Back in September of last year I had the pleasure of reviewing LightWave 3D for VFXWorld. The user community is strong, even stronger than last year. Pricing isnt everything, and, fortunately, NewTek doesnt disappoint with the app itself, or with all of the meta stuff that can either make or break a 3D program. NewTek has worked some of the demons out of the software. If youre looking to get a small studio started or do some freelance work from home, youll find there are no other programs that come close, especially when you consider pricing and the complete feature set of LightWave.
They offer some excellent value bundles, some very reasonable educational pricing and great upgrade pricing. In addition to the flexibility of the program itself, NewTek has a pricing structure that appeals, no matter what your budget. Its easy to learn and at the same time deep enough for serious professionals. LightWave 3D should be the tool of choice for folks looking to learn 3D, create home brewed game mods, equip full game development studios and television or film visual effects development studios. Only LightWave 3D really comes through for all these markets. There are many different tools to choose from specialized modelers, renderers, material editors, some aimed at the hobbyist market and some aimed directly at high budget, professional productions.
These days 3D artists find themselves overwhelmed with quality options in all corners. About five years ago things began to change with the maturation of the desktop 3D market. Tools were either too basic in what they offered and could achieve or they were prohibitively expensive. Not too long ago there was a vast gap in the 3D market. LightWave 3D has advantages worth checking out.