The forum and Discourse seem to be the favored methods of communication on this subject, as little (actually, no) information was provided through the traditional channels. We are extremely pleased to have worked closely with Vizrt in making this come together and thank them hugely for enabling this,” Bishop stated on the NewTek forum. “We have huge plans for its future, not just short term but also long term. He is joined by Donetta Colboch, Elmar Moelzer, and Jack “Deuce” Bennett, as well as others. Bishop, a longtime LightWave animator, will serve as creative director of the new company. Now, LightWave is getting another chance.Ī newly formed LightWave Digital, headed up by Andrew Bishop (formerly head of Darkside Studios), is working to revive the software after being handed the proverbial keys by Vizrt. Its last years under owner NewTek were not kind to the 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software, and it was further neglected when Vizrt bought NewTek in 2019. But now, a white knight and a dedicated team have stepped in with the goal of reviving LightWave and returning it to its former glory as a state-of-the-art software package.įor those who thought LightWave 3D had met its demise, think again. To be fair, it wasn’t getting much love at its former home, either, in its last few years there. After NewTek, LightWave’s previous owner, was bought by Vizrt in 2019, the software received little attention at its new home. It also states that development and marketing of LightWave remains “unchanged” and that “our goal … remains to increase the success of the product through thoughtful strategic innovation and development”.LightWave 3D, it appears, is not dead. The post repeats the line taken in the initial announcement that “Vizrt and NewTek are essentially complementary companies” and states that “putting them together creates virtually no redundancies”. Updated 3 April 2019: NewTek has posted about the acquisition on the LightWave blog. This is about building a company that sees the future of video as one based on computers, software and networks.”Ĭross also commented that: “I feel like our products, including NDI, are my children. “Us coming together is not about NewTek becoming Viz or Viz becoming NewTek. “People worried that Viz will change NewTek (or we will change Viz) are both wrong,” he wrote. Posting on NewTek’s TriCaster forum, Andrew Cross described the two companies as sharing a belief in software-based real-time broadcast systems. However, there is potentially some synergy with Vizrt’s products, which include real-time 3D graphics and rendering tools. LightWave isn’t mentioned in the announcement, and – given that its user base comes largely from offline VFX and CG production – doesn’t seem likely to have been a major draw for Vizrt. The official announcement focuses on this side of the business, pitching the merged company as “the driving force in the transition to IP video for live production … the brilliant minds that invented the NDI protocol with the innovators that invented template-driven real-time graphics”. More recently, the firm was responsible for the NDI (Network Device Interface) protocol for interconnecting broadcast hardware and software. Key products have included video editing and production systen Video Toaster – of which LightWave was originally part – and its successor, TriCaster. The two companies will announce more details about the buyout at NAB 2019 this weekend.Ī deal focused on broadcast technology, not LightWaveĪlthough most CG Channel readers will be familiar with NewTek through LightWave, its veteran 3D animation software, the bulk of the company’s business is broadcast production. NewTek president and CTO Andrew Cross will become president of R&D at the combined company. The terms of the deal, a stock purchase agreement with NewTek founder and chairman Tim Jenison, were not disclosed. Real-time broadcast graphics firm Vizrt has acquired NewTek. The real-time broadcast graphics firm has just acquired LightWave developer NewTek, although the focus of the deal is NewTek’s own broadcast technologies rather than LightWave itself.
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