3D Modeling Tool LightWave 3D 11 Adds Bullet Dynamics, Fracturing

NewTek has unveiled version 11 of its popular 3D modeling, animation and rendering tool, LightWave. The software, which is popular in feature animation (in fact, it has won an Emmy), was unveiled at an event in Hollywood Thursday night. New to version 11 is an instancing option, allowing artists to duplicate a large number of objects in a scene with low memory overhead. Also new is a flocking tool, allowing grouped objects such as birds, fish or animals to be animated together. The flocking tool automatically calculates crowd avoidance. Other new tools include fracturing, bullet dynamics, and support for the PlayStation Move controller. More information available on NewTek's website.