Lightwave 10 Essentials

Introduction
Welcome
Using the exercise files
Working with projects and setting the content directory

1. Getting Started in LightWave 10
Understanding the LightWave 3D interfaces
Exploring the Hub
Understanding 3D space
Working in Modeler
Working in Layout
Selecting elements
Identifying the elements of a 3D model
Using the Numeric panel
Using layers
Using the Statistics panel
Working with menu and keyboard configurations

2. Modeling with Polygons
Working with geometric shapes
Using Extrude
Building with Bevel
Working with Polygon Bevel
Editing polygons

3. Modeling with Subdivisions
Understanding subdivisional surfaces in LightWave
Comparing Subpatch with Catmull-Clark subdivisions
Creating a basic model
Beveling with subdivisions
Adding detail to models
Deforming and shaping objects
Recapping subdivisions

4. Other Modeling Methods
Working with EPS files
Correcting EPS errors
Creating 3D text objects
Building objects with curves
Exploring Rail Clone methods and uses
Exploring Rail Extrude methods and uses
Modeling with Array
Using Symmetry

5. Creating Surfaces
Understanding the Surface Editor
Comparing the Surface Editor and the Node Editor
Creating surfaces for polygons
Editing surfaces
Understanding the Texture Editor
Looking at image map textures
Using procedural texture options
Adding bump maps for realism
Enhancing surfaces with specularity and glossiness maps
Creating a reflective surface

6. Setting Up a Scene
Building 3D scenes
Importing, loading, and working with objects
Organizing a 3D scene
Working with different light types
Lighting a 3D scene
Employing environmental lighting

7. Working with 3D Cameras
Understanding LightWave cameras
Setting up a camera in a scene
Placing multiple cameras
Animating cameras and camera elements

8. Building Animations
Understanding the Timeline
Adding and controlling keyframes
Fine-tuning keyframes in the Graph Editor
Using motion plug-ins to enhance keyframes
Animating textures
Enhancing scene animation with displacement maps

9. Particle Animation
Introducing particles
Creating a particle animation
Working with Hypervoxels
Going a step beyond with particle animation
Replacing particles with items

10. Dynamics
Understanding dynamics in LightWave
Setting up a dynamic scene
Animating cloth
Building collisions
Creating a hard dynamic scene

11. Bones and Inverse Kinematics
Understanding bones
Understanding skelegons and when to use both skelegons and bones
Placing bones in an object
Fine-tuning bone placement and activating bones
Setting up Inverse Kinematics
Working with rigged characters

12. Rendering Animations
Understanding resolutions and rendering
Setting up a render project
Determining the proper anti-aliasing filter
Rendering to movie files vs. image sequences

13. Finishing Up
Exporting an object
Exporting a full scene for backup

Conclusion
Final thoughts