

LightWave has five different types of lights to choose from:ĭistant: A global light that emits at an angle, but affects all the objects in a scene, regardless of position.

This attention to detail makes the lights very easy to use and understand. The designers of LightWave have tried to make each different light look and act just asit would in the real world. Lights and Lighting EffectsĮxperienced users consistently refer to LightWave as a "virtual set." This is never truer than when we're discussing the complexities of lighting a scene. Using a combination of these lights with the right placement and color can properly set the mood of the image, call attention to or away from something, show distance and even illustrate the passing of time. While hard lights produce sharp, crisp shadows, soft lights produce much warmer, smoother shadows. A light not only illuminates space, it also adds shadows and more importantly, depth. This kind of eyesore can totally ruin a well-designed shot.

Hyper-accurate modeling or near-lifelike animation won't matter much if the final rendered image is flat and unrealistic.
Lightwave 3d modeling tutorials how to#
In this brief excerpt, you'll learn why proper lighting is key to creating realistic animation and how to turn on the lights in your own LightWave 3D projects.Ĭreating a beautifully rendered shot in LightWave often depends on properly lighting the scene. Need to learn LightWave 3D fast? Try our Visual QuickStart Guide! It's the fastest, easiest, most affordable way to get up and running quickly with the high-end 3D modeling program.
