Lightwave

The Lightwave plugin does not install. What am I doing wrong?

You have to add the new plugin to Lightwave in the Utilities > Add Plugins window. Select the installed "nextlimit32.p" or "nextlimit64.p" (depending on your platform) from Lightwave’s plugins folder. A “16 plugins have been successfully added” -message should be displayed after successful installation.

The Lightwave plugin does not update properly. What should I do?

Try removing the currently installed plugin in the Utilities > Edit Plugins window (Alt+F11) and repeat the installation.

What is the Lightwave-RealFlow workflow?

To work with Lightwave and RealFlow, go to the "Utilities" menu and then to the "Master" plugin. The list contains an option for the "Next Limit Manager", and all other options to work with particles, meshes and objects.

I want to edit the surface of the imported particles, but it does not appear in the "Surface Editor". What am I doing wrong?

Make sure you are importing the RealFlow particles as "Partigons" from the "Next Limit Plugin Manager" master plugin.

How can I set the particle type to "Partigons" when I have added the "RF_Particle_Importer" plugin to a Null object?

The particle type can only be set in the "Next Limit Plugin Manager" master plugin before export.

Why are the normals of the imported RealWave object inverted?

The SD file contains inverted normals. Check the “Invert Normals” option in the SD Import tab before clicking on the Import button.

Why are no key frames created when I import objects from SD?

The plugin does not add key frames by default, but the "RF_SD_Anim Displacement" plugin reads the animation on-the-fly. You can create keys of the SD frames with the “Create Motion Keys” button in the "RF_SD_Anim" interface or you can check the “Create Motion Keys” option in the "Next Limit Plugin Manager" master plugin before import.

My object has deformation, but it is not exported to the SD file. What is wrong?

There are two SD export modes for objects: Matrix and Vertex. Your object has to be in Vertex mode to export its deformation. The mode can be changed by clicking on the label in the first column of the SD export table

The object does not look right in the exported SD file. What is wrong?

An SD file can only contain triangle polygons. The plugin has a built-in primitive triangulation algorithm which does not work properly in all cases (for example for text). Try triangulating the object before exporting.

Why is my mesh not displayed when rendering in network?

To render in network, you have to add the "RF_Mesh_Replacement Object Replacement" plugin to the mesh with the same settings as the "RF_Mesh_Importer Displacement Handler" plugin. The best way to do this is using the “Add Replacement” and “Refresh Replacement” buttons in the "RF_Mesh_Importer interface".

The "Object Replacement" plugin is added to the mesh, but motion blur does not work. What am I doing wrong

The "Object Replacement" plugin cannot handle motion blur; motion blur is only possible with the "Displacement Handler" plugin. Therefore, it is also necessary to add the "RF_Mesh_Importer" to the mesh.

Why are some surface nodes not rendering properly when rendering the scene (F10)?

SD files contain only triangle polygons. The plugin has a built-in primitive triangulation algorithm which has occasional problems triangulating certain objects (e.g. text). Try to triangulate the object before you export it.

Lightwave shows a critical error when loading my meshes – what can I do?

Either the plugin could not be found or it is giving an error when loading an element from RealFlow. Sometimes Lightwave cannot update the changes automatically when a plugin has been added to the package - in that case it must be installed manually.