LightWave 9.5 Announced...

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Great news for Arch viz people, LightWave's great renderer has now been expanded with these features for our specific enjoyment for the announced 9.5 release (which is, again, a free update):

 

- Disk cache that is networkable

- New Light API for photometrics and 3rd party light plugins

- Native IES Lights

- Spherical Lights

- Even faster & smoother GI and more control options

- Improved GI transparency options for faster and more controlled results

- Native Collada & FBX in/export

- Improved OBJ in/export

- Interpolated soft reflections / refractions (faster than non-soft)

 

Other features include:

A completely new Hair & Fur system

Many IK/FK additions and improvements

Multi threaded mes deformations

EXIF metadata support

Many SDK expansions for GI, Cache, Light & Animation

 

Here's the press release:

http://www.newtek.com/news/pressrelease.php?viewpr=36

 

There's also 24 hours of free training material available now here:

http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/index.php