LightWave 3D [8] 1001 Tips & Tricks phần 10 ppsx

1298 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Conflicts with Other Software Using a Hardware Lock There is the potential for conflict with other programs using a hardware lock similar to LightWave’s. This conflict can take a number of forms, including the following. If a system has multiple software packages that use similar hardware locks, the software packages may have trouble differentiating between them and/or the system may have trouble processing that many signals on the same bus. Some software installations and their related updates write information to the firmware on their hardware lock. This process is sometimes referred to as “flashing.” If the system the software is on has multiple similar hardware locks, it may not be able to differentiate between them and will flash them all. If this happens, other hardware locks may become unrecognizable to their original software packages. This will require negatively affected hardware locks to be sent back to their original manufacturer for reprogramming. Versions: All 1299 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Using the Same Hardware Lock on PC and Mac If you have the USB port hardware lock, and it has the word “DUO” stamped into the plastic, you can use it on both PCs and Macs. However, the hardware lock will generate a different Hardware Lock ID on the PC than on the Mac. Since the Permanent License Key is based on the Hardware Lock ID, you will have to register it with Customer Service for both Hardware Lock IDs. Since you can only operate LightWave in its full-featured mode on whatever system the hardware lock is attached to, you are allowed to have the software installed on more than one machine at the same time. Versions: 6-8 1300 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Moving the Hardware Lock The ADB and parallel port hardware locks are not “hot-swappable.” This means that they should not be installed on or removed from a computer while it is turned on. Doing so may damage them. The computer should be powered down completely when adding or removing an ADB or parallel port hardware lock. The USB hardware lock is “hot-swappable.” It can be safely installed or removed while the computer is running. Versions: All LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 557 Installation 1301 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Passing Signal through a Parallel Port Hardware Lock The parallel port hardware lock is of a pass-through design, allowing you to “daisy-chain” other parallel devices, such as a printer, off of it. Although this feature has been provided for your convenience, signals and/or current passing through the hardware lock can damage it, necessitating the hardware lock being sent in for repairs. If you have multiple parallel port devices, the use of a switcher box is rec - ommended. Switcher boxes are available from most electronic parts houses and computer stores with a varying number of built-in ports. In this way, you can connect multiple parallel port devices to the same port, allowing the signal to be passed through an easily replaceable and inexpensive switcher box, rather than a more valuable device, like a hardware lock. Versions: All 1302 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Installation Location LightWave 3D [8]: By default, LightWave 8’s installer will place all needed files and folders for LightWave’s operation into a folder called LightWave [8] in the C:\Program Files folder. It is recommended you use this default installation location and name, as it will provide the most consistent results. LightWave 7.5-7.5c: By default, LightWave’s installer will place all needed files and folders for LightWave’s operation into a folder called LightWave at the root level of your C: system drive. It is recommended you use this default instal- lation location and name, as it will provide the most consistent results. Versions: 7.5-8 8 Newbie Note: If you are going to install LightWave to anything other than the default location, it must be a folder dedicated to LightWave only. Specifying an installation folder that already contains other folders, such as C:\Program Files, may scatter the folders and files LightWave needs to operate properly, leading to inconsistent results when using the program. 1303 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Update Version Requirements n 6.5b: Requires LightWave 6, 6.0b, or 6.5 n 7.0b: Requires LightWave 7 n 7.5: Requires LightWave 7 or 7.0b n 7.5c: Requires LightWave 7.5 Versions: 6.5b-7.5c 558 | Chapter 14 Installation 1304 Kurtis Harris | Installation | All Levels Multiple LightWave Folders on Hard Drive After Installing an Update Some operating systems create multiple LightWave folders on the hard drive when upgrading. To help avoid this issue, when upgrading from LightWave 7 to LightWave 7.5 or LightWave 7.5c, rename the existing LightWave 7 folder to LightWave and direct the update installer to this folder when it asks what folder to install to. Versions: 7.5-7.5c ð Mac Note for Newbies: Having a blank space in the name of a folder or hard drive may cause problems when installing and/or using LightWave. Registration 1305 Kurtis Harris | Registration | All Levels Hardware Lock Not Found This means LightWave cannot find your hardware lock. There are several things that could cause this: n Did you install the drivers for the hardware lock? n Is the hardware lock attached to