LightWave (LightWave 3D) is a 3D modelling, animation and rendering software, it’s used in architecture visualization, product design, video game development. LightWave is widely used and highly respected in the movie and TV industry; it’s used in visual effects, motion graphics and pre-visualization. LightWave was used in the creation of many movies; Avatar, Titanic, 300, Iron Man, The Amazing Spiderman, I-Robot, Finding Nemo and Toy Story 2 are just an example of these movies. It was also used in the creation of many TV shows; Lost, The Walking Dead, Terra Nova, CSI, The X-Files and Defiance are just some of the TV shows created using it.

Learning LightWave is an asset for any digital artist working the movie, TV and video game industry. This post is a road map for anyone willing to start learning LightWave online for free from scratch, the post will present and compare between the best online sources where beginners can start from and follow along, the sources stated in this post are full structured courses so you won’t find a link to a single video or a group of unrelated tutorials.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn LightWave) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Start Learning LightWave for Free from Scratch

LightWave 3D Website

LightWave 3D Website is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning LightWave through video tutorials. You don’t need to register to have access the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 17 sections, each section is divided into video lessons and each video lesson covers certain subjects/topics in that particular LightWave section.

Interface: The interface is quite simple, just select the topic you’re interested in from the menu on the right and then select the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to a new page where the video resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured for beginners.

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-organized for beginners, and it might be confusing for many.

Verdict: This is an excellent outlet for beginners to start learning LightWave online from scratch. Though the organization of the training might be troublesome for many beginners.

3D Tutorials

3D Tutorials is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning LightWave through video tutorials, as the above sources you don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: There’s no real structure or organization for the training (though it’s worth noting that if you hover over LightWave in the menu a sub-menu would appear with various topics in LightWave). The training is divide into 82 video tutorials, these tutorials cover many topics in LightWave.

Interface: Click on the lesson you’re interested in and the video will start.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros  

1. Free.
2. The training covers most of the topics in LightWave and has many complete and complex examples.

Cons   

1. There’s no structure or organization for the training.

Verdict: Though this outlet covers many of the topics/subjects in LightWave in depth; but the lack of structure and organization makes it not suitable for beginners.

Simply LightWave

Simply LightWave is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning LightWave through video tutorials. You need to register in order to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 4 video lessons, each lesson covers certain topics in LightWave, the third and fourth lessons are more of a “learn by doing” training.

Interface: The interface is simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to a new page where the video lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training is more of an overview about LightWave and it’s not enough on its own to learn LightWave.
2. The training covers an old release of LightWave.

Verdict: This is a good outlet for beginners to start learning LightWave, but it’s more suitable for those who wants to have an overview about the software.

Trh Logos

Trh Logos is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning LightWave through video tutorials. You don’t have to register to have access  to the training.

Structure: This is more of a learn by doing training where you’ll learn LightWave by building models. There are 61 tutorials, it’s worth noting that 20 of these tutorials are without any audio.

Interface: The interface is quite simple, just select “Tutorials” from the menu on the left and then select the tutorial you’re interested in from the menu at the bottom.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized.

Cons

1. The absence of audio in some tutorials will be a problem for many beginners.
2. There’s no introduction video to the software, so it’ll be hard for beginners to follow along.

Verdict: This outlet isn’t the best outlet for beginners to start learning LightWave and there are better outlets to start learning LightWave stated in this post.

Rob Lang Laboratory

Rob Lang Laboratory is the fifth free online outlet where beginners can start learning LightWave through text-based tutorials. You don’t have to register in order to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 6 sections, each section covers a certain topic in lightWave, the training is more of an overview about the software.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the topic you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to a new page where the training resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. Covers the very basics of LightWave.

Cons

1. The training covers a very old release of LightWave, that might be a problem for many beginners.

Verdict: This is a good outlet for beginners who prefer text-based tutorial and for those who want to have an overview about the software.

Robin Wood

Robin Wood is the sixth free online outlet where beginners can start learning LightWave through a text-based tutorial. You don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into pages, 5 pages in total, this is a learn by doing training, you’ll be learning how to use lightWave through building a Sand Castle.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just navigate through the pages using the link at the bottom of each page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.

Cons

1. The training covers a very old release of LightWave, that might be a problem for many beginners.

Verdict: This isn’t the best place for beginners to start learning LightWave and there are better outlets to start learning LightWave stated in this post.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning LightWave for free

1. LightWave 3D Website is the best outlet for beginners who prefer video tutorials.
2. Simply LightWave is the best outlet for those who want to have an overview about the software.
3. The Creative Bloq has an excellent free books for those who prefer learning from books.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in LightWave.