LightWave 8 Killer Tips

by Ablan, Dan; Sharp, Randy

• ISBN13: 9780735713710
• ISBN10: 0735713715
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-21
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr

Summary

The hottest collection of cool tips and hidden secrets for the LightWave 8 user who needs results FAST!LightWave 8 Killer Tipsis packed with nothing but sidebar tips that the pros use every day! When it comes to LightWave, time is money.LightWave 8 Killer Tipsis all about speed--showing users how to get more work done faster, while actually increasing quality. This book is designed to teach you all those hidden productivity tips, inside shortcuts, and little-known tricks with the latest version to get twice the work done in half the time. Build on the premise that "Speed Kills," you will get faster at LightWave and have more time to be creative. In an ever-tightening and competitive marketplace, this kind of book is sorely needed.

Author Biography

For nearly 15 years, Dan Ablan has been involved in every aspect of television production and 3D animation. Dan has authored six best-selling computer software books on 3D animation, including LightWave Power Guide, Inside LightWave 3D, Inside LightWave 6 and 7, LightWave 6.5 Effects Magic , and Digital Cinematography and Directing . Dan is president of AGA Digital Studios, Inc., a 3D animation company and has been teaching LightWave seminars across the country since 1995. His work includes animation for United Airlines, NASA(SOFIA Project), Abbott Labs, McDonald's Corp., Wendy's Corp, ABC, Paramount, Xerox, ATKearney, Radio Disney, Coke, and more.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Demystifying the Buttons
Underneath the Secrets of LightWave 8	3	(22)
Gimbal Lock Modeler Preview Fix	4	(1)
Chompin' at the Bit	4	(1)
Creepy Crawlies	5	(1)
Good-Bye, Mr. Texture	5	(1)
None, None More Black	6	(1)
Instant Tool Pop-up	7	(1)
Instant Value Pop-up	7	(1)
Shadow Maps Too Limiting? Think Again!	8	(1)
Viewports Demystified	8	(1)
Does BVH Import Have Your Panties In a Bunch?	9	(1)
What's with the Navigation?	10	(1)
Right-Click Is Your Friend	10	(1)
Is Your Memory Shot?	11	(1)
Assigning Viewports to Numeric Keys	11	(1)
Where's That Darn Pivot Point?	12	(1)
Click, Click, Click, Help!	13	(1)
Catch Those Wild Particles	14	(1)
Falling Off the Wagon	14	(1)
Quick Cut Saves Time	15	(1)
Is Your Weight Out of Control?	15	(1)
Turn Off a Texture Layer	16	(1)
Lock Your Keys in the Car	16	(1)
Hey Santa, Where's the List?	17	(1)
Plug-in Added, I Think?	17	(1)
Everyone Wants It An Easy Tank Tread Setup	18	(1)
Choose the Right Path, Young Luke	18	(1)
Where s the Reset Button?	19	(1)
What Are All These Little E's?	19	(1)
WTMCS?	20	(1)
SI: Stop It!	20	(1)
Get to the Bones Quick	21	(1)
Instant Metric Calculator	21	(1)
Can You Measure Up?	22	(1)
Measurement Choices Got You Down?	23	(2)
Chapter 2 Making It Your Own
Customizing the Interfaces	25	(20)
Don't Push My Buttons!	26	(1)
Man, My Finger Is Tired!	27	(1)
Are You Hot or Not?	28	(1)
Zooming Right Along	28	(1)
"I'll Do It My Way..."	29	(1)
Constraint Yourself, for Goodness Sake!	30	(1)
Custom Viewport Variations	31	(1)
Now You See Them, Now You Don't	32	(1)
What to Do About Those Pesky Number Keys	32	(1)
Add Backgrounds to Presets	33	(1)
Your Own Personal Menu	34	(1)
Keep It Simple, Stupid!	35	(1)
Narrow Panels-Save Space!	36	(1)
Maximum Render Styles	37	(1)
