Customer Reviews

LightWave Get Started [VHS]

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I was new to Lightwave 3D, and needed a quick jump into the interface and inner workings of the program that the manuals couldn't provide in a compressed time period. This video did a wonderful job at making me feel comfortable working with the program so that I could begin completing projects, while still having an understanding that would allow me to learn by experimenting on my own.

I must say, however that I was not new to 3D modeling and animation, and I needed a quickjump into the program, not the fundamentals and theory behind animation. You cannot buy this video, or any video or book and expect to come out an animator, modeler, renderer, or any thing a back cover may lead you to believe, if you do not understand the concepts behind all of those things. All this video will do is make you comfortable with a specific tool, but it does a really good job at it.

The manual for LW6.5b now weighs in at over 1000 pages. It's not hard to be intimidated by the sheer size of it, especially if you're a new Lightwave user like me. As a registered LW user, you likely paid $... to $... for the package. If you somehow missed out on this video, it's certainly worth the extra $... It'll definitely help a new user get up and running in no time.

The strongest feature of this tape is undoubtedly the workflow. Seeing how the software works from modeling to animation to texturing to rendering is invaluable. Seeing an experienced user working with it also imparts a sense of "Ah! That's the _efficient_ way to do it. Now I won't develop a bad habit there..." Having sat through this tape several times to really absorb as much as I can, I'm comfortable and ready to start cranking out some projects of my own -- and that monstrous manual can be a companion instead of a pre-requisite.

The downsides: The recording quality is relatively good, but is not clear enough to read the menu type or see fine details (such as the point polygons) on Brad's monitor. Brad's descriptions and explanations make up for it, though. I never felt lost, but after two hours of trying to read that monitor on my television, I was definitely ready for a break. :-) Also, the tapes were made with Lightwave 6. The current version 6.5b, has many differences, particularly in Layout, where the menus seem to be completely re-arranged. (Finding the Symmetry tool in 6.5b Modeler was fun, too.)