Steve Warner
09-17-2002, 09:08 PM
I was cleaning out the back room the other day and came across a stack of Lightwave Pro magazines. For those relatively new to the Lightwave scene, LWP was a publication put out around 1996 by the same people who published Video Toaster User.
I flipped through a few issues last night. One article talked about the increadible new features coming out in Lightwave 5. Another talked about a horrified user getting 30-minute renders, even on his new Pentium 90! It just goes to show that we're gonna get 30-minute renders, no matter how fast our computers are. :)
The thing I was really impressed by, though, was the detailed, production-minded nature of the publication. Even though each issue was only 20 pages or so, it was packed with tips on modeling, surfacing, and animating. These weren't your average "here's how to model a cup" tutorials. One of the articles I read last night was written by a guy from Computer Cafe. It took an in-depth look at some of the production problems they had working on a feature film and how they solved them with lightwave. The article had a detailed, tutorial-like nature. Another article I read (also by the folks at Computer Cafe) talked about how to composite Lightwave renders with film, including a subsection on film scanning.
Even though these articles were geared towards an older version of Lightwave, I actually came away learning something. And it made me wonder, when will someone bring back this beloved magazine? :shrug:
I subscribed to Newtek Pro with the hopes that it would fill the gap. Six issues later I'm so disappointed. The tutorials were vague. The articles weren't production oriented. It seems like the only thing Newtek Pro had going for it was its gallery. But you can get that here at CG Talk for free.
Anyway, I don't really have a point to all this except to say that I miss Lightwave Pro. I really wish someone would step up to the plate and deliver a new Lightwave magazine. One that didn't waste space with fluff articles, but instead, took an in-depth look at how to use the software. One that offered tutorials from the pros and tackled tough production issues. One that helped us all to become better CG artists.
Hello magazine executives. Is there anybody out there? I'm ready to subscribe.
Steve
I flipped through a few issues last night. One article talked about the increadible new features coming out in Lightwave 5. Another talked about a horrified user getting 30-minute renders, even on his new Pentium 90! It just goes to show that we're gonna get 30-minute renders, no matter how fast our computers are. :)
The thing I was really impressed by, though, was the detailed, production-minded nature of the publication. Even though each issue was only 20 pages or so, it was packed with tips on modeling, surfacing, and animating. These weren't your average "here's how to model a cup" tutorials. One of the articles I read last night was written by a guy from Computer Cafe. It took an in-depth look at some of the production problems they had working on a feature film and how they solved them with lightwave. The article had a detailed, tutorial-like nature. Another article I read (also by the folks at Computer Cafe) talked about how to composite Lightwave renders with film, including a subsection on film scanning.
Even though these articles were geared towards an older version of Lightwave, I actually came away learning something. And it made me wonder, when will someone bring back this beloved magazine? :shrug:
I subscribed to Newtek Pro with the hopes that it would fill the gap. Six issues later I'm so disappointed. The tutorials were vague. The articles weren't production oriented. It seems like the only thing Newtek Pro had going for it was its gallery. But you can get that here at CG Talk for free.
Anyway, I don't really have a point to all this except to say that I miss Lightwave Pro. I really wish someone would step up to the plate and deliver a new Lightwave magazine. One that didn't waste space with fluff articles, but instead, took an in-depth look at how to use the software. One that offered tutorials from the pros and tackled tough production issues. One that helped us all to become better CG artists.
Hello magazine executives. Is there anybody out there? I'm ready to subscribe.
Steve