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Max to Lightwave?

Killjoy01Killjoy01171 Posts: 0Member
edited February 2007 in Technical Questions and Answers #1
I'm turning to the darkside and want to start using lightwave but I don't wanna redo all my models, are the conversions between the two okay or am I looking at some hefty re-working?
Post edited by Killjoy01 on

Posts

  • Andrew MarchAndrew March0 Posts: 0Member
    #2
    No serious problems as long as you export them as .Obj

    Texture references will be kept and although you may need to do some tidying up (flipped polys here and there) you shouldn't have too many issues. MattC is the Max to LW expert so maybe drop him a PM for the perils and pitfalls.

    BTW, welcome to the Light side ;)
  • mattcmattc181 Perth, AuPosts: 322Member
    #3
    Time is at a premium right now so if it's a quick question, I can probably help...otherwise it'll have to wait.

    M
  • SprySpry0 Posts: 0Member
    #4
    I'm with Andrew. Also, Pic-A-Card did a few conversions from MAX - LW back in the day, so if hes got time you should PM him :)
  • Killjoy01Killjoy01171 Posts: 0Member
    #5
    Sweet thanks guys.
  • mental|platemental|plate333 Posts: 0Member
    #6
    i'm also considering turning to the light/dark-wave side. but i'm using max since his third reincarnation...so it is a tough choise....must try the demo...:D
  • Killjoy01Killjoy01171 Posts: 0Member
    #7
    Yeah I played with light wave a bit last night, it's certainly interesting. It'll take some getting used to though, I've been a steady max user for the past 4 years or so.
  • JeffrySGJeffrySG321 Posts: 477Member
    #8
    I've been thinking of switching to LW as well. They just came out with their LW9 demo a little while ago so I've been playing with it a bit. The universal binary version is due out in March for the IntelMacs too which is a great thing. We need more LW users here on SFM!

    btw... if you guys have been using Max for a while, what the reason that you're thinking of switching to LW? If you own Max already why shell out the money for LW now, although LW is MUCH cheaper than Max anyway... what versions of Max are you using. I'd actually think about Max but it's not available on the Mac and it like six time the amount of money....

    --Jeff
  • mattcmattc181 Perth, AuPosts: 322Member
    #9
    There are plenty of LW folks around...just not quite as vocal as the Max kiddies.

    Meanwhile, I think you can cross-grade to LW for $495 and you keep your max license. No strings attached.

    Plus LW 9.2 is just about due and admittedly, there's some damned nice stuff in it :)

    M.

    EDIT: As a side note, I use both. Max is a sort of super-I/O plugin at the moment. I hate surfacing in it. Though there's alot of folks who love it. Whatever floats your boat I guess. Anyway, if you have any questions, I'm sure if you post them here in this thread, Andrew or Alain or Dave or myself will be happy to give you an answer.
  • SamuraiSamurai185 Posts: 408Member
    #10
    mattc wrote:
    There are plenty of LW folks around...just not quite as vocal as the Max kiddies.

    You rang? :shiner:

    I switched from Cinema 4D to Lightwave 8.5 when the free upgrade to 9.0 offer came on the scene. Although it takes some getting used to as a modelling tool, it's the best decision I've ever made. I do miss some of the features of C4D, but some of the things I can do in LW more than make up for it. :)
    "Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be."
  • JeffrySGJeffrySG321 Posts: 477Member
    #11
    Samurai wrote: »
    You rang? :shiner: I switched from Cinema 4D to Lightwave 8.5 when the free upgrade to 9.0 offer came on the scene. Although it takes some getting used to as a modelling tool, it's the best decision I've ever made. I do miss some of the features of C4D, but some of the things I can do in LW more than make up for it. :)
    That's actually really good to hear... I was thinking of C4D for a while but by the time you add all the advance renderers, etc. it was more than double the price of LW...
  • mental|platemental|plate333 Posts: 0Member
    #12
    well downloaded the trial install it and BAM!!! i'm at the begining.....making 3d boxes, spheres etc....i cant do shit in it...it was like when i first opened the 3ds max... i know how to make sphere and box and basic shape but further...man i got lost, and layout is for rendering?!? cuz i downloaded some lw model and import it with materials and everything but it was transfluent...