Mix and Match Render Styles	38	(1)
Make Your Content Your Own	38	(1)
Wireframe Colors in Layout	39	(1)
To Expand or Not To?	40	(1)
Keep Objects Visible	41	(1)
Seeing Is Believing	42	(1)
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...	43	(1)
Now Where Did I Put My Calculator?	43	(2)
Chapter 3 Feed Your Ego
Modeler Tips for Control Freaks	45	(26)
Is It Cold In Here, or Is It Just Me?	46	(1)
Level Headed	47	(1)
Middle Mouse Button Contraints!	47	(1)
Sets, Selection Sets, Yes!	48	(1)
Poly as Points? You're Not Making Sense!	49	(1)
I'm Just a Number!	50	(1)
Keep 'Em Selected!	50	(1)
Change a La Mode	51	(1)
Hide and Go Seek	52	(1)
How Does This Fit Me?	53	(1)
Parts Is Parts	54	(1)
Dropping Tools	54	(1)
Sub-D Surface Cages-Less Is More	55	(1)
Subdivide for Center for Many Operations	56	(1)
Backdrop Image Autosize	57	(1)
Sharp Edges to Tighten Sub-D Boxes	58	(1)
Revelation	59	(1)
Center Me	59	(1)
It's Valuable	60	(1)
Sit and Spin!	61	(1)
Just Around the Corner	62	(1)
The Expanding and Contracting Universe	63	(1)
Dropping Selections	64	(1)
Direct Me Please	65	(1)
Small Package-Big Punch	66	(1)
Reduce on Low Heat	67	(1)
Modeler a La Mode	68	(1)
Color Me Funny	69	(2)
Chapter 4 Embrace Your Inner Desire
Modeling Tips for the Rest of Us	71	(22)
Smooth Operator	72	(1)
Cut Me! Copy Me! Kill Me! Paste Me?	72	(1)
Round and Round We Go	73	(1)
Like It's on Rails!	74	(1)
Getting the Perfect Size	75	(1)
Cut Me!	76	(1)
This Ain't No Generic Panels!	77	(1)
Blending Polys with Sub-D's	78	(1)
Patch It Up	79	(1)
Releasing the Power of the Bridge Tool	80	(1)
Falloff Control	80	(1)
BandSaw-It Doesn't Cut Wood!	81	(1)
Details, Details	82	(1)
Head from a Box?	83	(1)
We're Not Cloning Dolly Here!	84	(1)
Beveled Windows	85	(1)
Shifty Character	86	(1)
Become One with the Curves	86	(1)
Presto Change-O Move-O	87	(1)
15 Degrees of Rotation	87	(1)
A Time to Model, A Time to Select Polygons...	88	(1)
Weld Points Without the Dirty Clean-up!	88	(1)
Select and Save!	89	(1)
Throw Out the Iron!	90	(1)
Spin Quads Will Free You!	91	(2)
Chapter 5 And God Said...
Let There Be Light-Lighting Tips, That Is	93	(18)
Light Falloff Measurement Formula	94	(1)
Using Flares Instead of Lights	94	(1)
Too Many Lights? Just Rename Them...	95	(1)
Glow Behind Objects	95	(1)
Better Shadow Maps	96	(1)
Softer Shadow Maps	97	(1)
Fun with Names	97	(1)
What the Heck Do LightWave
Light Values Mean?	98	(1)
Copy and Paste Lens Flares	98	(1)
Determining Light Falloff	99	(1)
Multilight Changes	99	(1)
Objects as Light Sources, Part 1	100	(1)
Objects as Light Sources, Part 2	101	(1)
Fun with Gobos	102	(1)
Grainy Radiosity? No Way!	103	(1)
Ambient Light-Use with Care	103	(1)
Making Custom Radiosity	104	(1)
Cooler Area Lights	104	(1)
Baking Radiosity	105	(1)
3-Point Lighting-A Starting Point	106	(1)
Multilight Kicker	107	(1)
Exclude Lights Quickly	108	(3)
Chapter 6 Keep Moving On
Motion Tips for Movers and Shakers	111	(24)
Copying Keyframes Is Easy!	112	(1)
Clean Motion Blur	112	(1)
Add Mass and Weight to Keyframes	113	(1)
Quick Camera Zoom	114	(1)
Adjusting Keyframe Velocity	115	(1)
Easy Does It!	116	(1)
Follow the Leader	117	(1)
Bake Your Curves	117	(1)
Instant Endless Rotation	118	(1)
What's Your Footprint Look Like?	119	(1)
X Marks the Spot!	120	(1)
Large Keyframe Points	120	(1)
Track Layout Items	121	(1)
Keep Your Seatbelts Fastened!	122	(1)
Super-Cool Spline Deformation	123	(1)
Quick Re-time Multiply Keys	124	(1)
