LightWave 3D 7.5 Windows/Mac Duo-Dongle

Rating:
Summary: Overrated and Ugly
Review: Are you a novice planning on learning 3d software? Are you used to consistency in interfaces? Then don't buy this software. The interface is illogical, difficult and slow to learn. It breaks many common sense ideas/rules about software generally, (why put several functions at the bottom of the screen for example?). Be prepared for a huge learning curve here, even if this is the top end of 3d software it still is in my opinion poorly designed.

Rating:
Summary: Who should buy this
Review: Research this purchase! Know what you are getting. There is hardly enough room in a review like this to give you the info you really need. This program is a serious, hard-core 3D modeling/animation/rendering package. There is an enormous community of users that (for some reason) seems to stick together. To learn about this product, start at http://www.newtek.com . Check out www.newtekpro.com and www.keyframemag.com . These are two magazines dedicated to the software. There are also many other options out there, apart from LighWave. Depending on your needs, you may want to research Maya, Softimage|XSI, Cinema 4D, 3ds max, World Construction Set, Bryce, Poser, Truespace, Electric Image, Strata, or Vue d'espirit. Each of these software packages has its advantages and disadvantages. Most people would probably tell you that the biggest advantages of LightWave are the polygonal modeling tools, and the rendering engine. I use LightWave all the time, and the areas which I find lacking are the complete absence of procedural modeling tools like those of 3ds max -of course, 3ds max lacks great polygonal modeling-, and its lack of more sophisticated particle and texturing features, such as in Maya paint effects. But LightWave is really built on the concept of providing a powerful core piece of software, to which you can add what functionality you wish, via plugins and other 3rd party extensions. All that said, LighWave really is a reletively straightforeward, easy-to-use program, and you can get things done a lot more quickly in LightWave than in most other packages. By the way, "duo-dongle" in the product title refers to the USB hardware key that comes with LighWave, which works for Macs and PCs.