Shader Interface

SimbiontLW Shaders

The SimbiontLWShader plugin allows you to load procedural shaders or materials into LightWave.

To use the SimbiontLWShader plugin, bring up the Surface Editor and select the Shaders tab. Click on the Add Shader drop-down list, and select SimbiontLWShader from the list. Finally, double-click on the SimbiontLWShader in the list to bring up the interface for the plugin.

NOTE: If you don't see SimbiontLWShader in the Add Shader list, you need to add the Simbiont plugin to LightWave. Please see the Hints and Tips page for help on adding the plugin.

NOTE: If you resize your Surfaces Editor window large enough, the interface will appear inside the Surfaces Editor window instead of as its own window.

Shader Tab

You need to select this tab in order to add the SimbiontLWShader to LightWave.

SimbiontLWShader Tab Area
This tabbed area has several groups of controls for the SimbiontLWShader plugin. These control groups are called:

SimbiontLWShader Tweaks
Tweaks are the controls for a procedural shader or material. Changing the tweaks allows you to customize the shader or material.

Select Tweak - This drop-down list has all of the tweaks for the DarkTree, and it can be empty (blank). After you select a tweak from the list, you can adjust it's value.

Tweak Value - Use this control to adust the value of the selected tweak. Because tweaks can be different types, this control may change as you select different tweaks. If the tweak can be animated, it will have an "E" button next to it. If the tweak can be controlled with a texture, it will have a "T" button next to it.

Copy Tweaks - Click this button to copy all tweak values (including envelopes and textures) into a buffer for pasting into a SimbiontLWShader or SimbiontLWTexture.

Paste Tweaks - Click this button to paste tweaks into the texture. If the tweaks that you are pasting don't exactly match the texture's tweaks, it will warn you before it pastes. Only tweaks that are the same type and name will be pasted.

Transform Controls

This area is for scaling/moving/rotating the texture. It also allows you to mix between shaders using falloff. All of these controls are covered in your LightWave documentation.