Need help with LightWave animation software

(Mods, feel free to move this if you like. I waffled on where to put it.)

This is a long shot, but I’ll give it a try. I’m copyediting a manual for the new version of LightWave animation software, and the multiple authors are less than consistent in their terminology (titles of dialog boxes, whether an item is a button or a menu, what appears on certain tab pages, and so on). Compounding the problem is the fact that some chapters do not seem to have the correct screenshots. I have a query in to the client, but help may not come soon enough (if at all) to save my sanity. Ive worked out a plan for making things consistent, and I’ve made my own copies of as many useful screenshots as I could, to keep notes on, but there are a few holes. And of course no demo version is available.

Here’s my question for anyone who has this software: Would you be willing to check on a small batch of questions along the lines of “What’s the exact title of the dialog box that appears when you click “Volumetric Light Options” in the Light Properties dialog box?” Any and all help will be gratefully accepted.

**NOTE: Please reply here first if you can help, and then we can take it to e-mail; I refresh the SDMB throughout the day, but only check the e-mail addy I use here when I’m expecting something. Thanks!)

Here’s a little bump to see if I can catch anyone in the other hemisphere before I give up . . .

No, it’s not your imagination. The Lightwave manuals are notorius for bieng weird, unclear and sometimes outright wrong (dontcha’ love that “ERROR! Scene loaded successfully” dialog box you get in Morph Gizmo?). My Lightwave teacher worked for Newtek and chalked it up to poor communication between the development and testing.

Okay, I don’t quite get the gist of your question? Are you talking about the “Edit Light” controls in the Steamer panel?

Oh, oh, oh. I see what your after.

Sorry, I don’t know a term thats exact enough for your purposes.

Thanks for your replies, Inky-, but after seeing your second one I think I still need to clarify. What I mean is, I would like you to open your copy of LightWave and check for me on things like this: (this is not what’s in my manuscript, this is me asking you)

[quote]
In the main Layout window, if you click the Lights tab at the top, then click Global Illum on the toolbar on the left, there should be two items named Enable Radiosity and Cache Radiosity in the Global Illum dialog box. First, are those their exact names? Second, are they check boxes, plain buttons, buttons with pull-down menus, or something else?

[quote]

I am checking on things like this as much as I can with the screenshots that the author did provide, but in this case I don’t have a shot of the Global Illum dialog box to look at. And I don’t have a copy of the software either. (No wonder, at $2500 a pop!)

Does that mak

Crap. It’s too early.

Change that second open quote to an end quote, and change that last fragment to “Does that make more sense?”

Wish I didn’t have to give up caffeine, dammit.

What version of Lightwave are we talking about? The latest is 6.0, and most people probably don’t have that one. It was a huge jump in interface design from the last versions.

This is for version 6.5.

The question may be moot now anyway. I talked to my client this morning, and we decided to send the whole thing back to the authors so THEY can straighten out the screenshots. By the time I get it back, it may be in better shape and easier to deal with.

If not, well, I’ll be back!