LightWave Importer for Unity

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LightWave Importer, the complete LightWave → Unity solution, is now live on the Unity Asset Store.

The package (just like LightWave) consists of two major components:
LWO Importer - to import model files.
LWS Importer - to import scene files. The models referenced in the scene will be imported using LWO Importer.

Both these importers are also available separately. So if, for example, you already have LWO Importer then you just need LWS Importer and you'll have all the functionality of the complete LightWave Importer.

Here's a link to a youtube video showing it in action.

And here's a few screenshots:
View attachment 145928
View attachment 145929
View attachment 145930

The LWS Importer interface in Unity:
View attachment 145931

For a top-level list of features take a look at the asset store page.

I've tested it in one of my own projects and have found it really useful - a real time saver! But it's a complex beast and of course there's no such thing as bug-free software :D ... so if you do experience any difficulties please let me know, either here, or preferably by email with an example scene/model so I can debug it and get a fix out to you.

If there's any questions, feature suggestions, etc then fire away!

I hope you find it helpful with your projects.

-Chris
 

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Chris this is just an awesome news.. I will ask just one thing
Do you support Morphmixer animations ?! or should we use FBX animation export for that?

And - biggie - can we export an Unity scene into LWO ?

Best!
 
tyrot said:
Do you support Morphmixer animations ?! or should we use FBX animation export for that?
Click to expand...
Not yet but this is high on my to-do list for a future update.

tyrot said:
And - biggie - can we export an Unity scene into LWO ?
Click to expand...
No, this is a one-way operation. I was considering making it possible to save changes made in Unity back into the .lws file, but it quickly became apparent that it would more than double the work involved and I wanted to release a tool that people could start using sooner rather than later.

However, just as I have with LWO Importer I'll continue to support and update Lightwave Importer (including LWO Importer and LWS Importer) when I can. So it's possible we'll see it evolve into a two-way operation (LightWave <> Unity), but it's not going to be for a while if it happens.

Cheers
-Chris
 
This sounds really good. I would really like to see a better import into LW as well. Interchange seems to be doing some weird things. I wished I had a way to test this to see whether it works for my purposes (since I am not sure whether it is the import that is screwing things up for Unity, or the export).
 
Hello, I just got your sweet plugin, though when I put a LW project into the asset folder in unity and click on the ".lws" file I don't see a built button in the inspector? Can ya tell me what I am doing wrong? I do have the "Lightwave importer" folder in the asset folder as well.
 
GraphXs said:
Hello, I just got your sweet plugin, though when I put a LW project into the asset folder in unity and click on the ".lws" file I don't see a built button in the inspector? Can ya tell me what I am doing wrong? I do have the "Lightwave importer" folder in the asset folder as well.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the purchase!
Not sure what's going on here but I'll try and get to the bottom of it. If you start a brand new Unity project and then import the LightWave Importer asset from the store you should end up with a project that looks very similar to this:
View attachment 145979

Can you go into the Example Scene folder (Lightwave Importer/LWS Importer/Example/Lightwave Content Directory/Scenes/) and click on the Example Scene.lws file. It should have the same icon as in the screenshot and a big "Create New Unity Scene" button in the Inspector. If you can let me know if this doesn't work and at what point your experience deviates from what I describe then that would give me a starting point.
Thanks!
 

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getting :

FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'UnityEngine.Timeline, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' or one of its dependencies.
VirtualEscapes.Common.Importers.LWS.LWSceneBuilder.Build (System.String sceneName, System.Collections.Generic.List`1[T] lwsObjects, System.String assetPath, System.Int32 firstFrame, System.Int32 lastFrame, System.Int32 fps, System.Boolean hasAnimation, System.Boolean drawBones, System.String overwritePath) (at <a771ef7e56d94b6b9f72d87f25d890a6>:0)
VirtualEscapes.Common.Importers.LWS.LWScene.OnInspectorGUI () (at <a771ef7e56d94b6b9f72d87f25d890a6>:0)
UnityEditor.UIElements.InspectorElement+<CreateIMGUIInspectorFromEditor>c__AnonStorey1.<>m__0 () (at C:/buildslave/unity/build/Editor/Mono/Inspector/InspectorElement.cs:501)
UnityEngine.GUIUtility:processEvent(Int32, IntPtr)