    man i feel dumb!!!
  • SamuraiSamurai185 Posts: 408Member
    #13
    same thing that put me off- plus I'm busy switching the household to Mac, and LW gave me a dual-boot license for no extra, would need to buy C4D all over again in that case...
    "Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be."
  • lotslots0 Posts: 0Member
    #14
    I've used LW since 5.6, and I have to say its my favorite 3D app to use. For me, I enjoy modeling many types of objects in the modeler, where as in other apps I only find my self modeling specific types (Wings - hard edged objects, Modo - ogranics, XSI - organics) *shrug* for me, LW's modeler is the best fit. But this is also cause I know it best :)

    LW has made some pretty large strides to regain a competitive status in the market. I only see good things in the future :). What's fun, is, lately Newtek have been offering users of the latest version of LW (9.0) access to the beta program. So you get to see and use all the fun toys that are just around the corner in 9.2 if you can keep your mouth shut :)

    Another nice thing about LW is the license. When you get LW, you get the Mac version, the 32bit Windows version, and the 64bit Windows version (and soon the UB version for Intel Macs). You can install it on any machine you like (or all of them if you have them :P) with no additional cost. The only thing that holds you back really is having that blasted dongle on your system :P So long as the dongle is attached LW will work in normal mode. If you remove your dongle, LW will run in a crippled state (much like the demo).

    Of course its also nice to have unlimited render nodes for those pesky long animations :)

    I wont say that LW is without problems. Nothing's perfect :) But the speed at which LW is advancing these days, I think we're in pretty good hands :)
  • Andrew MarchAndrew March0 Posts: 0Member
    #15
    As Matt has already said, if you have any questions just ask. If you don't want to ask on the open forums just drop me a PM.
  • LonewriterLonewriter236 Posts: 1,078Member
    #16
    I tried Max but I then I tried LW and was hooked. The interface is easier (at least for me.)
  • mattcmattc181 Perth, AuPosts: 322Member
    #17
    lots wrote: »
    LW has made some pretty large strides to regain a competitive status in the market. I only see good things in the future :). What's fun, is, lately Newtek have been offering users of the latest version of LW (9.0) access to the beta program. So you get to see and use all the fun toys that are just around the corner in 9.2 if you can keep your mouth shut :)

    I can verify that the new toys are a lot of fun :)

    The 9.x development cycle is seeing massive changes in the core application which are, of course as you'd expect, causing issues with legacy plug-ins. However, these changes are all for the better and despite this, backwards compatibility is, for the most part, quite amazing.

    M.
  • DracoJesiDracoJesi0 Posts: 0Member
    #18
    why do you say darkside??

    can.t you just open a .max with lightwave?
  • todaytoday0 Posts: 37Member
    #19
    DracoJesi wrote: »
    can.t you just open a .max with lightwave?

    nope, but you can usually import .3ds without too much trouble, occasionally you'll get inverted polygons, and most of the time you have to re-apply all the UV maps, but other than that it isn't too much of a hassle to clean up a .3ds
  • SamuraiSamurai185 Posts: 408Member
    #20
    .obj is one of the better options. :)

    .max is unique to 3DS MAX because Autodesk are losers who dont want to integrate with Industry-standard apps. ;)
    "Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be."
  • mattcmattc181 Perth, AuPosts: 322Member
    #21
    DracoJesi wrote: »
    why do you say darkside??

    can.t you just open a .max with lightwave?

    A .max file is a parametric file format which contains instructions for Max to rebuild the object. That's why only Max reads it.

    Same goes for Cinema 4D post v6

    m.
  • DracoJesiDracoJesi0 Posts: 0Member
    #22
    hmm, well in theory, if you wrote a plugin (aauming you can) for maya and/or lightwave, that would do read thease files , it would work, but how hard whould that be?

    and how many people use .max? and what about .3ds?

    and since their by the same prog (I think) can't you save a .max as .3ds and if so whould that work?
  • mattcmattc181 Perth, AuPosts: 322Member
    #23
    DracoJesi wrote: »
    hmm, well in theory, if you wrote a plugin (aauming you can) for maya and/or lightwave, that would do read thease files , it would work, but how hard whould that be?

    and how many people use .max? and what about .3ds?

    and since their by the same prog (I think) can't you save a .max as .3ds and if so whould that work?
    Too hard and Autodesk wouldn't allow it. At least, on the LW front. Hwoever, Deep Exploration and Polytrans both work well if you have Max. M.
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