Modeler

PropertiesChapter 1: LightWave 3D Getting Started 19Optimizing RAM UsageYou can set the Automatic Shutdown to various time intervals,after which the Hub will shutdown when there is no activity. Notethat even when Layout and Modeler are idle, there is still someminimal communication activity which will keep the Hub fromshutting down.When Layout or Modeler are running, the Hub will periodicallyrequest that the applications write their recent changes totemporary files. The frequency of this Automatic Save is set by theHub option. The temporary files are located in a lwhub directoryinside your normal system temporary directory. The files havenames that include the base name of the object with a numericprefix. So, if you are editing an object called myObject.lwo andyou crash after an editing session, you can still find an auto-savedversion of your edits in the temporary directory with a name like0012.myObject.lwo.NOTE: If you would like to run Layout and/or Modeler independently, append -0 to thecommand (e.g., Lightwav.exe -0. That’s a zero, bythe way.) You will have to load and save objects manually.Command IPCWe have implemented an interprocess communications system,CommandIPC, into Layout and Modeler. When LightWave isstarted without Hub support (the -0 command line option), Layoutand Modeler all notify each other when a mesh file has beensaved to disc, and the applications that have that file open andhave not applied modifications during the session will update fromthe new version on disc. For example, if both Layout and Modelerhave “bob.lwo” open, Modeler has some edits applied to it, andLayout saves it transformed, Modeler will not automatically updatefrom the disc.If subsequently the object is saved out from Modeler, that willoverwrite the changes made by Layout, and Layout will updatefrom the save if no further changes were applied in Layoutduring the interim. LightWave CORE users should note that theIPC system is only active in the Windows and Mac builds, sinceLightWave HC code is not built for Linux.The ‘isolate’ flag (‘-i’) will completely disable all IPC mechanisms(Hub and CommandIPC), leaving the application isolated from allother product actions.If your computer is accessing virtual memory frequently duringrendering, you may find a substantial increase in performance byinstalling more RAM on your machine or reducing the amount ofRAM LightWave needs to store the render information.One of the best ways to minimise the need for RAM is to reducethe color of the images used for texture mapping effects. Exceptfor those used as a Surface Color, Texture Maps usually need tobe only 256-level greyscale images.Other ways to reduce RAM usage are to render your animation inmultiple passes or decrease Segment Memory Limit on Layout’sRender Globals Panel.LightWave 3D ResourcesInternet ResourcesLightWave-specific forums, newsgroups and mailing lists aremaintained on the Internet. Here you can find new users askingquestions about using LightWave and experts answering them.Also, many topics related to computer animation are discussed inthese groups, such as the performance of various graphics cards,CPU speeds, platforms, and many more. NewTek’s own forumcan be found at http://vbulletin.newtek.com/ and there are manyothers out there.The LightWave-related newsgroup for text-only discussions is atcomp.graphics.apps.lightwave; and for those who wish to shareimages alt.binary.3d.lightwave.Several Internet mailing lists can be found at www.groups.yahoo.com. The mailing lists are LW3D (support and techniquediscussions), LW3D-DISC (related discussions for LightWaveusers), and LW-Plugin (plugin developers discuss programmingissues). NewTek also maintains mailing lists - those are locatedat http://lists.newtek.com/mailman/listinfo, and include an LScriptmailing list for support of LScript users.NewTek Web and FTP SitesIn addition to information about NewTek products, upgrades,and the latest releases of LightWave software, our websites(www.LightWave3D.com and www.newtek.com) have tutorials,LightWave images and animations, technical support FAQs, techsupport email links, and links to related sites.NewTek maintains an FTP site (ftp.newtek.com) on the Internet.Here you can find objects, scene files, images, and other items ofinterest to LightWave users.