Using BodyPaint 3D with LightWave

If you are a LightWave user, the quickest way to get your models from LightWave to BodyPaint 3D then back again once you’re done paintin, is to use the BodyPaint 3D to LightWave exchange plugin. The exchange plugin supports LightWave version 7.5.

First things first, you need to do the following to get up and running:

Start BodyPaint 3D and enter your serial number. The exchange plugin will only work if you have entered your serial number.
Check that the following files are in LightWave’s plugins folder: BPExchange.p and B3Dimport.p.
Check that QuickTime is installed on your system. If it isn’t, BodyPaint 3D will be unable to load various graphics files such as TIFFs with LZW compression, GIF, PNG, etc.
BodyPaint 3D uses the TIFF file format by default. However, we recommend that you switch the format to PSD instead if you use Photoshop or a paint tool that supports layered PSD files. This will ensure that maximum data is preserved in your saved texture files.

The LightWave 3D exchange plugin

Sending your object from LightWave to BodyPaint 3D is child’s play.

Load the object in Modeler and check that you’ve assigned all the materials you’ll need (this is an important step because although you can create materials in BodyPaint 3D, you won’t be able to send them back to LightWave).

In Modeler, choose Additional > BodyPaint 3D. We recommend that you add the BodyPaint 3D and BodyPaint Prefs commands to the interface (use LightWave’s Edit Menu Layout and Edit Keyboard Shortcuts commands to do this. You’ll find these commands on the Modeler > Options menu).

Select the BodyPaint 3D command from the Additional menu.

The following dialog will open:

Default Texture Path

This is BodyPaint 3D’s default path for new textures. Enter a valid path or the file exchange will fail!

BodyPaint 3D Path

This is the location of the BodyPaint 3D application.

Object Scale

The object will be scaled by this factor in BodyPaint 3D. LightWave objects tend to be very small compared to BodyPaint 3D’s world grid. The default Object Scale of 100 usually ensures the object is a comfortable size to work with in BodyPaint 3D (the object will be 100 times larger in BodyPaint 3D than it is in LightWave).

Autoscale

If this option is enabled, the object will be scaled automatically to ensure it is a sensible size in BodyPaint 3D. Disable the option if you want to work to a specific scale.

TGA Conversion

Unfortunately LightWave’s TGA loader has a long-standing bug: once a TGA picture has been loaded, it cannot be overwritten because LightWave’s resources won’t free it up. You can avoid this problem using TGA Conversion, which converts TGA files to TIFFs. Note that the conversion will fail if a TIFF of the same name already exists.

Once you’ve defined the two paths, you’re ready to send your object to BodyPaint 3D. Click OK.

The Communicating with BodyPaint 3D dialog will open.

Don’t close or cancel the dialog, because doing so breaks the link between the two programs and you’ll be unable to send the materials and UVs back to LightWave. The dialog will close automatically later on when you send the textures and UVs back to LightWave.

Next, BodyPaint 3D will start automatically (if not already running) and the object will be loaded into BodyPaint 3D. You’re ready to paint.

The Bitmap Filter Plugin (B3DImport.p)

This plugin allows LightWave to load and render .b3d files (BodyPaint 3D’s native texture format).

Without this filter you cannot load BodyPaint 3D textures into LightWave so we have made this import filter freely distributable. If your project is to be downloaded or distributed on CD then you’ll need to include the filter plugin either as a file on the CD or as a link on a web page.

Returning to LightWave

Once you’re done painting in BodyPaint 3D, you’re ready to send your work back to LightWave.

To return your work to LightWave:

In BodyPaint 3D, choose File > Send Scene Back.

Note that the object is not sent back to LightWave. Rather, it’s only the object’s UV coordinates and painted textures that are returned.

Keep in mind that you should not make any changes to the object’s polygons in BodyPaint 3D because these changes will be lost when you return to LightWave.

The UVs and textures will be returned to LightWave and the Communicating With BodyPaint 3D dialog will close automatically.

Transfer Restrictions

Naturally, there are differences in the way that LightWave and BodyPaint 3D handle objects, UV coordinates and textures. Therefore the following transfer restrictions apply.

Materials

You must create all materials in LightWave before sending the object to BodyPaint 3D. This is because new materials created in BodyPaint 3D cannot be transferred to LightWave.
You can transfer one texture bitmap per material channel only. For example, if your LightWave object uses three texture bitmaps in the color channel, only one texture bitmap will be transferred.
Only UV and bitmap information will be returned to LightWave. Other changes made in BodyPaint 3D such as alterations to texture’s position, scale and rotation will be lost when you return the object to LightWave.
Procedural textures and gradients are program-dependent and will not be transferred.
All materials in LightWave must have a unique name, otherwise the wrong texture may be changed.

Geometry

If you send a SubPatch object to BodyPaint 3D, it will be converted to a HyperNURBS object. Weighting and selected areas are lost. The subdivsion of the mesh may be different as well.

Troubleshooting

I’m using a Mac and in LightWave my B3D file is a black texture with white text!

The QuickTime plugin has activated itself. Remove the QuickTime plugin and the file will load correctly. Alternatively, use the TIFF or PSD file format instead of the B3D format.

Can’t create exchange file

Check that you’ve set the Default Texture Path correctly.

Not enough memory! Please check memory assignments!

This error message only appears under Mac OS 9. Increase the amount of virtual memory or reduce the amount of RAM assigned to LightWave.

Not enough memory for that operation

This error message sometimes happens under Mac OS 9. LightWave then crashes. This is a LightWave bug, but you can work around it by switching LightWave’s 3D view from Textured to Shaded.