Dear LightWavers,

I hope most of you are busy exploring the fun new features we added to LightWave v9.2. The build is complete and has been publicly available for several weeks now. If you're a LightWave v9 owner and haven't picked it up yet, we encourage you to run, not walk, straight to your profile in the NewTek registration system, get it downloaded and in use. We're confident that you'll be quite pleased with what you find. Now, for the shameless plug... for anyone running a version of LightWave before v9 you're really missing out on the best upgrade in a long time... maybe ever. We've got a great special offer going that you don’t want to miss, as always there are further details in the newsletter.

No doubt, what you really want to know now is what's next. First, let me tell you that the team flew in from the four corners of the world and met in San Antonio the first week of May. This is where we do our heavy duty planning and strategizing for the future. The first visible result of these efforts is the LightWave v9.2 PR1 release which is currently in the hands of the Open Beta team. The interim update addresses a few SDK issues, tune-ups to radiosity, Relativity and a few other pesky bugs that surfaced. The patch will be made available shortly.

We are also in the final stages of preparing the Universal Binary release of LightWave v9.2. I know many of you are anxious to get your hands on this beastie, but we've learned through experience that working with our beta teams and taking the time to make it right makes all the difference in providing a great user experience for you.

Remember, if you really want to stay on the leading edge of what's happening on the LightWave front, get your copy of LightWave v9 and join Open Beta... it all happens there first.

As always, thanks for being part of the team.

Jay Roth
President NewTek 3D Division

Registered owners of LightWave v9, download now at: register.NewTek.com

LightWave v9.2 Training Bundle
Special Limited Time Offer

Now is the perfect time to step up to LightWave v9. For a limited time, NewTek is offering the LightWave v9 Training Bundle, a special offer that provides hundreds of dollars in training materials free with the purchase of LightWave 3D. By special arrangement with 3D Garage, Desktop Images, KURV Studios, Wordware Publishing and Replica Technology, purchasers of a new full or upgrade license of LightWave will be eligible to receive a training and royalty-free content package valued at over $350, free with every order!

The LightWave v9 Training Bundle includes the following materials:

• Tune Up for LightWave v9
  - Courseware by 3D Garage
• LightWave v9 Defined
  - DVD by Desktop Images
• Practical Lighting by Nicholas Boughen
  - DVD by Kurv Studios
• Essential LightWave v9 by Steve Warner
  - Book by Wordware Publishing
• The Interior Design Collection
  - Royalty Free Content by Replica Technology

This offer is valid on new full and upgrade commercial licenses purchased in North America between February 22, 2007 and June 30, 2007.

LightWave 3D Profile: Tony Rizo

Many animators feel they face a lot of stress on the job, but few of them know the stress of performing their job while deployed in Iraq for the United States Air Force. From background game art, to pioneering 3D animated series like Max Steele and Roughnecks: Starship Troopers, to virtual sets for the military, Tony Rizo has worked in a variety of fields. Recently returned from one such deployment, Tony took some time to tell us about his experiences in the industry.

LightWave 3D Profile: Alejandro Parrilla

Alejandro Parrilla is a 3D artist for IGT in Reno, NV, a company well known for its themed gaming machines. Originally from Venezuela, Alejandro's travels have taken him from Spain, to Orlando, Florida and now to a city world renowned for its visual displays. We recently got a chance to talk to Alejandro about his twisting path through the graphics industry and how he wound up in a field many may not initially recognize as a part of the 3D market.

Wordware Publishing Book
LightWave v9 Lighting

The process of creating accurate and pleasing lighting in CG environments demands both an understanding of the fundamentals of light and knowledge of the available tools. LightWave v9 Lighting addresses these issues in a practical guide that shows you how to achieve your lighting goals using the latest version of LightWave 3D.

With this book:
- Discover the tools and features of LightWave v9 that can improve your lighting.
- Understand lighting concepts including color, shadow, intent, and style.
- Explore a number of tutorials that demonstrate specific lighting setups.
- Learn how to enhance your lighting with volumetrics, lens flares, projection images, and radiosity.
- Find out how the proper lighting can turn a good shot into a great shot.

About the author:
Visual effects supervisor Nicholas Boughen has used LightWave 3D professionally for more than 10 years and has a 20-year background as a scenic and lighting designer for the stage. His many visual effects credits include Blades of Glory, Night at the Museum, Firewall, Garfield, Garfield 2, I, Robot, Dead Like Me, Voyage of the Unicorn, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Stargate SG-1, and Stargate Atlantis. He lives in Deep Cove, British Columbia, with his wife, two children, and a partially completed Hatz biplane.

NewTek @ A-Kon 2007

Stop by the NewTek Booth at A-Kon 18 and find out how you can work more efficiently with NewTek's newest offerings in 3D animation. See how you can work faster with our demos of LightWave 3D® by Graham Toms and Deuce .

NewTek @ SIGGRAPH 2007

Stop by the NewTek Booth, Booth 1237, and find out how you can work more efficiently with NewTek's newest offerings in 3D animation, motion graphics and video production. See how you can work faster with our demos of:

LightWave 3D ®, LightWave Rendition for Adobe Photoshop™,
3D Arsenal™, SpeedEDIT™, TriCaster Pro™, TriCaster Studio™, VT™

More details coming soon.

LightWave 3D in the News

• Zoic Zoom (Visual Evolution)
• DAVE School VFX Demo 2007
• Angel Nieves interview
• Taron DVD review
• Once Upon a Christmas Village
• Tales of the New Republic
• Tales of the New Republic discussion
• The Fantasticar - An Inside Look
• Indie Film Set to Make Space Missions Sexy