# LightWave 3D Reviews **Vendor:** NewTek **Category:** [3D Modeling Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/3d-modeling) **Average Rating:** 3.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 29 ## About LightWave 3D LightWave 3D combines a state-of-the-art renderer with powerful, intuitive modeling, and animation tools. ## LightWave 3D Reviews ### 1. {"translation":"Translate the text from the Unknown Language to English."} **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Tushar A. | Facial Animator, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 07, 2022 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Features that help us enhance videos and images. It is an excellent software to help you add effects and edit your images. Very useful and advanced in today's time. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Nothing specific, it can add similar features like Photoshop to make it better, which will be an added advantage. Otherwise, it's a good version. I prefer this over other software. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am solving my editing issues where I need to edit an image and video, and it really helps me with that. I realized it is easy, and the UI is also interactive. That's a good thing. ### 2. Don't knock it till you've tried it. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Keith B. | Graphic Designer, Music Composer, 3D Architectural Designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 22, 2021 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Ease of use. User-friendly interface. Ability to surface and add textures to models. I prefer a third-party renderer, however. Kray Rendering is my favorite and Lightwave has a plugin for it. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Price. It's very expensive, especially for beginners, however, there's a 30-day free full feature trial. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Combined with Poser and Adobe Photoshop, I'm able to create really cool and photorealistic composites. ### 3. Just for start with 3d today...but... **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Roberto L. | Grafico senior - Pilota APR, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 25, 2019 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave 3D have a very nice modelling workflow, fast rendering with good results, not required huge hardware and work good with not recently pc too. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Model and scene editor (called layout) are 2 different software, animation and modelling tools not are update to the new "technology" like mesh fusion of Luxology Modo. Lightwave not is supported and is out of production. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** If you start with 3d lightwave can be a nice program to use, easy to understand. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** When i start to use is it was the best program 3D ever for modelling and fast rendering. ### 4. Lightwave **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Animation | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 28, 2019 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave was very easy to learn and use **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** I disliked the help option it offered. It was quite difficult to resolve a issue when I got stuck. Since I was new to this application, it took me a while to get used to it. Once I got the hang of it, it became a breeze. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** I used lightwave for a couple school animation projects I was given ### 5. how about to install light wave j a designer graficall and need it for small home work **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Biotechnology | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 30, 2018 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Photoshop , Adobe illustrator , programs animators music and games,Studio **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** slow rendering without simple 3 d solids for any purpouse **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** good program for fast solutions in 3d **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** J am freelancer j need 3 d animator to improve my skills ### 6. 10 years usr **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Greg P. | Draftsperson, Construction, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 16, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Very flexible and easy to use. I would recommend Lightwave 3D as an entry level 3d modeling software to everyone who wants to learn 3D modeling. Another very good feature LW has is the separate platform for rendering and animation. Instead of running the entire scene in one window you can work on a different program (LW Modeler) and then dropping the model into the rendering and animation editor (LW Layout), that makes the whole scene editing process more clean and easy to work. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Limited 3rd party rendering software support. Unfortunately, when comes to 3D render Lightwave is not supported by major 3d rendering software such as Vray, even lack the file type support of standalone 3d rendering software like Keyshot. As a result most of the time you will have to convert your model into a different format in order to use any of those software, that might double up or just increase the job of assigning materials, etc. The Modeler despite is a very powerful tool (this is LW3D modeling platform) was abandoned for a while from the developers I would say, you could only get A-class modeling plugins by using addons (most of the time not free). **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Some support from major 3rd party software and addition of LW CAD tools as built-in tools would be a game changer for LW. