CompuServe Messages

Will, As you might already know, Lightwave's got the ability to ray trace. You could shape an object like a magnifying glass and assign glass properties to it, and *presto* you got a fully working lens which enlarges anything behind it. So, in effect, you could built telescopes, lenses, glasses, etc… Another nice thing is that you don't need to spend money on a plug-in for lens flare , it's already included. Plug-in for lightwave will be cheaper than 3DS (This is unconfirmed, but people are yacking about it.) What I'm really wating for is IK for Lightwave, this is an advantage that 3DS has over Lightwave. They're working on a plug-in for that. Definitly there is more to it. (Anyone care to step in?) If you own 3DS, you got nothing to loose, soon as 3DS comes out for NT you could simply upgrade. I like using 3DS for quick and dirty animation and Lightwave for killer stuff. What one can't do, the other can (well, most of the time) so it would really be to your advantage if you owned both. But if you must choose, I find Lightwave easier to use than 3DS. 3DS's output pales in comparison with Lightwave's, and last but not least, Lightwave is about one third the price. -Tony