - Soft body effects are now possible with Bullet, including cloth
Bullet Forces - Several force types are now available within Bullet
Genoma - Fast, modular instant rigging system for Modeler that includes presets for rapid-rigging
VPR Update - Depth-of-Field, Motion Blur and Anaglyph Stereo now visible in the renderer
Rolling Shutter - Rolling Shutter camera effects are now possible to aid matching footage that has this effect present
Edge Rendering Node Control - Control edge opacity, taper and color using nodes
Flocking Update - Predator / Prey behavior, new Director types and Node control
FiberFX Update - Multiple styles per object - stored with the object, new styling controls, updated UI
GoZ Fiber Mesh Support - Building on the robust GoZ support in LightWave 11. LightWave 11.5 now supports ZBrush Fiber Meshes
Adobe After Effects Support - 'GoZ style' After Effects interchange for Cameras, Lights, NULLs and animation
Instancing Update - Per Object control, speed and memory improvements
Modeler Tools Update - ABF UV Unwrap, Edit Edges, Place Mesh, Slice, Thicken, Heat Shrink, Tweak, Transform, Axis and alignment tools and more
Workflow Enhancements - Many enhancements to streamline and improve workflow
Bullet:
Soft Bodies & Forces - Bullet Dynamics in LightWave 11.5 is now faster and more robust than ever before. New functionality has been added to Bullet, which includes:
Soft Body Dynamics - LightWave 11.5 continues the development of Bullet in LightWave to include soft body dynamics. You can now create soft body effects such as cloth, rubber, jelly or other deforming properties with the same ease of use as rigid body simulations in LightWave 11.
Bone Support - Bullet meshes are now reactive to bone deformations. Animated characters can have dynamics-based clothing all working seamlessly with IK controlled deformations.
Forces - Bullet in LightWave 11.5 also comes with several force types - Forcefield, Vortex and Explosion, each with different modes to achieve a variety of dynamic effects.
Genoma:
Fast, Flexible Rigging - Genoma is a new modular instant rigging system in LightWave 11.5. With Genoma, the speed at which you can quickly rig a simple biped, quadruped or even a two-headed dragon is phenomenal. Modifying a rig with Genoma is simple - use the powerful tools in Modeler instead of specialized rigging tools.
Modular Rig Presets - The main engine for Genoma includes a large number of modular rig presets. These consist of skeletal parts like spines, wings, arms, legs, and hands and feet. Complete rigs for bipeds and quadrupeds are also easily customizable.
Tools - Use any of the tools in Modeler to prepare a rig. Use existing modeling tools to mirror, move, rotate and stretch a Genoma rig and experience a huge productivity gain. With Genoma you can create complex character and creature rigs with lightning speed.
Extensible - The Genoma rigging process is performed initially in Modeler. Once complete the rig can be sent over to Layout, where it is possible to continue working with it, since Genoma generates standard LightWave rigs.
If deforming a rig in Modeler isn’t to your liking, you can still change and update the character rig in Layout.
VPR / Rendering:
Enhancements - VPR transformed how artists worked in LightWave, with its fast iterative rendering. In LightWave 11.5 VPR continues to offer speed improvements and new functionality with:
Depth of Field / Motion Blur - Depth-of-field and motion blur can now be used in the Viewport Preview Renderer from the camera view. See how your DOF and motion blur effects will look before sending to the production renderer - a very useful addition for rapid visualization and concept design. These photographic effects are now interactive, which opens the door for more experimentation.
Stereoscopic Rendering - Stereoscopic Anaglyph rendering is now supported in VPR so that you can experience stereoscopic effects interactively at a much higher quality that what OpenGL allows.
Rolling Shutter Effects - Now you can simulate the 'rolling shutter' effect that occurs on some mechnical shutters or digital cameras with a CMOS sensor. More detailed information on the rolling shutter effect can be found here.
Edge Rendering Node Control:
More Control For Cel Shading - Edges now have nodal control for taper, color and opacity for all edge types. Giving you much more control over the look of cel shaded imagery.
Flocking:
Smart Particles - Flocking is a specialized particle system that allows items to move in very organic ways. The intelligent algorithms within the LightWave flocking system simulate natural motion to create effects such as flocks of birds, insect swarms, or even a herd of creatures. This allows for very complex looking animation with very intricate natural motion that can be used to create anything from crowd scenes to aerial airplane dogfights.
Predator / Prey Behavior - With this new feature, it's possible to have flocks chase other flocks, rather than seek out only goal directors. Flocks with a goal director attached become 'prey' for other flocks, and will be chased when in range. Whereas flocks with an avoid director attached will make other flocks avoid it when in range.
Plane Director - A director that prevents any agents from moving through it, which is useful for things like avoiding ground penetration. When grouped together, it can be used to make simulations such as an X-Wing trench run!
Arrive Director - Flock agents will slow down and stop when they approach an arrive director. If an arrive director is applied to a mesh, flock agents will head to the mesh points, making it possible to have the agents take the shape of the mesh.
Node Control - With the addition of new node controls, it is now possible to control flock agent behaviors such as banking, locking agents to an object or have agents corkscrew along their trajectory.
FiberFX:
Enhancements - FiberFX in LightWave 11.5 adds new functionality with dynamics, hair sculpting tools and more.
Multiple Styles Per Object - FiberFX now uses Vmaps to store fiber styling; you can also store multiple styles in an object. Styling setups are also stored with the object rather than displacement handlers in a scene, which means objects no longer need to be "Loaded From Scene" to maintain styles.
Bundle Styling - The new bundle styling feature allows you to create braids and twists of fibers along any guide.
Updated Interface - The user interface to FiberFX has undergone a refresh to be more streamlined and logically organized.
Interchange:
After Effects Support | MDD Workflow - Not only is LightWave a complete studio in a box, it also includes many powerful interchange tools that are designed to easily fit with mixed software pipelines. It includes FBX interchange tools and geometry cache support, including LightWave’s native MDD format and Autodesk’s Geocache.
Adobe After Effects Integration - You now have the ability to select elements in a scene and see them in Adobe After Effects by pressing the "GoAE" button. Animation, lights and camera settings are supported. Necessary changes can be made using the camera tracker in After Effects before returning to work in LightWave.
GoZ Fiber Mesh Support - Creates a powerful interchange between LightWave and ZBrush by allowing you to send models to ZBrush for futher detailing and texturing; return them to LightWave for final rendering and the node flows for normal maps will be automatically set up. LightWave 11.5 also allows you to use Pixologic’s Zbrush hair styling tools to create guide curves, which can be brought directly into LightWave and attached to objects.
MDD Workflow - The new MDD Multi-Loader makes it quick and easy to load previously baked MDD files back onto your models. It allows you to match objects to their MDD counterparts by name, point count, in addition to applying randomization options for each loaded MDD.
Instancing:
Enhancements - Instancing has received a major boost in power and performance without the need for additional memory. New features have also been added to enhance the workflow and flexibility of Instancing.
Per-Object Control - Parameters such as scale, stretch, offset, rotate and nodal controls for an instanced object, are now per-object rather than for all objects in the instance list. This means you can achieve the same effects as before, but with less instancers.
Copy/Paste Functions - New individualized settings allow you to save time by copying and pasting settings.
Path Mode Optimizations - Now multi-threaded to take full advantage of today’s high-performance processors.
Modeler:
Enhancements
UV Unwrap - LightWave 11.5 brings fast, one-click ABF (Angle Based Flattening) UV unwrapping to Modeler. Using edge selections for defining seams, complex UV maps can be created quickly.
Transform - Off-axis? No problem! The new Transform tool is a powerful move / rotate / scale tool that greatly benefits working off-axis. Right clicking on any geometry will orient the gizmo handles to the picked point, edge or polygon, allowing you to perform operations along the normal direction.
Axis Move / Scale / Rotate Tools - You can click anywhere on a mesh to set the origin of the these tools. Gizmo handles align to the clicked geometry allowing off-axis editing that would previously have been difficult.
Tweak - The tweak tool in Modeler allows the manipulation of points, edges and polygons without needing to switch edit modes - great for quickly adjusting topology. You can also extend geometry within this tool by right-click dragging the mouse.
Align - The Align tool is a two-click operation to align any selected geometry to anywhere you click next on a mesh. If you need to align to anything off-axis, this tool makes the operation simple and fast.
Edit Edges - The new 'Edit Edges' tool makes light work of manipulating edge loops. Edge loops can be added, removed and manipulated without leaving the tool. The tool slides edge loops by default, or using the CTRL key slides individual edges. The new 'Edit Edges' allows modelers to work with their meshes in a fast, fluid manner.
Place Mesh - 'Place Mesh' is an interactive tool for adding background layer objects to the foreground mesh - snapping to the mesh as you go. This allows you to add details such as spines on a creature, rivets on a robot arm or any other details that need precise placement on the mesh surface.
Placed meshes can be interactively scaled, rotated and randomized with each click, or if you want to populate a large area, clicking the 'Populate' button will fill the selected polygons with the background meshes you specify.
Slice - The new interactive 'slice' tool allows fast detailing of geometry. By previewing where the cut will take place, coupled with snapping to points and edge centers using the CTRL key, modelers can quickly add edges to refine meshes more easily than before.
Thicken - 'Thicken' is a dedicated tool for adding wall thickness to models. It is interactive and features two algorithms to deal with cases where a basic smooth shift operation might not achieve the desired result.
Heat Shrink - 'Heat Shrink' allows geometry to conform to a background layer. It has several 'shrink' modes which are great for adding clothes to characters, or embossing logos into a mesh.
Chamfer - The selection mode aware Chamfer tool allows chamfering of edges, points or polygons within one tool.
Workflow:
Enhancements - Each new version of LightWave brings with it workflow improvements designed to streamline everyday tasks for artists. The latest enhancements include:
Dome Light Shading Options - The intensity and color of dome lights can now be adjusted using either HDRI image probes or Layout's backdrop shading. Ideal for simulating Global Illumination.
Motion Path Previewing - Motion paths can now be adjusted to show a different number of frames before and after the keyframe. Motion paths can also use the item color to help distinguish which path belongs to an item.
Granular Surface Editor Copy / Paste - You can now copy and paste individual surface parameters including the Basic, Advanced, Environment and Shader tabs, as well as Nodes, allowing for faster surfacing workflow.
Centered Speed / Velocity Curves - There is now an option to center speed and velocity curves in the Graph Editor to aid adjusting curves that are not located near the graph editor horizontal axis.
Spline Node Connectors - The node editor now supports spline-based node connections, making it easier to see where connections are routed.
Color Space GL Shader - Color Space now uses OpenGL shaders to color correct, increasing working speed when activated.
Fit / Fit All In Perspective View - Now available in Perspective mode as well as Orthographic views in Layout, useful for navigating around your scene quickly.
LightWave Color Picker - Interface refinements in the LightWave color picker make it more intuitive and easier to use.

LightWave Changelog

What's new in LightWave 2018 Build 20180101

New in LightWave 2015 Build 20150809 Update 3 (Aug 11, 2015)

New in LightWave 2015 Build 20141124 (Dec 3, 2014)

New in LightWave 11.5 (Mar 29, 2013)

New in LightWave 11.0 (Jan 11, 2012)

New in LightWave 10.1 (Jan 11, 2012)

New in LightWave 9.6 (Mar 21, 2009)