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Currently I'm using LW3D for modeling only and to prepare the model for rendering in a different rendering software. The in-built rendering machine seems weak to me, you can achieve good results with much more effort than any other rendering software. ### 7. Fully featured, thickest bang for your buck. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Piotr D. | Compositor, Animation, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I love LW's surfacing capabilities - nodal editor, more-than-adequate out of the box renderer, modeling capacity, greatly expanded by active community. I actually like that modeler is separate from scene editor (Layout) - while you render your scene out, you can work on modeling :) Customization options are total - you can make this software look as you want it to. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Probably the dreaded undo funtionality, which is very limited. Also we all could use some built in decent particle solver. Lightwave's a bit of an underdog, so you won't be getting mainstream things like VRay (but Octane's there). **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** As always with a major expense, you should consider all available options. If you are heading to build your skills and get yourself employed by a big studio, you're probably better off with Max or Maya, even C4D. However, if you look into freelancing, Lightwave is going to cost you a _lot_ less and do whatever you want to do. Interoperability is great - if you're on your own, you can import/export all sorts of data. LW obviously supports UV mapping, so Substance or Quixel are yours. Things like WorldMachine produce bitmaps that work like a charm. Camera, nulls or lights export to After Effects? Check. Really, with what you can do single-handedly, it's more than enough. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** I'm using it in my freelance work - from print to video. It's the backbone of all my productions - I've grown accustomed enough for it to be helpful even in situations where people probably use Illustrator or After Effects - sometimes it's quicker :) ### 8. Best bang for the buck **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Armin P. | Owner, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave features a progressive rendering preview and although rendertimes can get quite high, the native renderer easily produces great images. The node-based shading gives a lot of flexibility. While Lightwave lacks any parametric modeling approach, this drawback is the same time it's biggest plus. Once you get the hang of it, you can model really fast (especially in conjunction with LWCAD - 3rd party Plugin). Since Rob Powers is in charge, Lightwave communicates way better with other content-creation tools. Direct links to Unity, ZBrush, etc. Overall it is a great Allround-3D-package with very good pricing. Especially considering the upgrade policy. No cloud or msa stuff need. You can always upgrade an older version to the current one. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave is a bit dated and it's natural seperation of Modeling & Layout is a big drawback in current workflows. It should be mentioned, that Newtek is totally aware of this drawback and working hard on a unifed mesh system. There is lot's of legacy stuff packed in, which results in a steep learning curve for beginners. But once you get the hang of it, common 3D stuff is very fast to produce. But don't try your hands on Hollywood FX with this software. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Every 3D software got it's own philosophy/interface/workflow/strengths and weaknesses. Some things are unique, others are shared among all software packages. Evaluate before you buy. If you are working on big teams for big movies, Lightwave maybe won't be the best of choices. But if you are working in small teams or as a one man show with a tight budget, have a look at it. Lightwave is often unrightfully overlooked. Although it is dated in many areas, it's still a great package, considering the price. And always look out for promotions and special deals. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Most of the time I use Lightwaves Modeler in conjunction with LWCAD. This enables very fast architectural modeling. Besides that, I sometimes use it for Character animations and rendering. ### 9. It's an amazing software as long as you can deal with it's small tantrums. **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Amit S. | Motion Designer, Stratergist, Visualiser, Editor, Animation, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** It's ease of creating and setting up scenes. The work flow is really great as it allows a lot of flexibility in adopting different types of methods. Lightwave is really good for getting work done faster, specially for visualization and static scenes/products. The material & shaders are pretty easy to use. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** The rigging and animation can surely be improved to perform more effectively. I face a lot of issues when rigging characters, as it requires a lot of trials and errors to get something decently working. Compared to Lightwave, Maya has much more flexible & easier workflow for rigging. The particle & simulation system can be improved to have much for ease while creating effects. Integration with software like Substance painter, Substance designer would be really helpful. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** It's a brilliant tool for experimentation and to create some really great stuff. It's a good option to at least test out Lightwave once. I use this for creating visualizations & illustrations. It's pretty great to use if you are experienced with 3D workflow. It has somewhat strict workflow & limitations to apply somethings but there's always a way around it. