Autofocus expression

iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 13.01.09 (updated 27.07.09)

Super simple expression that drives the Camera focal distance with a null. Hardly deserving of much description, but I need it often enough, I get tired of redoing it in the Expression builder every time.

Blending Parents

iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 10.05.07 (updated 27.07.09)

This is a simple Expression setup that animates a single child between two moving parents. It’s a lot more powerful than the keyframed parenter, and allows you to smoothly transition between object paths.

Faking Volumetric Clouds

iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 7.02.09 (updated 13.09.09)

An easier, simpler, and much older technique for simulating volumetric bodies (in this case, clouds) is to use multiple transparent layers of geometry. The nodal texture editor makes this effect all the more convenient, and can give surprisingly good results!

Rotational Displacement

iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 18.05.07 (updated 27.07.09)

Lightwave includes a vortex distortion plugin, but unfortunately it’s a clumsy setup and especially difficult to use with other displacements. Here’s how to create the effect using nodes, and take it beyond the simple vortex.