the machine? n If you have a parallel port hardware lock, is the parallel port set to ECP mode? n If you have a USB port hardware lock, is the green LED lit? Versions: All 1306 Kurtis Harris | Registration | All Levels License Key Not Found This means LightWave cannot find your license key. There are several things that could cause this: n Did you give Customer Service the correct Hardware Lock ID number? n Did you type the Permanent License Key in correctly, including dashes? n Are there any blank spaces, carriage returns, or ASCII characters in the license.key file? If so, delete them. n Is the name of the license.key file spelled correctly? n Was a .txt file extension added to the license.key file? If so, rename the file to remove the .txt. n Is the license.key file located in the C:\LightWave\Programs (7.5) or C:\Pro - gram Files\LightWave [8]\Programs (8.0) folder? n Do you have more than one LightWave folder on your computer? If so, is the license.key file in the same LightWave\Programs folder that your shortcuts are pointing to? Versions: All LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 559 Registration 8 Newbie Note: Full version-number upgrades, such as 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0, require a new Permanent License Key, even if you have not changed your hardware lock. You must re-register with NewTek Customer Service whenever you install such an upgrade. 1307 Kurtis Harris | Registration | All Levels Obtaining a Permanent License Key LightWave 3D [8]: At the end of the program installation procedure, you will see a dialog box prompting you to register. If you are on a computer that is connected to the Internet, you will be able to register and receive your Perma - nent License Key immediately by following the on-screen prompts. If you are not on a computer that is connected to the Internet, you can regis - ter using another computer that is connected to the Internet by visiting http://register.newtek.com or by phone at 1-800-TOASTER. If you use either of these methods, you will need to be able to provide your LightWave 3D [8] Serial Number, located on a barcode decal on the program CD, your Hardware Lock ID, which will be displayed on Step 2/4 of the registration prompt, and your contact information. LightWave 7.5c and earlier: Once you have installed the hardware lock driv- ers, the hardware lock, and LightWave, opening Modeler will display a text box that tells you your Hardware Lock ID number and how many days you have left to obtain your Permanent License Key. You can obtain your Permanent License Key by registering LightWave online at http://www.newtek.com/support/ reg/index.html or by calling 1-800-TOASTER. You will be asked to provide your Serial Number, Hardware Lock ID number, and information about yourself. Once you have registered, Customer Service will provide you with a Permanent License Key and instructions on how to input it. n In Europe, please contact NewTek-Europe at http://www.newtek-europe.com. n In Australia, please contact New Magic at http://www.newmagic.com.au. n In Japan, please contact DStorm at http://www.dstorm.co.jp. Versions: All 1308 Kurtis Harris | Registration | All Levels Creating a license.key File In the event that you do not have a license.key file in your LightWave\Pro - grams folder, you can create one yourself. On the PC: 1. Open Notepad. 2. Enter the Permanent License Key you were provided by Customer Service. 3. Save the text document into the C:\LightWave\Programs (7.5) or C:\Program Files\LightWave [8]\Programs (8.0) folder. 4. Close Notepad. For Mac OS 9: 1. Open SimpleText. 2. Enter the Permanent License Key you were provided by Customer Service. 560 | Chapter 14 Registration 3. Save the text document into the LightWave\Programs (7.5) or LightWave [8]\Programs (8.0) folder. 4. Close SimpleText. For Mac OS X: 1. Open TextEdit. 2. Enter the Permanent License Key you were provided by Customer Service. 3. Save the text document into the LightWave\Programs (7.5) or LightWave [8]\Programs (8.0) folder. 4. Close TextEdit. Versions: 7.5-8 1309 Kurtis Harris | Registration | All Levels LightWave Will Not Open After Inputting the Permanent License Key LightWave’s Hub does not activate until the Permanent License Key has been entered. If LightWave was working before the Permanent License Key was entered but not after, it is possible that a setting on your machine is blocking the Hub from activating, which will in turn keep LightWave from opening. More information about this issue can be found in Tip 1353. Versions: 6-8 Files 1310 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels File Format Support for Other 3D Applications Without any third-party add-ons, LightWave will import and export the .obj, .3ds, and .dxf 3D file formats and the .eps and .ai 2D file formats for creating 3D objects. Due to differences between programs, you will notice a difference in scale when importing or exporting 3D file formats from one 3D application to another. Versions: All 1311 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels Setting the Content Directory LightWave 3D [8]: When loading files into LightWave, it will automatically start in the C:\Program Files\LightWave [8]\Content folder created during install, also referred to as the Content directory. For example, when loading object files it will look in C:\Program Files\LightWave [8]\Content\Objects, scene files in C:\Program Files\LightWave [8]\Content\Scenes, etc. LightWave 3D [8]’s content is installed separately from the program by installing the CDs labeled “Content Disc 1” and/or “Content Disc 2.” Although uninstalling the LightWave 3D [8] program should not remove anything within the Content folder, it is not recommended to keep your working files in the LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 561 Files C:\Program Files\LightWave [8]\Content folder, because they will be deleted if you ever uninstall the content CDs for any reason. LightWave 7.5-7.5c: When loading files into LightWave, it will automati - cally start in the C:\LightWave folder created during install, also referred to as the Content directory. For example, when loading object files it will look in C:\LightWave\Objects, scene files in C:\LightWave\Scenes, etc. It is not recom - mended to keep your working files in the C:\LightWave folder though, because they will be deleted if you ever uninstall the software for any reason. You can have LightWave automatically look in your created Content directory. In Modeler: 1. Go to Modeler>Options>General Options. 2. Click on Content Directory to open a file requester that will allow you to navigate to your folder, or type the exact path into the text field. 3. Click on OK. In Layout: 1. Go to Layout>Options>Set Content Directory. 2. Use the file requester to navigate to the folder. 3. Click on OK. For your created Content Directory to work properly, you should mirror the folder structure in the original Content Directory in LightWave. For example: Original: Your’s: LightWave MyContent Images Images Objects Objects Scenes Scenes Versions: 7.5-8 8 Newbie Note: The keyboard shortcut to open the General Options panel is “o.” The keyboard short - cut to open the Content Directory file requester is Alt+F12. 1312 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels Surfaces and Pivot Points Are Not Being Saved Surface and pivot point settings are saved with the object file, not the scene file. So, if the surface properties or pivot point position of an object are changed in Layout, you must save the object from Layout, using Save>Save All objects. Versions: 6-8 1313 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels Limits and Keyframes Are Not Being Saved While features such as surface properties and pivot point positions are saved with the object file, there are also features that are saved with the scene file. These features include, but are not limited to, keyframes, rotation limits, 562 | Chapter 14 Files deformations, cameras, and lighting. The scene itself must be saved for this information to be recorded. Versions: 6-8 1314 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels Save Transformed If, for whatever reason, you would like to save a copy of an object after it has been modified in Layout (moved, rotated, scaled, deformed, etc.), you can use the File>Save>Save Transformed Object function in Layout to save a copy of the object in its new state, with a different name. Versions: 6-8 1315 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels Configuration File Changes Not Being Saved This is usually due to being logged onto the computer with a limited-permis - sions sub-account. If the sub-account does not have sufficient permissions to allow the configuration files to be saved when they are changed, they will be reset to the defaults every time you log on or off the computer. Versions: 6-8 1316 Eki Halkka | Files | Intermediate When LightWave Goes Haywire If LightWave goes irreparably haywire on you, try the following: Close Layout, Modeler, and the Hub. Delete the LWHUB.cfg, LW3.cfg, LWEXT3.cfg, and LWM3.cfg files in your configurations directory. Open Lay- out. Go to Edit Plug-ins (Alt+F11) and scan your LightWave directory. Open Modeler and the Hub by pressing F12. Close Layout, Modeler, and the Hub. You should now have a “fresh” install with all your plug-ins added once again. Make safety copies of all the configuration files; the next time you can simply over - write the corrupted config files with these safety copies. After each major update to your installation, remember to back up the configs again. Think of these back - ups as “snapshots” of the way you have your system configured. (In fact, you might want to make those backup files right now, before you have problems, so they’re ready if you need them. And don’t forget to save your menus and key - board shortcuts as well, although you can load them from the config files in a pinch.) Versions: 6-8 ð Mac Note (Robin Wood): This works the same way on the Mac, but the files you need to delete are the various LightWave Prefs files in your Home>Library>Preferences folder. And yes, do back every - thing up, and do it right now if you haven’t done it before. You might be very glad you did! LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 563 Files General Tips 1317 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Online Documentation LightWave 8: The entirety of LightWave 8’s documentation can be accessed in an online format. From either Modeler or Layout, left-click on the Help but - ton toward the top-left of the interface, then left-click again on Contents in the drop-down menu. The entire content of the Help System is searchable by keyword. 