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Lightwave is really brilliant for getting render outputs. It's lighting & render engines give out a good output with minimal effort. Lightwave also has the dynamic linking system with After effects which enables to create some really interesting effects. It's also not that heavy on general systems. ### 10. Small-Big 3D application **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Giancarlo D. | 3D animator, Animation, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I love Lightwave since the 5.0 version because is simple and easy to learn. With a few lessons you can get some results and also you don't need an Hi-End computer to work with, But also, after 10-15 years of using it, you'll get surprised from some features, such as render quality with his own render engine or easy rig and IK system. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Maybe some marketing and support for every new feature. Newtek just publish some videos for new features, but there are not good support and documentation. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** From my experience, Lightwave is the best product you can model with if you are "polygon-oriented" modeler. You can also solve many problems in small and big productions, but you have to search for good tutorials and documentation. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Lightwave gived to my business the chance to produce 3D videos for tv shows and advertising, many company profiles, visual fx for movies and short movies, and animations for animated series. All for less than 1500 usd, without the need to buy external engine or expansive plugins. ### 11. Lightwave experience **Rating:** 2.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jesse H. | Concept Artist in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)., Management Consulting, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I like that lightwave is continually seeking to improve the software and consistently updating it. Including the tool-sets and some of the features. I like their aggressive attitude to build on the software and stay competitive. I like hte new features that newtek comes out with on every update. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** I think with most of the features they are behind maya and 3ds, so I feel like using lightwave I am at a bit of a disadvantage on most things as a 3d modeler. The training available on the newtek website is pretty confusing and often not real helpful. I feel like the node system and shaders are really confusing as well. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** I would say that Lightwave is capable of creating high quality animations and models at a reasonable price point. The tool sets are also similar to other programs as well which makes it an easy program to transition to. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** With lightwave I have been able to create custom 3d models and animations for all of my clients needs. Communicating through animations and models technical vehicles and systems in different scenarios. Lightwave has enabled me to do this. ### 12. The Swiss army knife of 3D software packages. Good at many things but not particularly great at any. **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nino K. | Creative Director, Motion Designer, 3D Generalist, Animation, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 26, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** VPR (Virtual Preview Renderer) as well as the built in renderer. It is extremely fast and provides fast feedback in an iterative workflow. The built in renderer is equally fast, has great advanced features and is easy to understand. Node based materials are fairly intuitive and easy to work with. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Dual application approach. The 3D package is comprised of "Modeler" and "Layout". Modeler is used to build out the geometry, while Layout is used to set up lighting, dynamics and animation. Separating them seems like a good idea at times but often just slows down the process. Modeler Slightly outdated modeling tool set. There is often not enough visual feedback for tools and can be difficult to maintain 'selections' of objects you are trying to modify. The layer system used within Modeler to set up hierarchies can be difficult to work with and limiting at times. Layout Great recent support and updates but some of the newly incorporated systems feel more like plugins and have a hard time working with one another. The native dynamics system is unable to work with the newly incorporated bullet physics engine for example. Many long standing features contain separate "undo" trees, meaning you have to be extra careful with modifying settings as you may not be able to undo past a certain point, or you may not be able to undo all your actions which forces you to close and reload the scene. This makes it very difficult for newcomers. No native support for advanced simulation and dynamics. It does contain hair, liquid and similar attempts but I would not classify them as high end production level worthy. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Lightwave can do many things but requires 3rd party support for more advanced utilization. Also, save often. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Motion Graphics and commercial animation production. Speed has been the number one benefit with Lightwave. ### 13. Powerful Package, Steep Learning Curve **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ben K. | Freelance Art Director / Motion Graphics Designer, Design, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** VPR provides great feedback quickly. This is essential in an ad agency setting where you need to produce results quickly for internal approval and client sign-off. When working with creative directors and art directors unfamiliar with 3D workflows, VPR can be a fantastic tool to give your team an actual picture of what the final product will look like. Dynamics system and the modeling tools are efficient and powerful. Rigging system and presets are super helpful. