Lightwave Scene

Latest revision as of 16:30, 13 May 2009

Title(s): LightWave Scene

Version ID: NewTek LightWave Scene File Format

Date released: Most recent format specs dated June, 1995

Date: 1990

Creator(s): NewTek

Contributor(s): Allen Hastings & Stuart Ferguson

Relationships:

• Previous Version(s): Inherited from Videoscape 3D and Aegis Modeler 3D on the Commodore Amiga, both circa. 1988.

• Contains: none

• Syntax Format(s): n/a

• Family Format(s): n/a

Description: The LightWave scene file is a standard ASCII text file that contains the information necessary to reconstruct a LightWave Scene. In addition to the objects, lights and camera, the scene file contains standard Layout settings that are set on a per scene basis. Layout information that is more "permanent" is saved in the LightWave config file.

The object geometry is not included in the scene file. For each object instance the objects path and filename are listed along with other scene specific attributes. The objects are stored as seperate binary files that contain the object geometry along with the objects surface attributes.

Objects are not saved when the Save Scene function is selected from the Scene Menu. The user is required to save these by going to the Objects Menu and selecting either the Save Object or Save All Objects function. This saves each object as an individual file and sets the path and filename that will be saved for that object instance in the scene file.

Lightwave scene files (*.lws) embed the pathnames to object files (*.lwo) within them, and that object files have pathnames to image files (for textures) embedded in them. Whatever those pathnames are in those files must be valid for the directory in which you are running the application that loads the scene file. For example, if I was loading in a scene file that referred to an object file called "data/object.lwo", then the file "object.lwo" should be located in a subdirectory of this current directory called "data".

History: A detailed account of LightWave 3D, from 1988 to 2009: LightWave History.

Example(s): Image examples can be found here: LightWave Scene Renderings

Identifier: none.

Documentation: Details found here: LightWave Scene File Format, June 1995

File Extensions: .lws

Applications:

• Native application(s): NewTek LightWave 3D

• Interoperable applications: n/a

Magic numbers: n/a

Format(s): n/a

Rights: Proprietary license

Sustainability Factors: n/a

• Standardization: n/a

• Adoption: n/a

• • Licensing and patent claims: n/a

• Self-documentation: n/a

• External dependencies: n/a

• Technical protection considerations: n/a

Typical use: 3D Design

File classification:

• Type {Binary, Text}: Text
• Raster data:
  • Raster data 2D:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
  • Raster data 3D:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
• Geometric representation:
  • Implicit representation:
    • Implicit surfaces:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
    • Implicit curves:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
    • Point set:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
  • Mesh:
    • Manifold surface meshes:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
    • Manifold volume meshes:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
    • Non-manifold meshes:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
  • Parametric representation:
    • Parametric surfaces:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
    • Parametric curves:
      • Is Supported: n/a
      • Description:
  • Contour sets:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
  • NURBS:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
• Multi-resolution models:
  • Is Supported: n/a
  • Description: n/a
• Dynamics:
  • Kinematics:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
  • Assembly:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
  • Force(s):
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
• Boundary representation
  • Manifold surface boundary representations:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
  • Manifold volume boundary representations:
    • Is Supported: n/a
    • Description:
  • Non-manifold boundary representations:
    • Is Supported:n/a
    • Description:
• Material transparency:
  • Is Supported: n/a
  • Description:

References:

• LightWave History at LightWiki
• LightWave Scene Renderings
• LightWave Scene File Format, June 1995