Load & Save Camera

Load and Save Camera are two scripts to load and save cameras into ".cam" files.

Installation:
Run it as a compiled or uncompiled LScript from Layout or Add it as a plug-in to Layout and assign it to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

How to Save:
Select the Camera you want to save. Run the Save Camera script. Select the Save Location.

How to Load:
Run the Load Camera script. Select the Camera file you want to load. NOTE: This script no longer reloads the scene to refresh! Much Faster!

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 8.5 (broken with 9.0's introduction of different cameras)

Make Ortho Camera

Make_Ortho_Camera is a script to transfer your perspective view information to a renderable camera. This is useful when mdd's and displacements have moved geometry far from your object's pivot. Thus finding the geometry at all is difficult, much less moving your camera to match this.

Installation:
Run it as a compiled or uncompiled LSript from Layout or Add it as a plug-in to Layout and assign it to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

Note: When you run this, it removes any previous instances of the null and camera created by the plug-in. In other words, if you want to keep multiple instances of the perspective cameras, rename them BEFORE running.

Note 2: I've had several people contact me about this not being a true orthographic camera. And they are correct. It is not. But I have just updated the script to more accurately reflect the perspective view. I've also had people say that the camera is nowhere near the perspective view. This was an autokey problem and has been corrected in the script.

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 9.0

PreviewMaker

Preview maker 1.5 is a simple script to help organize works in progress for random, supervisor, or client viewing.

Installation:
Run it as a compiled or uncompiled LSript from Layout or Add it as a plug-in to Layout and assign it to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

How to use:
Run the script. Select the Save Location and type the file name of your choice (i.e. the date and project). Or leave the save location set to default. BE SURE NOT TO CLICK YOUR IMAGE OR PREVIEW NOW, AS THE SCRIPT WILL OVER-WRITE ANY FILE SELECTED IN THE "SAVE LOCATION" FIELD!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN ALL CAPS!!!

Type in the page title. This is what will label your HTML page.

If your local images or animation are mirroring an online location, you can specify the online path here. If you want relative paths so that you can move your files about as you wish, Use HTML mode and leave the path blank.

You now have 6 preview options organized on 3 tabs. If left blank, nothing will be added to your page. In other words, only use the preview tabs you need.

Choose whether the WIP you're showing is an Image or Animation. If it's an animation, you have the option to choose a separate thumbnail image to display as a link (as well as text). When you do this, you will be prompted to replace the file. DOING THIS WILL NOT REPLACE YOUR FILE LIKE THE "SAVE LOCATION" FIELD WILL. YOU HAVE BEEN UNWARNED IN ALL CAPS!!
This step is optional.
If you choose image preview type, it will automatically be scaled down as a thumbnail, thus the option for a thumbnail is grayed out.

Select the Preview file. When you do this, you will be prompted to replace the file. DOING THIS WILL NOT REPLACE YOUR FILE LIKE THE "SAVE LOCATION" FIELD WILL. YOU HAVE BEEN UNWARNED IN ALL CAPS!!

Type in the Preview Title. This will be the caption and link to your preview WIPs. Or leave it at default.

Finally, you have the option to inlude a link to an index page at the bottom of your preview page. Select the index file on your local system, or type in the url.

Locate the File where you saved it and open it in a normal web browser.

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 9.0

QuckDissolve

QuickDissolve is two scripts. Dissolve_0 and Dissolve_100. Each one adds an envelope to the selected object's dissolve and adds a keyfame at the current time for either 0% dissolve or 100% dissolve. The keyframe it adds is stepped. This is good for when you've got hundreds of randomly named object layers that you need to quickly dissolve without going into the graph editor for each one.

Note: Updated to support multiple selections.

Installation:
Run it as a compiled or uncompiled LSript from Layout or Add it as a plug-in to Layout and assign it to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 9.0

Copy_Paste_Motion

Copy_Paste_Motion is two scripts. One copies the selected item's motion. The other pastes the motion onto what is selected.

Installation:
Run it as a compiled or uncompiled LSript from Layout or Add it as a plug-in to Layout and assign it to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 8.5 (since their functionality has been added in 9.0)

Layout_Focus_Tools

Layout_Focus_Tools are scripts to add modeler-like functionality to Layout's view interface. When used, these scripts allow "Fit All" and "Fit Selected" to be used in perspective view as well as orthographic views.

Installation:
Run it as a compiled or uncompiled LSript from Layout or Add it as a plug-in to Layout and assign it to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 9.0

Shadow_Lights

Shadow_Lights is a small set of scripts that add lights that only cast shadows. They don't affect diffuse or specular. Included is a shadow light editor. Using the editor you don't have to deal in negatives or figure out what the inverse shadow color of your light shadow color would be. Lights can be edited as normal if the shadow light editor isn't desired. Should you choose to use the shadow light editor, multi-selection is allowed.

NOTE: Thanks to Greg Malick for pointing out that this could be simplified into only two files. The current version now reflects this.