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** The learning curve is pretty steep. The UI of the package can feel slightly spartan and scary for someone new to the software. Lack of Undo / Redo for various tools and functions can be frustrating for a new user coming from another package. Switching between two applications can seem strange to a new user but conceptually makes sense once you understand the impetus behind it. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Plenty of great tools and features for an experienced 3D artist. May not be the friendliest choice for beginners due to somewhat strict workflows and unpredictable lack of 'Undo' commands. However, the price of the package is incredibly reasonable, and there are a wealth of learning resources out there, so if you're thinking of dipping your foot in the 3D pond, Lightwave's price and power are hard to beat. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Fast turnaround for time-sensitive work, package provides flexibility for small teams, powerful preview rendering great for collaboration with art directors and creative teams. ### 14. Solid Generalist 3D Package **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Matthew C. | Web Designer, Consumer Electronics, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I enjoy the live and fast rendering, simple modeling system and powerful features. For the price, you get a ton advanced features for rigging, dynamics, animation and rendering. The newer versions are much more pipeline oriented, by including support many outside rendering engines (including Octane) and native tool building using standard python. All 3D packages are a bit of a bear to learn, but once settled in, it feels like second nature to buzz around the UI. Some people consider this this a downside, but having a separate animation / rending program from the modeling side keeps things a little cleaner. I also appreciate the removal of the hardware dongle requirement for licensing. Lightwave's long support for HDR rendering has made it great for product and architectural rendering for years, and is still easier to use for photo-real rendering than some other packages. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** There are things about the UI which are still odd hold-overs from the software's Amiega roots - although all commands can be remapped (although that's a bit of an irritating process). I feel like the interface could use an overhaul in general. Although that could be a very tricky line to walk for those of us used to the old interface - there would be fan outrage for sure. I do wish there was better cross-platform support for other 3D package standards. I also wish the integration with After Effects was more like Cinema 4D, which I have considered switching to for motion graphics. Maya probably still has a better animation system - but I can't speak to that too much. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** I think it's a great value for the price. But, honestly, for graphic design and motion graphics, I would seriously consider Cinema 4D instead if I had to do it all over again. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use it for product visualization, prototyping and general design / illustration. I often use it to create elements that get incorporated into other marketing projects. I work almost exclusively in still images for print and web, but I have used the simple tools for things like spins. ### 15. Lightwave 3D, the unsung Hero! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shawn S. | Owner/Operator/Consultant/Freelance, Media Production, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I have been using Lightwave 3D since the mid 90's. I was first introduced to the software via the Amiga Computer. This was basically Lightwave 3.0. The main thing that is a HUGE selling point for myself is that fact that the amt. of plugins that come with the software and the quality of the render engine. Of course the modeling tools are a great feature and the speed is quite a bonus too! **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** My one BIG drawback to the program is it's lack of ability to interface with After Effects. IF... IF you could utilize Lightwave 3D with After Effects Like Cinema 4D you would have an amazing all around program. I cannot comment if the 2015 version of Lightwave allows for more of a full integration experience... But I would still choose Lightwave 3D hands down. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Always try before you buy. Keep in mind. Lightwave has been used for EVERYTHING! It is the Little Engine That Could! From TV to Film. Video Games to Advertising. Granted there are other programs out there. for the price, the features, the add-ons, plugins and the community as a whole. I have never regretted learning the program or working with it! **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** From motion graphics to effects. Product shots to compositing. I have rendered large format print pieces rendered from Lightwave all the way down to business cards. ### 16. all in one studio **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 06, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Can handle complex high poly count scene on the fly and renders out very well, and professional looking results. Renders fast with realistic reflection, subscatter surface skin and lighting. Handles soft body dynamics and hair particle. Genoma rigging tools can rig a model quickly and easy. Great add-on tools available for Lightwave that enhance user friendly work flow. 3rd powers cage deformer and LW brush tool highly recommneded add on for lightwave to make it complete. Makes it easier to construct anything from organic life to architectural and mechanical engineer product. Quality of the program is at professional level of most Hollywood movie production all in one program. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** The lack of some rigging constraint for joint deformation, which required Cage deformer plug-in to solve that issue. The nodal system requires a bit of a learning curve. But not really that much to dislike. Maybe need a better water particle is needed. