why are lightwave models so cool?

[kikimora]

For whatever freakish reason I have never seen a poorly made lightwave model and to be honest it kinda bothers me.
WHat is so different about lightwave which makes it so special?
Does it have some kind of hyper advanced modeling approach I am not aware of as a max user?

.....And yes this is a serious question

[kuman]

well the model is really only a reflection of the artist's ability in terms of technique, experience, patience and their artistic eye (as my friend mike likes to call it)

the one thing about lightwave that does set it apart from most 3d programs is that its modeller and animator are two different programs. you can run the modeller without the animator (i think, not that experienced with lw).

this is a somewhat interesting paradigm to how you create a 3d program. on the one side i can see how it could be great, because you can minimize system resources and thereby create a faster better experience with modeling, especially with ultra dense meshes.

however on the other hand, it can be a real pain the ass to have to either have two programs open or flip flop for some reason. all that opening and closing and waiting for programs to load when you add it all together can be a real hit to production time. also if the modeler is just as fast as say max or maya then it kinda begs the question of why isn't it faster. is it shoddy system resource managment?

i dunno. it has its pros and cons, my experience with lw is extremely limited so very likely i'm not seeing the full picture, but just wanted to chime in since you asked.

-k