dwg link manager

[ali]

is there a dwg link manager plugin (as in 3ds viz).
if there is no, someone or newtek should do this at once. lw would be more attractive for architectural visualisation.
(of course modelling and rendering in lw cannot be compared to a cad software (ie.autocad, ...), it is really strong, but in most architectural offices, technical drawings and visualisations develop together and a link between these two phases is a must.
That's why most architectural offices prefer 3ds viz. But a dwg link plugin makes lw more preferrable also in architectural visualisation (as in other categories)... )

[mattclary]

Not sure what the "link" does (probably self descriptive?) but you can export the dwg as a dxf and bring it into LW. If you "linked", what would this do? I know about xrefs in AutoCAD, is it similar?

[Mylenium]

Well, it links the original DWG to a MAX scene. This is a rather efficient way to keep everything up to date - once you open the scene it will incorporate all the latest changes in the DWG. However , all this relies heavily on MAX' modifier stack which makes it almost impossible to use with LW.

Mylenium

[mattclary]

Sounds sorta like the Hub for LW? Sounds iffy that this would be something you could design into LightWave for a third party app. I would just suggest importing DXF files. If you need better visualization to working drawing integration, LW might not be the best choice.

[ali]

i tried dxf import plugin in lightwave and a third party plugin, and tried many combinations, but i couldn't convert my dwg and dxf files (also containing acis models) without any data loss, and i think this is why most architectural cg artists prefer viz. but i hope if lw had an option like this, it would be preferrable in this area and earn more users.

[Mylenium]

We won't see full support for DXF, Acis, IGES or whatever other CAD program - LW's polygonal approach is just too limited for this. Unless this changes, LW is out of its league and will never be able to beat MAX or Maya.

Mylenium