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** the next version will have feature that makes solving rigging joint deformation easier, without needing the 3rd power cage deformer. But if you are going to get "Lightwave 2015" then I recommend adding 3rdPower plugin for cage deformer and LW brush tool that is a cheaper version of Zbrush basic tool set. without having to leave the program to do so. The package I got included Chronosoft and Nevron motion caption program. The Nevron Motion caption a bit jittery for kniectv2 because they didn't finish the product for the latest kinect. I would recommend "Brekel system" motion caption with "Kinema Web Animate" motion editor for animation. Nevron Motion has a great bone retarget to BVH program that is useful. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Making much more complex scene to handle more asset in the scene and render it out at a fast pace for quick turnaround for result. ### 17. Creative Director at Nurbs Productions **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Animation | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** The easy of use, ightwaves learning curve is the fastest in the market, in a very sort time you can learn to use its full strength and deliver projects much faster than other 3D programs. I love the way that I can create objects in modeler and also the use of shortcuts It works great in every computer, dosn't draine your computer resources. I love that, it never crashes **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** No "real" Undo in Layout, some times it is hard (to impossible) to make numeric geometry animations (like animated boolean, or animated lathes) In character animation it misses many useful tools that you find in other programs Dynamics and particles are not so advanced compared to competition, even though the integration of bullet dynamics, helped a lot I miss the time it was ahead from the competition, especially in rendering **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Easy, fast, it can deliver **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Speaking from my personal experience in using Lightwave for almost 20 years, I can testify that there is (almost) nothing that you can't do with Lightwave, especially if you use it with side by side with other programs, like Photoshop, 3D tracking programs, Z-brush and composition programs. I have used Lightwave for making Tv commercials, special effects for movies, presentations, illustrations, pre-production, post-production and lately I used it with an with an application team, making all the graphics for a kids app and had no complains for the quality and the time i needed to deliver the project. ### 18. Great all-round 3d package **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mats S. | Proprietor, Design, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** The great, featured native rendering engine has been one of my main reasons for using LightWave. Don't let some of the newbie stuff you see online fool you – LW can help you make amazing, state-of-the-art work. A new PBR engine is due in the next version, which is exciting and keeps LW up to date with the competition. VPR viewport rendering and live displacement updates in GL is a good feature. Very powerful nodal texturing and shading features with loads of great official nodes as well as free plugins from 3rd parties. The modeling tools are very fluid and intuitive once you have some basic knowledge of how 3d modelling works. Animating is very simple and fast with a range of options such as editing graphs, dope sheets or scripting. Enthusiastic online community. Good, but simple integration with After Effects that I use all the time to combine 3d with 2d. Good support for various file types. Price is very competitive. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** OpenGL is slow on my standard MAC. There are some very huge limitations with regards to undoes in the Layout (animation and rendering) part of the application. Rigging seems very cumbersome – but I do little of this kind of work, to be honest. 3rd party plugins have become fewer and there is a lot of very old stuff out there that's still being used. For a while the versions seemed to opt for stuffing half-finished and poorly integrated features into the Layout part of the application instead of solving deeper architecture issues. Modern modelling features have also been on the back-burner for a while. This strategy does however seem to have changed recently and I have great hopes regarding the versions we will be receiving in the next few years. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Animation, motion graphics and visual effects. ### 19. Lightwave user since version 5.6 - My preferred 3D animation software! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Paul Leonard W. | Freelance 3D Artist, Animation, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I have been using Lightwave 3D for so long now, I love that everything is intuitive and easy to navigate. It feels like there is more to explore and learn as there are no bounds to the many plugins and scripts that come with the software package. I am constantly finding new ways of tackling a modelling task or animation! Lightwave is avery versatile 3D modelling and animation package offering photo realistic rendering, stereo images, many real world camera effects (dof, real life lenses), real time feedback and much much more! **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** People often dislike that the modeller program is separate from the animation program.. It does not bother me at all... I use Blender for a lot of dynamic effects and modelling, this is an all in one package. I do not see any disadvantage to keeping the modelling module as a separate program. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Check out the trial version for yourself. It is not for everyone. But, once you click with the Lightwave methodology, there is no looking back. