Andrew Cross has left VizRt (NewTek/LightWave 3D)

[publiusr]

That’s good.

 

[David cgc]

It's been almost a year since this topic had a reply, but it was either here or the Fan Art Lounge, and I flipped a coin.

This morning, Vizrt officially announced that a deal has been made for LightWave to continue under new ownership:

Dear LightWave Community,

LightWave 3D is a proven, Emmy award-winning modelling, animation and render program, with a legion of followers and dedicated users such as yourselves. At Vizrt Group we have been looking for a home that offers the commitment and the enthusiasm it deserves.

With over 30 years in the animation and FX industry, Andrew Bishop and his team have now stepped forward to acquire LightWave 3D under the name LightWave Digital. Some of you may know Andrew from his VFX work and bringing LightWave 3D to UK and European market alongside handling distribution in the UK.

We did not make this decision lightly. The desire has always been to ensure LightWave 3D has a future with a team that has a strong desire to breathe new life into the technology, bring more value to users, and usher in the next generation of 3D graphics for film, animation, and VFX.

We are certain under this ownership; Andrew and his team will deliver this and more. As our transaction with Andrew and his team finalizes, more information will be shared.

For now, the new team can be contacted through this Discord channel here.
​

Bishop and other members of the team were answering questions on the Discord (which, for those who hate information being stored on Discord as much as I do, is a temporary measure until the transition takes place at the end of the month and the new owners assume control of the Lightwave website), the answers generally boiled down to "We know," and "We're working on it." Today, an FAQ was posted, which I'll also drop off here because no one should be forced to join a Discord server.

What is happening with LightWave 3D?
Vizrt have entered into an agreement with Andrew Bishop and his team to hand over the baton of LightWave's 3D animation system and continue its legacy as a leading software for the animation community and the world's they create.

Who is Andrew Bishop?
Andrew has worked in the animation & FX industry for over 30 years. During that time he has handled the distribution of LightWave in the UK and been the lead demonstrator for LightWave at trade shows such as Siggraph and IBC. Andrew took LightWave from launch to number one 3D software in the UK / Europe.

What does this mean for future development of LightWave 3D?
Andrew Bishop and his team were chosen because of their business plan of development and investment in the LightWave program. More information on the planned developments will be released after the acquisition is complete
Why was development in LightWave discontinued?
Even though the potential of LightWave is high, ultimately, it did not fit into the future product offering from VizRT Group, so instead they were focused on finding the right owners for LightWave for the future and they believe that Andrew and the team are best placed to take the product forward and realize its potential.

Why has it taken so long to find a new owner for LightWave?
Knowing its rich history at NewTek, the dedication of the engineers in developing it, and its loyal customer base VizRT wanted to take their time and ensure its next owner had the resource, capabilities and right business plan to make sure LightWave was upgraded and augmented to fulfil its potential.

What does this mean for existing license holders?
There should be no change for existing license holders as a result of the transfer of ownership

How will technical support be handled?
Once the acquisition is complete, technical support will continue to be provided through the existing channels. We will notify users of any additional channels introduced or changes to existing channels, if and when these arise. During the transition, please bear with us if there are any disruptions to service levels.

What happens to the LightWave3D website?
The website will be transferred to Lightwave Digital on April 27th.

If I have any questions who do I speak to?
If I have any questions who do I speak to? https://discord.gg/the-future-of-lightwave This link is being made available for you to contact Andrew Bishop and the team before the acquisition is complete at which point the existing LightWave channels will be transferred

What should I say to customers?
LightWave Digital under the aegis of Andrew Bishop and his team of experts are the right people to bring in the new chapter of the LightWave product.

If I still want to follow LightWave 3D - how should I do this?
Discord channel link before the change of ownership and after 27th April all existing channels as we will then inherit the current LightWave 3D domains.

Will this affect any resellers? How will resellers be told?
A customer note and reseller note will be sent out, LightWave Digital will inherit any resellers that we currently have.

When will it go public?
Deal to close on April 27th.

Who will be working on LightWave?
Once LightWave Digital has taken ownership of LightWave we will be building the team that will be best placed to deliver our development plan

What new features and improvements can we expect for LightWave?
As you can imagine we have lots of exciting ideas for the future of LightWave and we will be sharing more about this once we have completed the acquisition

 

[ashleytinger]

Sadly I think the Lightwave ship has mostly sailed. A lot of people have moved over to Blender.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

I agree. This should have happened five years ago.

Ten years ago.

FIFTEEN years ago.

sigh.

 

[Gepard]

Yup.

I know there's still a lot of indie artist who use it, but as far as industry adoption goes, it's dead. The name is basically a joke now, one of the dead programs that litter the history of VFX. Resurrecting LightWave might as well be resurrecting SoftImage on SGIs.

 

[ashleytinger]

I agree. This should have happened five years ago.

Ten years ago.

FIFTEEN years ago.

sigh.

Funny enough, 2008 is about the last time I touched Lightwave at all.

 

[blssdwlf]

It is weird seeing this update as I also moved over to Blender as well but maybe something good will come out of it.