• • A new completely rewritten physically based rendering system.

• • An expanded workflow for render and light buffers that includes the ability to preview in  real-time in any viewport using VPR, as well as custom buffers using the node editor.

• • A new volumetric engine and support for Open VDB . New render primitives enable users to specify physically based properties, Scattering, Absorption and Emission parameters, along with node networks.

• • A new lighting architecture that adds physical lights that can be optionally visible to the camera, and improved loading of IES web files to better match the intensity of real manufactured lights.

• • An overhauled surface editor with new node-based materials that are presented with a familiar interface.

• • A new VR camera with cylindrical and spherical modes for creating stereo 360-degree renders and animations.

Newtek has announced the release date of Lightwave 2018.

• • A new modifier stack and deformation nodes that unlock and simplify the previously fixed order of operations for Bones, Morphs, Subdivision and Displacements with the ability to drag and drop to re-order mesh deformations interactively.

• • New Cel shader and enhanced edge rendering to provide non-photorealistic rendering with the ability to apply gradient-based cel shading, while edge rendering uses any material available in the surface editor to shade any line.

• • FiberFX has been expanded to integrate with the new lighting and shading system and can now use any material on the fibers. Fibers are generated using the new primitive object architecture.

• • Parametric shapes allow for creation of virtual primitive shapes in Layout that can be displaced, surfaced and rendered without needing any geometry.

• • A new noise reduction filter that speeds up render times.

• • New Modeler features including the ability to show the current camera view from Layout. Also new are fully interactive tools including Lattice, Smoothing, Array and Spline Bridge.

Lightwave 2018 will be released January 1, 2018 priced at $995 for new licenses and $295 for upgrades (valid until March 31, 2018).

A free 30 day trial will also be available. Find out more on the Lighwave website.