Lightwave Introduction
Modeler Tour
Modeler Basics
Creating a Primitive
Moving Objects
Selecting
| | Lightwave is composed ot two (2) components:
- Modeler: used to create objects and to specify surfaces to which textures and colors will be applied.
- Layout: used to create scenes including positioning of objects, lights, and cameras.
We will start by learning some basics about Modeler.
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| | Start Modeler - Programs, Lightwave, Modeler
The Modeler interface has many features you must master.
- Toolbar: on the left edge of the interface. The buttons in the Toolbar vary depending upon menu selections, plug-in activations, and current object and layer selection.
- Menu Tabs: at the top left of the interface. Each tab selection provides a different Toolbar and thus different functions that can be performed. The groupings are mostly logical, but you will need to learn which Menu Tab the tool you want is located. The standard Menu tabs are: Create, Modify, Multiple, Construct, Detail, Map, Display.
- Object Selector: is just to the right of the Menu Tabs. You can have many objects loaded into the program at one time and use the Object Selector to switch between the objects. The current object's name will be displayed on the selector button, click on the button to bring up the list of objects you have loaded.
- Layer Selector: to the right of the Object Selector is a series of small buttons used to select and control the layers of your object. Layers are very important to help you organize your object, keeping various parts of your object on different layers will allow you to more easily manipulate these parts. Also some tools will require the use of mutiple layers.
- Vertex Maps: in the lower right corner, on the second row from the bottom of the interface are the selection buttons for vertex maps - Weight, Texture and Morph. Maps are used to add additional data points to your objects.
- Clipboard: the bottom right row provides buttons to access the clipboard - cut, copy, paste, undo and redo.
- Edit Modes: the buttons on the lower left of the interface change the edit modes between editing just points, polygons or workspace areas. These are radio buttons, only one can be selected at any time. The mode selection changes how tools work and what part of your object gets selected.
- Sets: just above the Edit Mode is a display window that lists how many compenets are selected. When in Point Edit mode it lists how many points are currently selected; in Polygon Mode it lists how many polygons are selected.
- Grid Display: is the dsiplay area in the lower left corner of the interface. This display area show the size of the current grid setting for the display.
- Info Display: just above the Grid Display is the display area that show the X, Y and Z location of the cursor under most condistions. Other information will be displayed in this area under different modes and tools.
- Workspace: in the center of the display, taking up the majority of the display area, is the actual object workspace. By default it will display the Top view of your object in the upper left quadrant, the Back view in the lower left, the Right view in the lower right, and a Perspective view in the upper right. You must master viewing your objects from these multiple views - you are working on 3-D objects on a 2D screen, so you need to use the views to visualize what you are doing and selecting. The Perspective view is very useful, but should not be the only view you work with when modeling.
- View Toolbar: at the top of each view is a set of buttons that allow you to change what the view shows, as well as change display options. On the right portion of these toolbars are buttons to allow you to pan, rotate and zoom.
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| | Identify each of these features on modeler. | |
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| | Now lets give Modeler a spin.
Start by looking at the top of the Toolbar, in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Buttons with a small down-pointing arrow on them are ‘drop down lists’ that you must hold down your left mouse button to activate the list. Windows users usually just click on the button, but Lightwave based off the Amiga interface originally requires you to click and hold with the left mouse button. Select the ‘File’ drop down list (load, save, close, etc.) Try the ‘Load Object’ selection (keyboard shortcut given right menu selection is lowercase l – not one.
Select File -> Load Object. Now you should have a dialog box (a requester) allowing you to navigate the computer’s disk to select an object to load. We want to load an object from Lightwave: Lightwave\Objects\Animals\Cow.lwo. Open the Cow object. The views should now show the Lightwave Cow. Press the ‘a’ key to zoom All. The Cow should fill the viewports now. If you wanted to use the Menu Tabs to zoom All, select Display (Menu Tab) and Fit (Toolbar) – shortcuts are nice.
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| | With the Cow loaded, try the various View Toolbar options for pan, rotate and zoom - remember left mouse click and hold, and then move the mouse. If your cow seems to get lost, remember pressing A (zoom All).
Try holding down the Alt key and use the left mouse button in one of the views. Then try the Shift-Alt and left mouse btton in the Perspective view.