8 Newbie Note: The keyboard shortcut to access the online documentation is F1. LightWave 7.5: A new manual, including all of the LightWave 7 manual content, plus new content updated for LightWave 7.5 and 7.5c, can be down - loaded from http://www.newtek.com/products/LightWave/product/7.5c/ index.html. The entire content of the Help System is searchable by keyword. Once you have downloaded the help system, installing it will create the folder C:\LightWave\Online_Docs\help. You can access the help system by opening the index.html file from this folder in your web browser. Versions: 7.5-8 8 Newbie Note: To quickly access the help system again in the future, the first time you open the index.html file, bookmark the Help system in your web browser. 1318 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Startup Error 212 This is usually an indicator that the drivers for the hardware lock are missing or have been corrupted, or that the hardware lock itself has ceased to function. To determine which is the case, there are some things you can try. n Reinstall the hardware lock from the LightWave installation CD. n Download and install the latest hardware lock drivers appropriate for your operating system from http://www.safenet-inc.com/support/sentinelESC.asp or http://www.safenet-inc.com/support/eveESC.asp. n If you are using the USB port hardware lock, see if the green LED on it is lit. n If you are using the USB port hardware lock, move it to a different USB port on your system. n Install LightWave on another system, or attach the hardware lock to another system running LightWave. Versions: All 564 | Chapter 14 General Tips 1319 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Viewports Display Only Background Color/Texture This is usually due to having a video card or associated driver that is incom - patible with LightWave. The first thing to try would be to make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers available for your particular video card. LightWave requires a video card with a minimum of 32MB (6.0 to 7.5) or 64MB (8.0) of onboard video RAM. It is recommended that you use a video card with onboard RAM in the range of 128 to 256MB. Many options are now available in this range, some of them for as little as $80. When shopping for a new video card, you should also look for one that sup - ports the latest versions of OpenGL and DirectX. Versions: 6-8 1320 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Panels Don’t Retain Second-Display Settings Between Sessions Although LightWave will operate on dual-monitor systems, it was not spe- cifically designed for dual-monitor display. When using LightWave on a dual-monitor system, modal panels will return to the original display screen when first launched after starting a new session. Versions: 6-8 1321 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Pop-up Menus Appear Out of Position and/or at Center of Display This is usually caused by the settings established in your system’s graphics card preferences. Unless overruled by these settings, LightWave will display pop-up menus next to the buttons that spawn them. Refer to the literature pro - vided with your graphics card or the technical support provided by your graphics card’s manufacturer for information about setting the preferences to have your system display in the expected manner. Versions: 6-8 1322 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Opaque Polygons Display as Transparent or Not At All If a polygon becomes non-planar, this can cause it to display as transparent or partially transparent in a viewport using a shaded display mode. If this is the case, tripling the polygon will cause it to display as expected. While in Polygon mode in Modeler, you can check for non-planar polygons by opening the Poly - gon Statistics panel and clicking on the + to the left of Non-planar. This will highlight any non-planar polygons. If the polygon’s normal is facing away from the viewer, it will not display at all. If this is the case, flipping the polygon will cause it to be displayed as expected. Versions: 6-8 LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 565 General Tips 8 Newbie Note: The keyboard shortcut to triple polygons is “T.” The keyboard shortcut to open the Polygon Statistics Panel is “w.” The keyboard shortcut to flip polygons is “f.” 1323 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Loading Images Images can be loaded directly into most areas of LightWave that use them by choosing the (load image) option from the appropriate drop-down menu. Images can also be preloaded into LightWave through the Image Editor. Once an image has been preloaded, it will be automatically entered as a selec - tion in all appropriate drop-down menus. Image loading is a function of LightWave that is handled by plug-ins. If you are having difficulty loading a particular image format, try reloading your plug-ins. The instructions for doing so can be found in Tip 1329. Versions: 7-9 8 Newbie Note: The keyboard shortcut for launching the Image Editor is Ctrl+F4 (7-7.5c) or F6 (8). 1324 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Surfaces Not Displaying in Viewports All of LightWave’s viewports have multiple display options. Image maps applied to surfaces can be viewed in Modeler by setting any viewport to Texture in Modeler or Textured Shaded Solid in Layout. Procedural textures cannot be viewed in OpenGL mode. To see them, you will need to do a final render from Layout as a still or animation, or make use of LightWave’s VIPER feature. Versions: 7-8 8 Newbie Note: The keyboard shortcut to render the current keyframe is F9. Use F10 to render the entire scene and F11 to render the selected object. ð Mac Note for Newbies: With the release of OS X (Panther), Macintosh mapped the F9, F10, and F11 keys for the operating system itself, so you will not be able to use them for LightWave unless you first remap them for Exposé and then remap them for LightWave. 