When did you first start using LightWave?

I saw LightWave the first time in a computer store in Houston in 1996 and what grabbed my attention was the image on the package - the familiar image of the M&M characters. I thought to myself, "Let me see if I can use this to improve my work". I am a Mac user and the interface looked very much like a PC program. Us Mac users always had a hard time getting to like the look of PC software, but I used it a little and had a few difficulties with Layout and Modeler. It didn't really click for me so in a few weeks I gave up! At the same time I had a hunger for getting into the 3D world and on the Mac I only had a few options, so I started using packages that were designed for the Mac. I finally got sick and tired of all these small packages that do a little of everything, so I started to read more about this industry. I heard a lot about 3d studio max and I even switched to a PC for a short time just to test it out. There was something about it that I did not like, what it was I don't know! Then everyone here was talking about Maya and SGI machines so I had a demo and I spent $1200 on training videos from the dealer and guess what? I hated the whole thing! In 2002, I tried out LightWave 6 in a shop in the far east and I thought, "Hmm! not bad!" Then they told me they had a newer version 7. So I tried that one and at the same time I was reading my first tutorial on how to make a spaceship from the net, right then and there. I was shocked and impressed - this was the best modeling layout I had ever used so far. I then purchased my first "Getting into LightWave 7" DVD from Desktop Images and I knew I would be using LightWave in my business in the near future...

LightWave satisfied all those things that I had been needing all those years. It was a long search and I wasted time, effort and money and the answer was always under my nose!

What do you like about the package?

The simplicity of Layout, the functionality and the integration of the overall package internally within itself and with other products - I love the shortcuts for the commands, it's like having the buttons on my remote control at home, I don't really look at the buttons but I know that they are there and what they are for. The first time I rendered a proper scene I thought "Wow! all this can come out of such a simple-looking program!".

The final but the most important thing that I have to say about LightWave is that as an artist that has been painting for a long time, I use LightWave more as a tool - when I paint: I wouldn't think about how I control a brush! I don't have to worry about how hard or how fast or how wet the brush has to be to have the effect that has to be done, I just look at the result that is happening, and it's personalised to my style - so basically I use it automatically, as second nature, in other words without really thinking about the software and thinking or about my overall painting... It's just beautiful!

Almost everything I do is drawn by hand first and then translated to LightWave. One of the beauties of LightWave is that any idea that I have in my mind goes on paper then into LightWave and guess what? It is very close to my sketches, it even gets to be better than I intended...

What could be improved for you?

1. I would love to have more speed in rendering.

2. I would like to have faster real-time results in complicated scenes with animations, I have suggested to have different small (stand-alone) applications that have an integrated NewTek hub maybe that sends things back and forth from all NewTek's products (Like Modeler), for example, if animation gets slow with all the LightWave layout plug-ins and renderers, way not separate the animation from Layout to just give me real-time feed back? I am currently using Kaydara's MotionBuilder and I like how fast the feedback is, even on the slowest computers.

3. I would like to have more attention to live UV painting onto objects. A good example of how nice UVs can be easily setup, Checkout how neat Maxon Bodypaint is. Again, I went through the difficulty of finding a different software for animating faster and painting UVs. If NewTek had other LightWave add-ons that would do these important features that will complete my work, I would have gladly paid extra to have them supporting the Package that I started using a long time ago and I am fully happy with. Please keep in mind that other software manufacturers Like Kaydara and Maxon are benefitting from the spill-over of your customers - me as one of LightWave's customers, I was forced to do that only after I found no other way to speed up these small issues that I have had, I am really not interested to look for other manufacturers or learn new layouts or shortcuts or even how to import and export... I would be the first one to buy any new additional LightWave packages even if it cost double!