plugins

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2019Fri08Nov

Ground Control and Lightwave 2019

Permalink | Shortlink | Comments (2) | TrackbackFiled in C++, github, Ground Control, Lightwave, pluginsTags: #lightwave #2019 #groundcontrol #plugin

I finally got around to testing out Ground Control under Lightwave 2019 and it appears to work identically in 2019 as it does under 2018. This doesn’t surpise me much as most of the calls it uses in the API for both Modeler and Layout haven’t changed between the two versions.

I’m starting to look at ways to improve memory handling so that it can handle some of the massive datasets coming out of NASA and elsewhere. Some of the limitations come down to the limitations in Modeler (when’s the last time you tried to programically create 500+million polygons in modeler?) but some are in GC itself.

Long term plans include a potential rewrite in python or at least integration of some of the new python libraries for handling new data formats and even the possibility of an interface to draw from data sources directly right inside LW similar to some of Houdini’s shelf tools.

All of that’s down the road though but I wanted to at least let people know that I haven’t abandoned the plugin and that I do have plans to keep working with it. If anyone wants to join me in maintaining, modifying, fixing, or enhancing it, grab it and go. Let me know when you’re ready and push a merge request my way.

Scott

2018Fri14Sep

Ground Control

Permalink | Shortlink | Comments (0) | TrackbackFiled in C++, Developers, github, Lightwave, plugins

Now that the convention season is over and both LibertyCon and DragonCon are behind me, I can now get back to my new projects.

A little while a go a really nice commercial plugin for Lightwave 3D; Gound Control, was open sourced by the fine folks at Digital Carvers Guild. The original works great in older versions of Lightwave, but with the major changes that came with the relase of LW 2018, several key functions broke. Rather than let the plugin wither and die, its developer gave the community a gift and open up the source for anyone who wants to take it, make it work and expand it beyond it’s current functioanlity. In short, he gave it to the people who need it most. The users.

I have created a fork of the project and successully gotten it to compile and all basic functionality working under Lightwave 2018. At this point, I need people who have been using GC under older versions to send me sample data files of all types, especially files that push the limits on what the plugin does. Especially helpful are the orignal data files and the output models to compare with.

The original Github repo is at: https://github.com/ewinemiller/dcg

My fork can be found at my own Github repo: https://github.com/scottbragg/GroundControl

I’m also looking for ideas for expanding functionality and utility, improvements in the interface or anything else to make this plugin even better. We have the source, now let’s do something awesome with it.

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