LightWave is a program for Windows designed to help professional 3D artists. It comes equipped with a considerable amount of modeling and rendering instruments. Similar to other graphics suites, its complexity makes the learning curve a bit steep for beginners.

General notes

The software solution provides you with Viewport Preview Renderer functionality. This means you have the ability to get an idea of the final appearance of your project during your work. Thanks to advanced editing tools, you can modify scenes, surfaces, images and graphs to create realistic graphics and animations.

Design capabilities

It is worth noting that you are able to design three-dimensional objects, add gravity and wind effects, as well as simulate lighting conditions and configure motion paths. It is possible to use multiple instances of a specific item and produce natural motion with the Flock controller.

Thanks to the integrated Bullet dynamic engine, you have the option to build complex animations with 3D collision detection. Along with the Fracture module, it allows you to fine-tune breaking objects, like explosion pieces. In order to design the models, you may use third-party tools, such as Blender.

Render options

The program provides a considerable amount of rendering options, including wireframe, texture, shade, stretch and others. What is more, a powerful particle engine makes it possible to create detailed and photo-realistic animations.

Features

free to download and use;
compatible with modern Windows versions;
gives you the ability to model three-dimensional scenes;
you can configure pick from a wide range of rendering options;
it is possible to add special effects and set motion paths.