Tried animating a light spinning as a test. LW 2019.1.3
 
GraphXs said:
View attachment 145980
I see it, but it shows the lws icon, and no options in the inspector. see image
Click to expand...

gar26lw said:
getting :
FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'UnityEngine.Timeline, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' or one of its dependencies.
VirtualEscapes.Common.Importers.LWS.LWSceneBuilder.Build (System.String sceneName, System.Collections.Generic.List`1[T] lwsObjects, System.String assetPath, System.Int32 firstFrame, System.Int32 lastFrame, System.Int32 fps, System.Boolean hasAnimation, System.Boolean drawBones, System.String overwritePath) (at <a771ef7e56d94b6b9f72d87f25d890a6>:0)
VirtualEscapes.Common.Importers.LWS.LWScene.OnInspectorGUI () (at <a771ef7e56d94b6b9f72d87f25d890a6>:0)
UnityEditor.UIElements.InspectorElement+<CreateIMGUIInspectorFromEditor>c__AnonStorey1.<>m__0 () (at C:/buildslave/unity/build/Editor/Mono/Inspector/InspectorElement.cs:501)
UnityEngine.GUIUtility:processEvent(Int32, IntPtr)
Click to expand...


OK thanks, I've replicated it. It looks like Unity have changed something in the Timeline for 2019 that has broken the code. It should work fine on Unity 2018.x
I'll get on it and upload a new version asap.
 
I've submitted v1.1 to the Unity Asset Store, which should fix your issues, as well as a few other things.
Seems Unity removed the UnityEngine.Timeline.dll after Unity2018.x and put it somewhere very difficult to find. I develop on 2019 and test on 2018 but I forgot to check the final compiled dll on 2019. I'll try not to make that mistake again!

Hopefully it should be available to download in the next few days, but if you want it sooner send me an email (the support email is at the bottom of the user guide) and I'll YouSendIt to you directly.

All the best
-Chris
 
Very cool plugin there Chris!!!

I don't personally use Unity, but just here to show my support... so glad that someone's done this for Unity and LightWave!
 
I will bump again but this plugin is a literally game changer.. I can use Lightwave Modeler- without needing any other unity oriented modeler - such as Umodeler or Probuilder..

I just cannot believe how fast and accurate it works..

I have just started to think about using UNITY as a Layout alternative.

. If there is one plugin which can change your whole Lightwave life - this is it..
 
Hey Hey, I am getting an error on the model now...I uupdated the LW Importer complete and I get this error.

Assets/camerabooth/objects/camerabooth2.lwo "needs importing using the latest LWO Importer."

UnityEngine.Debug:LogWarning(Object)
VirtualEscapes.Common.Importers.LWS.LWScene:validateAndBuildPrefabs(List`1, Dictionary`2) (at Assets/Lightwave Importer/LWS Importer/Editor/LWScene.cs:226)
VirtualEscapes.Common.Importers.LWS.LWScene:OnInspectorGUI() (at Assets/Lightwave Importer/LWS Importer/Editor/LWScene.cs:156)
UnityEngine.GUIUtility:processEvent(Int32, IntPtr)
 
GraphXs said:
"needs importing using the latest LWO Importer."
Click to expand...
Hi, yeah that's more of a warning than an error - hopefully it's not too serious and just means you need to reimport it all. One problem that LightWave Importer has is that it can't control the order that things are imported into Unity. So if the object file gets imported after the scene file then I think this warning will appear.
Can you try the following:
- Clear the Console log window
- r-click on the camerabooth2.lwo in Unity and select reimport.
- r-click on the scene file and reimport
- Select the scene file and press the Create Scene button in the editor inspector.
The warning should not re-appear in the console. Please let me know how you get on.
 
Last edited:
Assets\Lightwave Importer\LWS Importer\Editor\LWSceneBuilder.cs(73,147): error CS0433: The type 'ProgressBar' exists in both 'LWOImporterLibrary, Version=1.0.7214.20196, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' and 'LWSImporterLibrary, Version=1.0.7214.33710, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'

LWS version 1.12
LWO version 1.63

unity 2019.1.4f1

do you think a bug or problem some place else ?
 
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