Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

LightWave 3D

lightwave3d.com

From £450/mo Free trial WindowsmacOSAPI
Visit lightwave3d.com
Spec score 8.6 #29 of 147 in 3D modeling software

Spec sheet

What it does
LightWave 3D is desktop graphics software for 3D modelling, animation and visual effects used in film, television, games, print and visualisation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Purpose
LightWave 3D is software for creating 3D models, animations, and visual effects.Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Intended users
The maker describes LightWave as intended for professionals in television production, film visual effects, video game development, print graphics, and visualization.Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Free plan
NoRead 21 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Trial
The product page lists a LightWave 2024 30-day trial at £0.00.Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Integrations
The Unreal Engine Bridge transfers objects, instances, textures, animations, camera moves, and lights in real time.Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Support
The documentation directs users to support, bug-report and feature-request email addresses and community forums.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Headquarters
England, UKRead 28 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
2025 features
LightWave 2025 adds a Toon Filter, switchable Python 2 and 3 environments, procedural geometry updates, and expanded presets.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Company legal entity
LIGHTWAVE DIGITAL LTD is an active UK private limited company incorporated on 3 February 2023 at 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX.Read 15 Oct 2026 · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
Company location
The company contact page lists England, UK.Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Company profile
LinkedIn lists LightWave 3D as privately held software development with headquarters in Macclesfield, 51–200 employees and a 1985 founding date for the brand.Read 15 Oct 2026 · uk.linkedin.com
Documentation
Documentation includes online 2025 and 2020 manuals plus a downloadable 3,600-plus-page 2020 manual PDF.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Feature: animation
LightWave includes character, object and motion animation capabilities.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Feature: lighting and texturing
Its lighting and surfacing tools support realistic and stylised materials and effects.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Feature: modelling
The product provides advanced polygon and procedural modelling tools for building 3D assets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Feature: Python
LightWave 2025 supports both Python 2.7 and Python 3.13 environments for scripting and tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Feature: rendering
It includes a native high-quality renderer for producing stills and animation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Feature: RiPR
LightWave 2025 added RiPR, a real-time interactive path-rendering preview intended to provide near-instant feedback.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Feature: simulation
The software provides physics simulation for effects such as cloth, water and particles.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Integrations listed by directories
GetApp lists Adobe After Effects and Blender integrations, with Premiere Pro and ZBrush among other commonly used connections.Read 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
Licence model
Official documentation describes a proprietary software-driven licence for Windows 64-bit and macOS, with an optional hardware dongle.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Licensing
The 2025 licence is software-driven for Windows 64-bit and macOS, and a hardware dongle can be requested but is not required.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Limit: dated UI and learning curve
Creative Bloq says the interface remains dated, the product is split across multiple programs and workflows take substantial learning.Read 15 Oct 2026 · creativebloq.com
Limit: dated workflow
Capterra reviewers complain about a cumbersome interface, slow adoption of common features, limited simulation and dated rendering passes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Limit: ecosystem
G2 reviewers cite limited support for major third-party renderers such as V-Ray and KeyShot.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Limit: split workflow
G2 reviewers often say that separate Modeler and Layout applications complicate modern workflows.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
macOS requirements
The documented minimum is macOS 10.15 on Intel or macOS 11 on Apple Silicon, with at least 4 GB RAM and 1.1 GB storage.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3dx.com
Modeling and animation
Modeler focuses on 3D object creation, while Layout is used to stage objects, animate them, and render output.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Notable release
LightWave 2025 was released on 12 April 2025, followed by version 2025.0.1 on 16 April 2025.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Octane license requirement
Except for demo versions, OctaneRender editions require authentication and internet access for initial launch.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Online licensing requirement
Octane editions initially require internet authentication through OTOY single sign-on, and offline mode locks the licence to a machine and removes LiveDB access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Ownership news
LightWave Digital announced on 28 April 2023 that Andrew Bishop's group acquired LightWave 3D from Vizrt after development had been suspended since 2020.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Plugin extensibility
Plugins are installed as .p files through Utilities > Plugins, and one file can contain multiple plugin functions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Praise: 2026 release
Creative Bloq's hands-on review praises the 2026 feature set, responsive results, regular updates and perpetual pricing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · creativebloq.com
Praise: architectural modelling
Capterra reviewers praise precise CAD-like modelling, architectural suitability, ease of learning and fast rendering.Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Praise: ease and speed
G2 reviewers repeatedly describe LightWave as easy to learn, flexible and fast to render without high-end hardware.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Presets
The 2025 installation includes OpenVDB, surface, object, scene, model and light presets.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Public SDK
The Python SDK wraps LightWave's C++ SDK and exposes handler, base, global and callback classes for plugin development.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Rating on Capterra
3.8 out of 5 from 4 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Rating on Creative Bloq
4 out of 5 stars in its 2026 3D-modelling software guideRead 15 Oct 2026 · creativebloq.com
Rating on G2
3.9 out of 5 from 29 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on GetApp
3.8 out of 5 from 4 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
Rating on Software Advice
3.8 out of 5 from 4 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
Render nodes
The installer can create a dedicated render-node installation that runs as a background service and is discovered over the network.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Rendering
LightWave 2025 includes RiPR, a GPU-assisted preview display mode, and Octane Render uses the 2024.1 API.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Supported systems
The maker identifies LightWave 2025.0.1 for Windows PC and macOS, including Intel and Apple Silicon licensing support.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.lightwave3d.com
Unreal integration
The Unreal Engine bridge transfers objects, instances, textures, animations, cameras and lights and supports live previews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3d.com
Windows requirements
The documented minimum is a 64-bit Intel Core 2 or AMD64 processor with SSE4, 4 GB RAM, Windows 10 64-bit or later and a GeForce 9 or Radeon HD 4000-class GPU.Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3dx.com

Plans and prices

New LightWave 2025 Licence £795 a month Price excludes applicable sales tax or VAT Commercial LightWave 2025 license for first-time users, education-to-commercial Read 21 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
LightWave 2025 Upgrade - LightWave 2024 users £450 a month Price excludes applicable sales tax or VAT Upgrade for owners of a full LightWave 2024 license Read 21 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
LightWave 2025 Upgrade - LightWave 2023 or earlier users £550 a month Price excludes applicable sales tax or VAT Upgrade for owners of LightWave 2023 or earlier Read 21 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
30-day trial Free 30 days Full-feature trial edition · license file converts a recent trial to full edition Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
LightWave 2025 Upgrade — LightWave 2024 users £450, paid once For owners of a full LightWave 2024 licence · excludes applicable sales tax or VAT Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
LightWave 2026 upgrade from 2025 £450, paid once one-time upgrade; VAT/tax extra Requires LightWave 2025 · Windows and macOS Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3dx.com
LightWave 2025 Upgrade — LightWave 2023 or earlier users £550, paid once For owners of LightWave 2023 or earlier · excludes applicable sales tax or VAT Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
LightWave 2026 upgrade from 2024 or earlier £550, paid once one-time upgrade; VAT/tax extra Requires qualifying prior licence · Windows and macOS Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3dx.com
LightWave 2025 licence £795, paid once New commercial licence for first-time users, education-to-commercial conversions, or an additional licence · excludes applicable sales tax or VAT Read 29 Sep 2026 · lightwave3d.com
New LightWave 2026 licence £795, paid once one-time perpetual licence; VAT/tax extra Windows and macOS · desktop download Read 15 Oct 2026 · lightwave3dx.com

Every LightWave 3D plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to LightWave 3DAll alternatives →