Alternative Lightwave workflow

Unity Engine
1

An alternative lightwave workflow that does not involve fbx is available

Unity reads Lightwave object directly
Any/All poly and vertex maps
UV/Color/Morph/Parts/Selections

  • correct pivot position in Unity (which really helps)
  • All surface data
    creating appropriate shader in unity

Save the object and it will update in Unity (like no one else except fbx)

Lightwave scene parser, that brings in lws data.
Lights, camera, action, with no Unity set up.

Because object data is pre-loaded into unity
animation changes in Layout, yield rapid update in Unity.

“Real Time Scene Link” between Layout and Unity.
to send Unity scene to Layout and visa versa.
So if you transform in Unity, perhaps with PhysX
it will update in Layout.
ie PhysX for Lightwave.

or transform in Layout for real time updates in Unity.

Bake textures/procedurals/lightmaps/etc
directly from Unity, using the lightwave renderer.

External Online Assets for Indie users
Just put you content folder on your server
and point with WWW

this now mostly functional, and it’s working a storm.

CORE is coming out “soon”, offering Collada and then more fbx
Unity has not loved Collada
Lightwave has not loved fbx.

If you are a lightwaver, there can be a particular understanding with Unity

PS. I would hazard a guess, that the word “fbx” is most used on these forums
:wink:

2

is available where? when?

3

enthusiastic responders can beta test

4

Happy to help… have been using LW since version 4. Please let me know what you need from me.

5

Hi,

that would be nice!
I would like to test it.

Mathias

6

I’m keen to help test this.

7

Wow, this sounds wonderful.
I’ve been using LW for more than 10 years and would love to keep using it for a new project we’re currently setting up in Unity.

I’d be more than happy to test.

8

You got a PM. I’d be more than happy to help out testing this.

9

so this is a set of third party scripts/plugins? or is it an official UT project?

Free or paid product?

Some more info apart from the teaser you’ve given.

Cheers.

10

Hi Lightwavers.

This is not an official project.
It’s written by my self in C#.
using the Lightwave SDK documentation as a guide.
Also using LScript for the Lightwave side.

I have not decided if it will be commercial or free or trade.
I would certainly love to see this transparent production flow, available for lightwavers.

I feel that such heavy relience on fbx is too Autodesk heavy.

It is not 100% percent production ready,
but with the right motivation, I can finish it quite quickly.

The Key elements are :

Lwo.cs is now reading 90% of the data in the .lwo into an AssetDatabase.
Completeting this is mainly Unity side implimentation on the data.
The basics like point/poly/vmap/surfaces are all working.

Lws.cs which parses the .lws.
This is also near completion and is building a data structure in Unity which matches the .lws.
Lightwave .mot is converted to AnimationCurves

This can also write .lws dynamically.
+
Screamernet.cs which handles the Lightwave Renderer.

LayoutLink.cs which communicates with a Layout Master Plugin.

MorphMixer.cs
ZBrushLink.cs + (BZScripts) - send data between Unity to ZBrush.
VueLink.cs +(VuePython) - for Terrain Link with Vue.

If you are a lightwaver you will be used to a “Hub” controlling 2 apps.

This really extends that notion, to include other pipeline tools.

As this is all done in C# all the functionality can also be accessed by javascript
like

var lwo = new Lwo();
lwo.filename = “theFilename.lwo”;
lwo.Load();

foreach(uv:UV in lwo.layer[0].uv){
//do stuff
}

I have been writing this in burst over some time,
but it is certainly reaching a point that it is usefull to me.

regards
rom

11

Wow rom,

all that features!!!

I hope that i can test them all.
I use Zbrush and Vue too.

And then the Layout connection, the .mot file reading and the MorphMixer.

There comes so many ideas into my head.
Also i am hoping that i can use this in Unity iPhone basic or advance.

But at the moment i can not imagine how to use an object from Unity to Zbrush.
I mean i can but i can not found the reason why i should use it that way.
So what was your intention for that?

12

Rom, this sounds fantasic!

Just getting started with Unity, but I’ve been using Lightwave since version 5. Is this something that works with the Indie version? Because I’d love to help you test things out!

13

I have just tried Rom’s solution, and it works, its really cool, can see all sorts of attributes from the LW model. Two thumbs up!

I’ll keep helping him out in any way possible and in time I’ll post some of my LW->Unity workflow improvements as well, such as transferring animation from the CMU MoCap archive to a lores rigs, keyframe baking of those animations and so on. Nothing nearly as cool as this native LWO format reading, but its something :slight_smile:

Btw, this line of LScript launches Unity, so if you combine it with saving or exporting of a file you have a “send to Unity” feature.

system("open /Applications/Unity/Unity.app");
14

Who will trade ?
gold,silver,
sheep, cattle,horses
AssetBundles,
artwork, rigged/animated characters
vehicles,weapons,props
ztl,mocap
lscripts,zbscripts
etc

15

how about setting up a PayPal donation page somewhere or something similar? Anyone who donates anything gets access…

Cheers.

16

I’m a “certified” LightWave Instructor. I’ve been using it professionally since version 5.0

I would like to beta test your app, if possible!

17

I would be very interested in testing your workflow. FBX → lw still isn’t 100% on the animation side… so i end up moving stuff around between packages. I’ve been using lw as my core package since the later 80’s (Go toaster!).

18

Bump

just so that no Lightwaver forget it!

Please Rom, finish the scripts :o)

19

Hi put me down I would love to help test, use, Buy

20

just another bump to let you know there’s another lightwaver out here that’s really looking forward to this.