1325 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Presets Not Displaying You must have an object loaded into the program and have the Surface Edi - tor open before opening the Presets panel in order to have the Presets panel populate. Presets are not provided for all portions of the Presets panel. Room is pro - vided to save presets you create yourself. Versions: 7-8 8 Newbie Note: The keyboard shortcut for opening the Surface Editor is Ctrl+F3 (7-7.5c) or F5 (8). 566 | Chapter 14 General Tips [...]... operating system LightWave 3D [8]: PC: 1 Go to the Start>Programs>NewTek LightWave 3D [8]> Modeler shortcut in the Start menu 2 Right-click on it and select Properties to open the Properties panel 3 At the end of the Target line, add “ -0” (space-hyphen-zero) 4 Click on Apply, then OK to apply the change and close the Properties panel 5 Repeat for the Start>Programs>NewTek LightWave 3D [8] >LightWave shortcut.. .LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 567 General Tips 1326 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Keyboard Shortcuts Missing In the process of optimizing and updating LightWave, it may be found that a keyboard shortcut is not used enough to warrant keeping it in the menu, but its functionality will remain in LightWave If a keyboard shortcut has been removed... (space-hyphen-zero) LightWave 3D Troubleshooting | 579 Hub 4 Click on Apply, then OK to apply the change and close the Properties panel 5 Repeat for the Start>Programs >LightWave> LightWave 7.5 shortcut Mac: 1 Go to LightWave\ Programs 2 Open the Modeler cmdLine file with SimpleText (OS 9) or TextEdit (OS X) 3 Type “ -0” (space-hyphen-zero) on a blank line in the file 4 Save the file 5 Repeat for the LightWave. .. General Tips 1329 Kurtis Harris | General Tips | All Levels Custom Operation Failed Cannot Load External Plug-in File * Many of LightWave s functions are performed by small external program files called plug-ins This message usually means that, for whatever reason, LightWave is unable to read the plug-in file that controls the selected function You can quickly make sure that all plug-in files in the C: \LightWave. .. have not already done so With the release of OS X 10. 3 (Panther), Macintosh mapped the F9, F10, and F11 keys for the operating system itself, so you will not be able to use them for LightWave unless you first remap them for Exposé and then remap them for LightWave 1348 Kurtis Harris | Layout | All Levels Post-Render Processes Not Appearing in Alpha LightWave will usually display actual geometry in... shapes in LightWave Some sections are full 3D and a few shots are full 3D as well The Cineon images originated from 35mm film and 65mm IMAX film stills These were brought into LightWave using the Tiff Float format to preserve the full dynamic range of the image A new background pass was rendered using the newly animated camera move The titles themselves were modeled in Modeler and textured in LightWave. .. them LightWave will rebuild all the files automatically when the related features are next used On the Mac: 1 Go to Users\User Name\Library\Preferences You should see a number of files that start with lightwave and end with “prefs.” Depending on how many of LightWave s features you use, there could be as few as three and as many as eight or more 2 Select all of these files and delete them 3 Go to LightWave\ Programs\Backup... Repeat for the Start>Programs>NewTek LightWave 3D [8] >LightWave shortcut Mac: 1 Go to LightWave\ Programs 2 Open the Modeler cmdLine file with TextEdit 3 Type “ -0” (space-hyphen-zero) on a blank line in the file 4 Save the file 5 Repeat for the LightWave cmdLine file LightWave 7.5c and earlier: PC: 1 Go to the Start>Programs >LightWave> Modeler 7.5 shortcut in the Start menu 2 Right-click on it and select... shortcut to open the Surface Editor panel is Ctrl+F3 ð Mac Note for Newbies: With the release of OS X 10. 3 (Panther), Macintosh mapped the F9, F10, and F11 keys for the operating system itself, so you will not be able to use them for LightWave unless you first remap them for Exposé and then remap them for LightWave 1340 Kurtis Harris | Layout | All Levels Objects Turn Into Boxes When Viewing an Animation... Files \LightWave [8] (8) folder are loaded on your hard drive by following these steps for LightWave 7-7.5c: 1 In Modeler, click on the Modeler button at the top left of the interface right below the File button 2 Scroll down to Plug-ins and across to Edit Plug-ins This will open the Edit Plug-Ins window 3 Click on the Scan Directory button to the right 4 Use the file requester to navigate to the LightWave . Levels Installation Location LightWave 3D [8]: By default, LightWave 8’s installer will place all needed files and folders for LightWave s operation into a folder called LightWave [8] in the C:Program. multiple LightWave folders on the hard drive when upgrading. To help avoid this issue, when upgrading from LightWave 7 to LightWave 7.5 or LightWave 7.5c, rename the existing LightWave 7 folder to LightWave. exporting 3D file formats from one 3D application to another. Versions: All 1311 Kurtis Harris | Files | All Levels Setting the Content Directory LightWave 3D [8]: When loading files into LightWave,