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| | Now try click and hold on the Perspective button in the Perspective view's View Toolbar. You should get a list of view options. You can use this button to change what view is displayed in this upper right quadrant. The drop-down list button just to the right of the Perspecitve button allows you to how the viewport appears. Such choices as Wireframe, Flat Shade, Smooth Shade, Texture, etc. Some cases you will want to use the Texture option to see approximately what your object looks like, other times you want Wireframe to be able to quickly see the interaction of all the parts of your object. We will explore these options more later on in the course.
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| | Make sure you still have a cow. Use the 'a' key to zoom All.
Now try and create a sphere directly above the cow's head.
To create an object select the the Create tab from the top Menu Tabs. Note the buttons avialable on the Toolbar at the left of the interface. To create a sphere select Ball under the Objects heading. Move the mouse on to the Back view (you could use any view, but for this sample let us try the Back view). Note the change in the cursor - you need to become familiar with the various cursors or at least be aware that you have a tool selected.
With the cursor over the cow's head in the Back view, click and hold the left mouse button. Now drag to the left or the right and you should see the outline of a circle with 'control points' in blue. Drag the circle out to a size you want. Release the left mouse button and look at the circle in the Right and Top view. In the Right view, click the left mouse button and drag left or right to create the sphere - stretching it into three-space.
As long as the blue control points are still present, the sphere has not actually been 'made' yet. You can click on the control points and modify the ball. If you want to move the ball, click and drag the cross hairs in the middle of the sphere. Clicking on the control points on the edge of the ball allow you to modify the shape. Try it out. Make sure you can get the sphere directly over the cow's head.
Once you have the sphere as you like it, press the spacebar to 'create' the sphere. Once Lightwave actually create the object, it is now a series of polygons. You can select polygons or points or groups of polygons, but you cannot have Lightwave just select the sphere you just made. Once created it is a bunch of polygons, not a ball to Lightwave.
Notice the cursor - it should be a crosshair now. You are in seleciton mode, no longer in ball creation mode.
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| | Now clear the selecitons, and try selecting the sphere without any cow parts. Select the Modify tab form the Menu Tabs. Now you have a new Toolbar set. Find the move command, select it and place the cursor in one of the views. Notice the cursor change. Left mouse click and move the sphere around. Try the different viewports.
Undo and Redo are your friends. The lower right edge of the interface has Undo and Redo, try moving the ball and use the Undo and Redo to see the operations.
After you have move down, try some of the other tools in the Modify Toolbar.
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| | Now you have the sphere and the cow. If you want to select just the sphere to manipulate, there are several ways to select it. First change Edit Mode to Polygon (bottom left edge of interface). Notice the course change - you will learn to know the mode and tool selection by the cursor shape.
In polygon mode if you left mouse click on the edge of a polygon, it should change color (yellow highlight). If you try and click on another polygon while one is already highlighted it seems not to work. So let us see how to resolve this issue. Left mouse click on blank area at the bottom of the Toolbar above the Info Display. That should clear the selection you have currently.
Now move the cursor to the left of the sphere's central axis in the Back view. Click the left mouse button and hold, then drag the cursor across the sphere until you 'exit' the sphere to the right. Now let go of the mouse button. You should see a series of polygons selectecd. The way selection works - if you have no selection, as long as the mouse button is pressed you can 'touch' a polgon and it will be highlighed (selected). Once you release the mouse button any subsequent selection will deselect that polygon; if the polygon was not already selected it does nothing. If you want to add polygons to your selection after your initial mouse release, you need to hold down shift and then use the left mouse button click or hold and drag to add polygons to yor selection. And if you get some polygons you do not want. use the mouse click without the shift. Try it out.
Another way to make a selection is with the lasso. Go ahead and clear the selection as before (click on the blank area below the Toolbar). Now position the cursor near the sphere and use the Right mouse button click and hold, and then drag the cursor in a lasso motion (circling the sphere). When you let go of the mouse button, then the selection will be made. The lasso will include polygons that are include entirely in the lasso. If part of the polygon is not inside the lasso area, it will NOT be included. Once you have made a selection then you can add to it with the shift key and left or right clicking, and remove polygons with clicks without the shift key.
One more way to select. Clear the selection. Now click on one polygon edge in the sphere (you might get one, two, three or four polygons). Once you have these few polygons selected, we can grow the selection with commands. To select all polygons connected to the current selection, press the ']' right bracket key. Try it and then clear it. Now select a polygon again, now press the '}' shift right bracket key. You will grow the connected selection by pressing this key again and again (expanding the selection). You can contract the selection with the shift left bracket. You can find these tools on the Display tab under Selection heading.
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