Installation:
Run them as uncompiled LScripts from Layout or Add them as plug-ins to Layout and assign them to the menu or hotkeys according to your preferences.

For Lightwave Version: 8.0 to 9.0

Reference Camera

Reference_Camera is a set of two Master scripts that reference .cam files.

Installation:
Run them as a compiled or uncompiled Master Class LScripts in Layout or Add them as a plug-ins to Layout according to your preferences.

How to Use:
Add Reference_Master_Camera to your master camera. This will publish a .cam file. In another scene, add Reference_Camera and select the generated .cam file. This can be generated from the Reference_Master_Camera script, or optionally, Load_Save_Cameras. When you double click the Reference_Camera script, you'll see an interface with several options. A file requester will let you load the .cam file. You can then select to offload or onload this camera. When offloaded, you'll see a null representing (and named after) the referenced camera. When onloaded, the camera will be accessible, but locked. Select using the Scene Editor.

If the .cam file has been updated, you can offload and onload to update the file at any time. The file will automatically update every time the scene is loaded.

For Lightwave Version: 8.0 to 8.5 (broken with 9.0's introduction of different cameras)

Reference Motion

Reference_Motion is a set of two Item Animation scripts that references .mot files.

Installation:
Run them as a compiled or uncompiled Item Animation LScripts in Layout or Add them as a plug-ins to Layout according to your preferences.

How to Use:
Add Reference_Master_Motion to your master object's motion options. This will publish a .mot file. In another scene, add Reference_Motion and select the generated .mot file. This can be generated from the Reference_Master_Motion script, or optionally, saving the motion normally. When you double click the Reference_Motion script, you'll see an interface with a file requester. The file requester will let you load the .mot file.

The file will automatically update every time the scene is loaded.

For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 9.0

BG Render

BG Render takes your scene (as it was last saved), and sends either the current frame or the entire scene to a commandline render.

Installation:
Run them as a compiled or uncompiled Generic LScripts in Layout or Add them as plug-ins to Layout according to your preferences.

Notes About Use:
These scripts render the current scene/objects as they were last saved. If you've made changes since saving, they won't be seen in the render. Also note that your saving options need to be active in the scene file, since no renders will be saved otherwise. Oh, and you must be working within the proper Content Directory structure to use this.

Bug Notice:
There's a Lightwave bug in versions prior to 9.0 with rendering on standalone mode of LWSN that apparently resets your LW preferences. While this is not a bug with this script, the script does use LWSN's standalone mode. So either backup your preferences or keep LW open when using. (Fixed with LW9.0)

Download BG Render Mac
Download BG Render Pc


For Lightwave Version: 7.5 to 9.0

Batch Render LWSN

Batch Render LWSN is a set of 4 scripts that create/manage a batch for submitting scenes to a command line render.

Installation:
These need to be added as plugins, since the editor calls external scripts that have to be installed to function.

How to use:
The Batch Editor is a Master Class script and must be run as such. Use the editor to manage a render batch. The delete key removes the selected scene from the batch. The enter key lets you modify the frame range. Multi-selections are allowed. Also, since the Add Frame, Add Scene, and Render Batch functions are separate files, they can be mapped to hotkeys for fast adding/rendering or put directly into the LW interface.

Notes About Use:
1. These scripts render the current scene/objects as they were last saved. If you've made changes since saving, they won't be seen in the render. Thus your saving options need to be active in the scene file, since no renders will be saved otherwise.
2. Each batch is content directory specific.
3. PC only for now. Several functions are either unavailable or not straightforward on the mac. We'll see though.
4. LWSN over-writes your configs. So if you close LW while rendering, your configs will get eaten. This is not an issue with the scripts, but rather LWSN. Either back up the configs and restore them or leave layout open.

Bug Notice:
There's a Lightwave bug in versions prior to 9.0 with rendering on standalone mode of LWSN that apparently resets your LW preferences. While this is not a bug with this script, the script does use LWSN's standalone mode. So either backup your preferences or keep LW open when using. (Fixed with LW9.0)

No Mac Version. Maybe eventually though.
Download Batch Render LWSN Pc


For Lightwave Version: 8.5 to 9.0

Import .ma Camera

Import .ma Camera is a Generic script that reads Maya .ma files and attempts to import selected cameras.

Installation:
Run as a compiled or uncompiled Generic LScript in Layout or Add this as a plug-in to Layout according to your preferences.

How to use:
Run this script, then select a Maya .ma file. You will be presented with all the non-default cameras in Maya to choose from. Select one and hit Ok. The camera's keyframed animation, zoom, aperture height, and if present in the Maya scene, render resolution will all be transfered.

(Note: Maya lets the user change rotation order, whereas LightWave does not. For the animation to match in LW, Maya's rotation order for that camera needs to be ZXY. This also applies to Vue 6 with its .ma export.)

For Lightwave Version: 8.5 to 9.0