exrTrader for LightWave 3D
"the secret weapon for LightWave 3D"
Why exrTrader?
Because it is the only way to adjust OpenEXR exports to fit your pipeline:
- Arbitrary pixel type per channel
LightWave saves all channels as 32-bit float, exrTrader gives you the option of how to save each channel.
This can reduce file sizes by up to 50% without a compromise in visual quality. - Full selection of OpenEXR compression schemes
This allows you to pick the compression that fits your pipeline. ZIPS for Nuke or Fusion, ZIP for After Effects, B44 or DWA for playback. - Data Window support
When rendering passes, only the area of the image that contains content will be saved in the EXR. This can provide a large speed up when compositing in Nuke and Fusion. - Compact and Streamlined GUI
- Cryptomatte
exrTrader Pro is the only solution for LightWave 3D to write Cryptomattes.
"I couldn't be without my exrTrader, keep up the great coding."
Mark Berge
markberge.com, Iceland
Complete OpenEXR support.
exrTrader is a suite of plugins and provides complete support for OpenEXR in LightWave 3D.
It includes free standard image loaders and savers supporting RGBA as well as an image filter plugin to save arbitrary buffers.
OpenEXR is an HDR image file format featuring:
- Support for 16/32bit float and 32-bit integer pixels
- Multiple lossless compression schemes
- Support by all major compositing packages
- Storage of multiple, arbitrary channels in a single file
"If LightWave is considered to be the secret weapon in Hollywood, then exrTrader is the secret weapon for LightWave."
Eric Hance - VFX Supervisor
Pixomondo, Burbank - www.pixomondo.com
exrTrader Pro - Cryptomatte
In addition to the other features, exrTrader Pro allows you to write Cryptomattes.
Cryptomattes - originally devised by Jonah Friedman and Andy Jones from psyop - allow you to store automatically generated mattes for all items or surfaces in a single OpenEXR image.
These can then be extracted in a compositing application using freely available plugins.
Cryptomatte in exrTrader Pro allows you so save all Cryptomattes in a single or in separate files.
The levels determine how many different mattes may be stored per single pixel. 6 is usually a sufficient number.
You can also decide if the manifest - the file containing the names of the mattes - is stored embedded in the EXR image or as a separate file.
exrTrader Pro also allows you to select any of the OpenEXR compression types that are compatible with Cryptomatte.
Current Limitations: Volumes are not selectable via Crpytomattes. Reconstruction filters other than Box and a Filter Radius other than 0.0 will produce results differing from the LightWave 3D renders. We are working with the LightWave 3D developers to remove these limitations.
OpenEXR Layered Saver
exrTrader offers an advanced saver for layered OpenEXR images, including, amongst others, the following features:
- all OpenEXR compression schemes
- all output buffers generated by LightWave 3D 2018
- naming options for channels and buffers
- different pixel types per channel.
- processing of buffers
- OpenEXR metadata
- data window support
- advanced preset system
- custom buffer viewer
"In order to gain the maximum flexibility out of our renders it's a given that we render out layers and passes - exrTrader not only makes this simplicity itself but also combines it with bringing the CG industry's most versatile HDR image format to LightWave 3D in an incredibly robust implementation - quite simply, exrTrader is an essential part of our 3D and compositing pipeline."
Andrew G. Morgan - CG Pipeline Specialist, Cityscape, London
www.cityscape3d.com
Features
OpenEXR includes the following plugins.
- free LightWave OpenEXR Loader supporting RGBA
- free LightWave OpenEXR Saver, supporting all saveable image types except for palettized images.
- a scene type master plugin for setting image saver options (saved with the scene)
- a dummy saver, that does nothing but allows network render managers to see files saved by the image filter for render success checks.
- an image filter plugin that allows to save arbitrary buffers to a single OpenEXR file
exrTrader offers
- network rendering support
- plugins consists of one file per platform
- free point upgrades, free support, free beer (well, the free beer is still a joke ;) )
Basic OpenEXR Loader and Saver
As always there is a free download that offers you a limited funtionality even without licensing ... for free. :-)
exrTrader includes basic LightWave image loader and saver plugins to deal with OpenEXR images. These allow you to load and save OpenEXR images in any part of LightWave that loads and save images.
These are included in exrTrader for free, and may be used freely without purchasing exrTrader. Just download exrTrader from the downloads section of this website.
Availability and compatibility
exrTrader is available for both Windows and MacOS. It is compatible with LightWave3D 2018 - 2020
exrTrader Pro has the same features as exrTrader but adds the ability to write Cryptomattes.