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Time! Clients need quick proofs and animatics on the fly. Lightwave offers a quick solution to turnaround samples for clients to approve before sending out for a full render. Biggest benefit being speed of turnaround and quality of images to send out to clients. ### 20. Easy to use and follow. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ying Kit L. | Tutor - Digital Marketing & IT Systems, Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 26, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** I have been using LigthWave 3D for about 2 years as part of my education revision. I remember creating a short animation for logo animation and including other 3D modelling. The tools makes it easier for us as user to use. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** The rendering duration does take some time. I remembered I animated a 60 seconds video with UV, texture and animation, it took about 3 days to render fully back in 2007. However the PC specification I used back then was pretty low. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** I recommend for the duration for rendering process to be reduced. Possibly improving the specification requirements for the software so our desktops does not go overheat when render. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am trying to create an awareness of 3D Animation softwares. The benefits that I realized for LightWave 3D when I first started using as my Creative Designer Consultant, it is a good stepping stone. ### 21. Solid, focused workflow, excellent modelling & riging system, great effects. **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gareth O. | Graphic and Web Designer, Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 25, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** The modelling system, being separated from the scene workflow allows for a more focused experience. The rigging and general animation systems are intuitive and easy to implement. Particle systems are simple to apply with a great level of customization. Scripting is just as applicable in LightWave as any other 3D package. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** The strict workflow may feel constraining to someone transitioning from other 3D packages. Not many external applications natively support LightWave files. Having models saved separately from scenes can be both a plus and minus in various situations. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Great tool, best to trial first to see if it meets all your needs. The modelling system is (in my opinion) the best I have come across. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Easy development of concepts. Can quickly model a prototype and roughly animate a sequence within a few hours for proof of concept. ### 22. Ultimately I also recommend it for the ease of use in general. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Angelo Carmelo M. | Freelance Illustrator 3d Comics, Publishing, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 26, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave use for many years in the field of architecture. I like his accuracy in modeling and compliance measures. I currently use the program to create toys and action figures. Much appreciated are the plug in third party for export in stl format vital for a good press with prototyping systems. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Definitely I prefer a single module and improve the management of the OpenGL preview in the modeler. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Overall I would recommend lightwave as a modeling program. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Speed up the creative and production process. ### 23. Good for beginners, freelancers and smaller companies **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Machinery | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** The main reason I started using Lightwave was because it's simple to learn. At the time it was also perfect for my small needs. I was working as a VFX trainee and did a lot of simple modelling and compositing work with it, and most of all it wasn't too expensive. At the moment I work at an Industrial company, where I sometimes need to rely on 3D models because of new idea's that need to be visualised. together with the models that I already get from workfloor preppers, this is a good combo. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** This you already know but Lightwave isn't a marktleader. which means that a lot of big companies use other programs like maya and 3DsMax. The main reason I used Lw in the past was because I'm a freelancer who worked on his own and for a smaller vfx company so I had to adapt to the industry I was closest to. Right now I'm thinking of changing over to Blender because it's free, just as comprehensive, and fullfills my needs. (probably first in combination) **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Look at the title. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Looks like I already named a few (see above). I've used it for compositing in the past, and back then we had to use other tracking programs that worked together with Lw. It was a little bit of a hassle, but it did the job well. Other than that I did a series of X-ray models for a brush company. that wanted to use them for Brochure cover art and add to their housestyle. Lw renderer works also really good as a raytracer, I hope this little review was insightfull for you guys. Best regards, Jeroen ### 24. I have been taught to use this software in grad school and stuck ever since **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ahindrila D. | Product Designer, Marketing and Advertising, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** It is very intuitive once you get a hang of modelling. It is a fast solution to detailed designs. The renders come beautifully in Layout and the number of choices you have an how finely things can be tuned to fit our choices is remarkable **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** at first it is difficult. Also the rounder tool makes the program crash often **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Rounder should work more fluidly **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am designing furniture with the help of this software ### 25. It is a great tool with clean interface and brilliant render quality. