One last thing to mention is the tight integration LightWave has with QuickTime on the Mac. Any image format available to QuickTime, either native to QuickTime or through a plugin, is available to LightWave either as an image format for surfaces or an output format. Very nice, and not available on the Windows side.

Customization [an error occurred while processing this directive]One of the nice features that, frankly, high-end 3D application users have come to expect (but general Mac users may not be used to at all) is the ability to customize their user interface. LightWave is no slouch in this area, allowing you to tear apart any and every menu you want and reorder the Layout and Modeler interfaces to your particular liking. Don't want a menu panel? Fine, turn it off. Only use three tools? Get rid of everything except for the three you use. Don't like the way Modeler groups modeling functions? Create your own category tabs and reassign all the tools. Additionally, LightWave comes pre-configured with certain keyboard shortcuts assigned, but you can reassign any keystroke you want to suit your particular needs. Figure 12 shows how you can reassign your interface in the Layout program.


Fig. 12: Have it your way. LightWave gives you the Burger King of interfaces, allowing you to put any tool wherever you want.

LightWave even includes its own scripting language, LScript, which allows the codehappy users out there to automate tasks and even write custom plugins to further tweak the program.



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