2024
 
1.0
  1. Pre-2024 documentation
  2. Reference
  3. Surfacing
  4. Surface Editor
  5. Surface Preview

Surface Preview

WIP
Last modified: 10 March 2025

note

This page is a part of continuing efforts to make the LightWave documentation complete. If a link takes you back to the main page, it leads to a page that hasn't yet been created. Let us know if you find one!

(Default keyboard shortcut: Ctrl-F10)

Surface Preview and its options

warning

UV-mapped surfaces represented by preset objects will show as untextured, because the UV maps do not have the correct coordinates to attach to. If you are using UV-mapped surfaces, choose Scene Object from the **Preview Object Mode ** list in Surface Preview options.

Preview_UV_plus_Spherical.gif

SurfacePreview.gif
This dropdown menu offers three choices.

Surface Preview Choices

Floating Window

Opens an additional viewport that can be resized. The Object viewed can be chosen from the Surface Preview Options panel as can the background and lighting.

Viewport

Uses the viewport that has the Camera icon on it in a multi-viewport Layout.

SurfacePreview-multiple_viewports.gif

Options

You can also use the VPR Options button in the viewport menu here:

SurfacePreview_VPROptions.png

SurfacePreview_Options.png
The object list shows scene objects that can be selected for the Scene Object display mode.

  • Preview Light Mode - Presents three options:

    • Preset Light - A default light

    • Scene Lights - The lighting set up in the scene

    • Selected Light - Uses the Layout selected light

  • Preview Object Mode - Presents three options:

    • Preset Object - Sets the Surface Preview object to one of the five presets in the Preset Object dropdown

    • Scene Object - Uses an object selected from the object list above

    • Selected Object - Uses a Layout selected object. Primitive Shapes don't work

  • Preset Object - Only available when the Preview Object Mode is set to Preset Object. Presents five options:

    • Cone

    • Cube

    • Cylinder

    • Sphere

    • Torus

note

This preset objects list is generated with real objects that are stored in the install directory's support/surface_preview_objects folder. New objects can be added to the list or replace existing entries. You should change entries only when LightWave is not running.

  • Background - Presents three options:

    • Layout - Uses the Layout Backdrop settings. If there are multiple Environment plugins, the last one is used

    • Checkerboard - Presents a checkerboard pattern hanging in space behind the object. You might need to rotate the display to bring it into view

    • Color - Uses the color defined in Background Color

  • Background Color - Only available when Background is set to Color

Viewport options

The viewport itself, when in Surface Preview mode, has several menu items unique to it.

SurfacePreview-Window_options.png
At the default size, some menus are only represented with triangles

SurfacePreview-Window_options_wider.png
Now wider, we can see the buffer and preset menus fully

Buffer Menu

By default on Final_Render, all available buffers can be examined individually. If there is nothing in a buffer, it will be black.

Presets Menu

Offers the following options:

  • Load (surface or preset) - Loads a new surface or preset from disk

  • Save to Disk - Writes the surface you are currently viewing to disk as an .srf file

  • Save Preset - Saves to the user's Workspace Preset space

  • Open Preset Shelf - Opens the Preset Shelf window. The Keyboard shortcut F8 does the same

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Contributed by Richard Feeney