OctaneRender now free for LW users *

raymondtrace

raymondtrace

Founding member
render.otoy.com

View topic - OctaneRender 2021.1.7 LightWave EOL Tribute build

View topic - OctaneRender 2021.1.7 LightWave EOL Tribute build
render.otoy.com

It looks like a "Prime" version of OctaneRender for LightWave was prepared/posted on January 8. The Prime version has existed for a while as a free option (limited to 1 GPU) for users of a small set of 3D apps (Blender, Unreal Engine, etc). LightWave users may now use it.

If you're not currently an OctaneRender user, now is the time to try. I cannot verify this new Prime version as I'm already on a license. Please report back if this is the real deal. There are LW demo scenes for new users to test in the LightWave section of the "Fully Integrated Plugins" section: https://home.otoy.com/render/octane-render/demo/#demo
 
if Only the license is fairly easy to install.
I had such a mess with the free version for blender..not getting it to work despite of support by mail.

Im too tired to try today..but thanks for the info..may try tomorrow.
 
The plugin installation and licensing is pretty straightforward for LightWave plugins.

The greatest obstacle for adoption that I've noticed is surfacing. Octane uses its own materials so existing LW scenes/objects do not open and render instantly. That's why you'd want to grab those demo files above to see if Octane's features and speed are worth the trouble of surface revisions on your current files. There are also a few ODTools from origamidigital.com that help users manage multiple setups for the native and Octane renderers.
 
Where is it free for LW users? I found the prime tier but no mention of LW. Just blender unreal etc no LW download.
 
So in a nutshell, a person would need to purchase a subscription to Octane, then download the add-on for Lightwave ?
 
Nope. No nuts! No money is required if you're only using a single GPU.

When I titled this topic as "OctaneRender may now be free", I was only speaking from the uncertain perspective of an existing licensee who was not going to bother with testing this free version (until my paid subscription concludes). It was too much trouble for me to sign out of my existing paid license to test. :) I was also speaking from uncertainty if this is a temporary offering, as they have not added any official LW promotion to their Prime web page.

Other users have confirmed this is the real deal.

EDIT: I just fixed the title. The asterisk remains to denote a limit to one GPU.
 
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Uau, it is working... custom resolution, no watermark...

Octane Free.jpg
 
Just imagine... the NewTek/Vizrt LightWave marketing employee (that does not exist) could add a post to blog.lightwave3d.com to announce this as the second free GPU rendering option for LightWave. It could make it look like the lightwave3d.com site is still active and that LightWave still has legs. It could drive LW sales/upgrades.

...nothing more than a dream

(I'm not sure how the non-existent marketing person would spin the "EOL" in that Otoy forum title though :) )
 
That seems absolutely amazing, thank you. :love: Does anyone know what might be the most powerful single card which would be compatible ?

The direct link form peebeearr in post 6 allowed me to download a zip file but I need to install elsewhere, so even though it is free, would this need an Octane account with activation when I try to install, or is it just an offline thing with a built in one GPU limit ?
 
Copy the 3 files (.p, .dat, .dll) to your plugin folder and load in LW. Import the Octane menu. Go to the Octane Render menu and select "Plugin Options". From there you get a window with "Licenses Management" where you will enter your username and password for otoy.

It is painless, after you have registered an otoy account.

While licensing is activated online, OctaneRender does not require any installation. Just throw it in the same place you keep all your other plugins. If you're a nut like me that runs LW on Windows from a USB thumb drive, OctaneRender is portable too.


octane.png
 
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The real question is, is it worth bothering with Octane as a free render engine. Otoy has no obligation that it will stay this way. I really don't want to spend thousands of hours learning this beast, while Otoy cancels this free tier for me/us. I am not fond of Octane phone home thing.
 
I view this as a last (nice) parting gift to the dwindling LW community.

It's a welcome gesture though, and allows the current base of LW users to gain access to a powerful GPU render engine, mitigating the need to migrate away due to the slow built-in CPU rendering for the time being.

TheLexx said:
That seems absolutely amazing, thank you. :love: Does anyone know what might be the most powerful single card which would be compatible ?
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As far as I can tell, the 4090 should work as a single GPU. Ampere (30xxx) and higher, right?
 
next_n00b said:
The real question is, is it worth bothering with Octane as a free render engine. Otoy has no obligation that it will stay this way. I really don't want to spend thousands of hours learning this beast, while Otoy cancels this free tier for me/us. I am not fond of Octane phone home thing.
Click to expand...
For a more permanent (and free) GPU render option, consider Unreal Engine. UE is portable to a new system without the need for installation/activation. You can archive any UE installation and use it forever on another system with a supported OS and hardware.

While there is a time investment, learning either Octane and/or Unreal Engine with LightWave is not so futile. Familiarity with these renderers can translate to other 3D apps that also connect.
 
Great news but I think it's a trap so you get used to octane and forget the native renderer and don't forget this important fact.

Octane render does not support all features of Lightwave unlike the native renderer.
 
raymondtrace said:
For a more permanent (and free) GPU render option, consider Unreal Engine. UE is portable to a new system without the need for installation/activation. You can archive any UE installation and use it forever on another system with a supported OS and hardware.

While there is a time investment, learning either Octane and/or Unreal Engine with LightWave is not so futile. Familiarity with these renderers can translate to other 3D apps that also connect.
Click to expand...
One thing @raymondtrace Unreal Engine will eventually force you to upgrade to newer versions for now 4 will live for awhile then everybody forced to switch to 5 and 4 will completely vanish from epic store app, the same thing happened with unreal 3 before now if you want to download unreal 3 (UDK) you can't unless you dig on archives and unofficial links.
 
quakebox said:
One thing @raymondtrace Unreal Engine will eventually force you to upgrade to newer versions for now 4 will live for awhile then everybody forced to switch to 5 and 4 will completely vanish from epic store app, the same thing happened with unreal 3 before now if you want to download unreal 3 (UDK) you can't unless you dig on archives and unofficial links.
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What is this nonsense about being forced? Download the last UE compatible with LW's plugin now (was that 4.26 or 4.27?). Then you are not forced.

You can still use UE (of any future version) without the LW plugin, as a one-way LW->UE workflow. The LW plugin only offers limited connection for 2-way traffic on the 4.x release.
 
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