i don't know lots of real good programmers code them i suppose

Are there macros for LightWave, or would they be considered Plugins?

macros? i don't really know =\ plugins are like things coded and easy to use for other ppl... i think=\

A lot of plugins are macros in various ways, while others really do bring new operation to LW. And no, it takes a bit of scripting skills to get it to work properly. Expressions are another feature which can make animations really cool. You can, for instance, make an expression that changes the color of a ball from red to white as it reaches a certain height on the Y axis. You might ask yourself, how can this be useful?

Well, for instance, assume that you have a ceiling of a room modeled, and you animate a ball that bounces up and down. Each time it collides with the roof (Possibly set by a collision impact in motion designer, OR with an expression that calculates the current Y (height) position of the ball), you can stretch the ball a bit until it goes below a certain Y level again. This way, you won't have to manually stretch the ball each time it hits the roof.

Of course, making an expression like this might sound like a waste of time for just one ball, but what if you had, say, 400 balls bouncing around randomly? Hell, you could even set a collision impact with each other for the fun of it. There you go, a cool animation with little to no keyframes, all with a few expressions!

What other examples can I give you? Well, for instance, assume that you have an airplane that takes off. Once it reaches the speed of 300 km/h, you can set it to start emitting particles for a realistic afterburner effect. Then once the velocity increases beyond, say, 800 km/h, you could simply turn them off and swap to a dim, volumetric light to make the plane look like it really does fly amazingly fast.

ya or you could just do it manually =\ :D

Yeah, but some people are lazy tho.

that's why they have plugins :)

Hmm, I think learning how to make plugins will be usefull for me later on.

well learn C++ first :P and i can tell you that is NOT an overnight thing :D

I know it isnt, and I am trying to learn C++... I just get lost easy. I am going to my local libary and checking out a book for it. I am not getting anywhere teaching myself.

ya i could never bring myself to learn C++ :D i know some little parts but never enough to get in production

I think Matralord knows some of it, and I know he could master it quick. He just likes VB, I tell him to get into the more powerful languages.

omfg... vb? is the crappiest thing ever... don't EVER go near it!!!! :D

I am learning it for the concept of programming, most recommended thing to do. Then im off to C++

nod, i still think for anything it's the concept that's most important (i learned it the hard way, started programming in grade 3) :D

I didnt get into Computers at all till at the end of 9th grade(almost 2 years ago). That is when I messed up my back and couldnt play Football anymore. So I started programming and doing graphics then.

i c... :D well i started very early... stopped in the middle because i lost computer access for 2 years and now i'm back on track again :D

I wish I had started younger, I am 16 now and I am just starting to learn things.

heh i'm 14 and in the middle of it all :D i guess, i'm trying to graduate a year earlier so i can convince my mom to get me a whole year off and i'm off to the states and spend a year just going around in 3d schools :)

True, I would take a year off, but I know that would stop me from going back :p. I plan to hit some Programming and 3D schools. I also want to major in Math.