Siggraph

The NewTek folks were excited to show off version, believe it or not, 9.5 of LightWave 3D for Windows, and feel it continues the company’s longtime mission to offer animation artists affordable tools. The new version, which includes a new lighting system, a new hair and fur solution, and radiosity caching, among other things, is free to registered users of earlier versions, and runs under $1,000 even if you are brand new to it.

I expect to chat a bit later today with Jay Roth, President of NewTek’s 3D Products Division, about the direction and focus of LightWave in a world in which Maya takes up much of the publicity. But during my stop at the NewTek booth (#159) a little while ago, Ben Vost of NewTek Europe showed me the new version and made the point that the industry is not, and should not, be a one-flavor industry, and in fact, he suggests that LightWave is being used frequently on particular kinds of projects as a rendering tool for animation created in Maya and other packages. (And, he adds, radiosity caching will only help that option.)

“No one uses one product or one architecture anymore,” Ben told me. “It’s a world where we all have to play nice. LightWave has full import/export for FPX files and other formats, and I think you will see them all working together more in the future.”

–MG