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Preethika a. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave's interface , fast rendering, small file sizes, It bridges well with other applications. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Character Modeling and the node system is complicated for beginners. Sculpting tool does not give a great result. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Easy to use with lot of great features but need to experiment a lot to get used to the software. Recommended for students and professionals. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Have used it only for personal projects in college. ### 26. Great Software **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Design | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** The tools to model a 3D object are very precise and easy to use. The space to create is very clean. The render is very fast. The lights and reflection are satisfactory realistic, as the object texture. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** The fact that there are two main programs to create the whole process, Modeler and Layout requires a little more of organization. Modeler is used to make 3d models and Layout to animate the 3d models (rendering is available as well). While they are running at the same time, a program called Hub synchronize data between the two. In my point of view, it would be more practical if Layout and Modeler were just one program. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Usually I create animations and projection of scenery for TV shows. ### 27. 3D tool which has a potential to improve. **Rating:** 2.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Animation | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 05, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** The work flow in the modeller interface. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** Some of the preset plugins have bugs and which is really annoying when working, since they close the program. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** The tool is too, individual based, could work on its compatibility with some frequently used softwares. It will grow to the market. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** The tool is very handy when it comes for creating assets, it will go well if the flexibility of the workflow for cross compatibility improves. ### 28. Working with Lightwave for more then 10 years **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Pieter N. | Owner, Animation, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Almost everything. Seperate modeler and renderer. Simple interface. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** No history in modeler. To much destructive workflows. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** Very powerfull and simple interface. Interface without hundreds of too large icons. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** Product presentations. Animations. ### 29. Lightwave 3D review **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2016 **What do you like best about LightWave 3D?** Lightwave has a fairly robust set of tools. It is open to 3rd party tools, and works well in a production setting. And produces very quick beautiful renders. **What do you dislike about LightWave 3D?** When they moved to the latest version of lightwave, the development time ran longer than expected. **Recommendations to others considering LightWave 3D:** The price for such a great tool is very affordable. Lightwave is very robust and continues to get better with each release. **What problems is LightWave 3D solving and how is that benefiting you?** We use lightwave as part of our motion graphics pipeline. We create lots of versions of our content, and lightwave makes it easy to swap out elements. ## LightWave 3D Discussions - [What is LightWave 3D used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-lightwave-3d-used-for) - [What does LightWave 3D do?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-does-lightwave-3d-do) - [How much does LightWave cost?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-much-does-lightwave-cost) - [What happened LightWave 3d?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-happened-lightwave-3d) - [Is LightWave 3d good?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-lightwave-3d-good) - [View LightWave 3D pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/lightwave-3d/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-31+03%3A42%3A21+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=5b9c1a8f-b29c-4a53-a465-828fd590d5d6&secure%5Btoken%5D=d30348ecd4a3bd8c533e8f8c3adeb03cffd12832612a1eea21be6b418245723e&format=llm_user) ## LightWave 3D Features **Design** - Sculpting - Topology - Drawing - Brush Variety - Effects **Generative AI** - AI Text-to-Image - AI Text-to-Video - AI Text-to-3D **Generative AI** - AI Image-to-Text - AI Text-to-3D **Move** - Animate - Render - Views **Agentic AI - Animation** - Multi-step Planning - Cross-system Integration **Store & Manage** - Pipeline - Controls - Template library **Generative AI** - AI Text-to-Image - AI Text-to-3D ## Top LightWave 3D Alternatives - [Blender](https://www.g2.com/products/blender/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (306 reviews) - [3ds Max Design](https://www.g2.com/products/3ds-max-design/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (276 reviews) - [Maya](https://www.g2.com/products/maya/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (260 reviews)