Quick Re-time Add or Subtract Keys	124	(1)
Move All Keyframes	125	(1)
Copy Motion Path	126	(1)
Animate to Sound!	127	(1)
Copy the Keyframe, You Dope (Sheet)!	128	(1)
Footprints in the Sand...Er, Graph Editor	129	(1)
Motion Mixer Master Choreography	130	(1)
Mark Your Timeline Territory	131	(1)
You Are Now Entering the Bake Zone	132	(1)
Wheel of Fortune	132	(1)
Make Path, Not War	133	(2)
Chapter 7 What Gets Under Your Skin?
Skeletal Deformation Tips	135	(18)
Bones for Mechanical Assembly	136	(1)
Avoid Bone Rotation Problems	137	(1)
The Heck with Modeler-Fix in Layout!	138	(1)
Click and Hold!	139	(1)
Boost That IK, Baby!	140	(1)
Time to Fix What Might Be Broken	141	(1)
Bake IK Motion	142	(1)
Control Gravity	142	(1)
Give That Bone a Hand!	143	(1)
Quick! Edit the Limits!	144	(1)
Borrow Some Bones	144	(1)
Don't Break a Bone	145	(1)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall	145	(1)
Be a Healer	146	(1)
Oh, My Joints!	146	(1)
Used Bones, Get Them Cheap!	147	(1)
Get In Line!	147	(1)
Bone Breakin' Goodness	148	(1)
Dead Man's Curve	149	(1)
The Power of Bone Placement	150	(1)
Size Does Matter...	151	(1)
One Selection to Edit Them All!	151	(2)
Chapter 8 Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
Surface and Texture Tips	153	(14)
Where Did My Surfaces and Setting Go?	154	(1)
Faking Caustics	155	(1)
Seamless Looping Textures	156	(1)
Instant Electricity Formula	157	(1)
The Gradient Game	158	(1)
Diffuse Sharpness-Oxymoron?	159	(1)
Additive Transparency Is More Transparent?	159	(1)
Faking Refractions	160	(1)
Making Surfaces Wireframe	161	(1)
Texture Antialiasing-A Good Thing?	161	(1)
Cartoon-Style Surfaces	162	(1)
Surface Thickness for Easy Depth	163	(1)
Fresnel (Fre-nel) Effects	163	(1)
Smoothing Angles	164	(1)
Manipulating the Procedural Texture Window	164	(1)
Surface Presets on the Fly	165	(2)
Chapter 9 Get Out! Just Get Out!
Rendering and Saving Tips	167	(18)
Adaptive Sampling-What's the Deal?	168	(1)
Cross the Sampling Threshold	168	(1)
Faster Ray Tracing-Ray Recursion Limit	169	(1)
Limited Region, Limited Render	170	(1)
RPF Export Into After Effects	171	(1)
RLA Export	171	(1)
Rendering In Layers	172	(1)
Create a Rack Focus Shot	173	(1)
Who Needs a GPS Map When You Have a Camera Map?	174	(1)
Save an Alpha Pass	175	(1)
64 Bit! And We're Not Talking Commodore!	175	(1)
Rendering for Print	176	(1)
Single Segment Renders	177	(1)
Low on Memory?	178	(1)
AVI or MOV or RGB?	179	(1)
Arbitrary Renders? Get It Together!	179	(1)
Render with Info	180	(1)
Protect Your Renders	181	(1)
Storyboard Renders	182	(1)
Black-and-White Renders	182	(1)
Loading a Sequence into...LightWave? What??	183	(2)
Chapter 10 Tricky Dick
Presidential Size Tips	185
Animated Ropes	186	(1)
Quick Aging	187	(1)
Use Layout as a Modeler!	188	(1)
Multiple Background Images	189	(1)
The LightWave Image Manipulator	190	(1)
Clicked That E Button, Did Ya?	191	(1)
Cloth Stretch Fix	192	(1)
Infinite Particles	193	(1)
Ride the Wave-With a Filter	193	(1)
Be in Control of Your Selections	194	(1)
Still Can't Get Those Polygons Selected?
Try This...	195	(1)
Baking Surfaces Just Not Cooking for You?	195	(1)
Stand-in Objects for Better System Response	196	(1)
Entering and Exiting Values	197	(1)
Assembling Load From Scene	197	(1)
Anonymous Renders-Hide From Camera	198	(1)
Fixing Baked UV Maps	198	(1)
Collision Stunt Double	199	(1)
Hate to Type?	200	(1)
Shape Up or Ship Out	200	(1)
Gotta Bone to Pick	201	(1)
Clean It Up	202