Page 92 - 3D World - October 2017

Reviews
LW CAD Lite 5.2

adding windows is a case
of clicking and dragging.
roofs can also be added to
standard C4D meshes

Author ProFiLe
steve Jarratt
Steve is a freelance
tech journalist and CG
artist, with an unhealthy
addiction to 3D apps
and plugins.
wikipedia.org/wiki/
Steve_Jarratt

features

Comprehensive software reVIew
snapping system

Create walls, floors
and roofs LW CAD Lite 5.2

Add windows, doors,
fences and roof tiles
PriCe €119 (£106, $136) | ComPAny WTools3D | Website lwcad.com
real-time boolean
modelling
or many people, one of absent (presumably because out objects aligned to surfaces
Ability to store your the reasons to keep using C4D is well catered for in on another object and position
own preset meshes FNewTek’s LightWave 3D this area) as are the NURBS items according to a user-
was LW CAD, a plugin by surfaces as well as a host of definable grid. It’s similar to
developer Viktor Velicko, minor tools and features. But C4D’s own snapping system,
which adds a series of CAD- what we do get is the base but with more options.
CaD for style drawing and modelling primitive creation and modify One of the coolest features
LIghtwaVe functions and even bringing tools plus the ArchViz toolset, is the Shingles tool, which
NURBSs surfaces, UV mapping for the generation of walls, fully clads a roof shape with
and real-time Booleans to floors and roofs, plus windows, roof tiles, plus ridge and slope
the LW CAD PLugin First LightWave’s toolset. doors, fences, pipes and roof tiles, all with a single click.
APPeAreD in JAnuAry However, as LightWave’s tiles or shingles. However it only works at real-
2005, When Viktor industry presence continues So even with this first world scales, so if you’ve built
VeLiCko ChAngeD the to decline, Victor has opted release, you can block out a your structure too small, you
^
nAme oF his ‘CurVe to port LW CAD to both 3ds building – either as a solid might end up with half a dozen
stuDio’ to LW CAD. Max and Cinema 4D. After object or as walls and floors massive tiles on your roof. And
its mAin FunCtion on six months of open beta – add windows and doors, even then, we still find the tiles
reLeAse WAs to DeLiVer testing, LW CAD Lite 5.2 is now which automatically Boolean to be too large (especially the
A series oF CAD-styLe commercially available, and themselves into the structure, ridge and slope tiles). It would
Line DrAWing tooLs. we reviewed the Cinema 4D tile the roof and fence off the be far preferable to just have
these shAPes CouLD version for this release. neighbours. And you can do all the ability to scale the tiles so
then be trAnsFormeD This initial release cherry- this in about ten minutes once they’re at least aesthetically
into PoLygons AnD picks some of the key tools you know what you’re doing. pleasing, if not true to scale.
extruDeD to Form from LW CAD, but by no means The most immediately The live Booleans is also
rooms AnD buiLDings. includes all of its features. The useful tool is the snapping impressive, but is currently
line/curve drawing tools are function, which lets you drag limited to LW CAD’s own

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