Purchasing doesn't automatically place LightWave into your account, you have to register LightWave first.

To register your copy of LightWave, follow these steps:

1) Sign into your account first

2) Then click the Register Product link

3) Carefully follow the instructions on the Register Product page

4) LightWave should now be visible in your Account page under 'Registered Products'

No. When you registered your LightWave, you registered it to you -- not a computer.  Just download the same license file you get from your account and use it on your new system.

For versions of LightWave that pre-date the new registration system, you can contact Customer Support to help get registered.

You will need to supply the following:

1) Serial number

2) Hardware Dongle ID (also called the Product lock ID)

The product lock id is also given when you launch LightWave, you'll get a screen saying, "License key not found, please contact customer service to get a permanent key.  Product Lock ID #####"   - please include that ##### number.

There are two reasons this might occur.  That you're running with a dongle plugged in from a prior version of LightWave, or your Font setting is too large, and the Serial is being pushed off the splash window.

If you have a dongle for a previous version of LightWave, unplug it.  The trial doesn't use a dongle, and if it "sees" a dongle it will try to use it and not give the trial serial splash screen.

When you want to use the trial, you need to keep the dongle unplugged so that LightWave can use the software based licensing system.

Otherwise, on Windows, click on the "Start" button in the lower corner of your interface, and in the search window, type "FONTS".  In the window that opens, click on "Change font size" in the list on the left.  Make sure in the panel, that "Smaller - 100% (default)" is checked.

You should now be able to see the serial number in the splash screen to allow the registration to get the trial mode working.

The registration process and user information for LightWave users moved to http://www.lightwave3d.com (the website you are viewing now) in mid-2012. If you had an account at the previous two websites, you can use the same login and password to view your account information on this website. Please use http://www.lightwave3d.com to view existing registration info and to register newly purchased products.

Drag/Drop installation of the license key was introduced in LightWave 11.0.3.  However you can install the license files manually by dragging the LICENSE.LWK file to one of the following locations:

LightWave 2015 License File Location:

Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.NewTek\LightWave\2015\licenses

Macintosh: USERNAME/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/2015/licenses

LightWave 11.x License File Location:

Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.NewTek\LightWave\VERSIONNUBMER\licenses

Macintosh: USERNAME/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/VERSIONNUMBER/licenses

LightWave 10.1 License File Location:

LIGHTWAVE_INSTALL_PATH/bin

LightWave 9.x License File Location:

LW 9 Mac License location : USER/Library/Preferences/LightWave3d/
LW 9 PC License location : C:\Program Files\NewTek\LightWave 3D 9\Programs

Mac users:

If you can't find "Library" -  From Finder, look at the "Go" menu at the top; while looking, press the Option key; Library will appear.

 No, you can with your registered LightWave, run it on your workstation and your laptop with the same license - just not at the same time.

If your LightWave 11.0 install was working before you installed 11.5, you need to copy the LightWave 11 'LICENSE.LWK' to the LightWave 11.5 installation.

LightWave 11.0 License File Location:

Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.NewTek\LightWave\11.0\licenses

Macintosh: USERNAME/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/11.0/licenses

LightWave 11.5 License File Location:

Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.NewTek\LightWave\11.5\licenses

Macintosh: USERNAME/Library/Application Support/NewTek/LightWave/11.5/licenses

The software based licensing, introduced in LightWave 11.0.3, is only supported on Windows versions Vista and higher, and on Macintosh OSX 10.6+.

LightWave 3D is no longer supported under Windows XP, as Microsoft has dropped support for that operating system.

Yes. In the case of a regular (non-educational) license. Newtek grants licensed users the right to use Lightwave 3D to produce commercial content.

The dongle ID, or product lock ID, is a number that Layout and Modeler reads from the dongle.

If you are running LightWave 9.x or higher currently, and it's licensed properly, you can open the "About LightWave" box in Layout - you'll see your dongle number there.  In 11.x and higher, your serial number is listed there as well.

If you don't know your dongle ID, and have a hardware dongle, follow these steps to find your dongle ID:

1) Download the trial version of LightWave 11.x and install it

2) Run Layout with your existing dongle plugged in

3) On the 'License Error' window that pops up, you should see your dongle / product lock ID

LightWave 11.0.3 (or above) no longer needs a hardware dongle to function.  However, if you wish to use your old dongle, you can.

For LightWave to find the hardware dongle it needs three things; the dongle itself, up to date dongle drivers and a valid license key placed in the correct location.

No matter which version you are using, first update your dongle drivers, you can download the latest version here:

http://www.safenet-inc.com/support-downloads/sentinel-drivers/

For LightWave 11.0.3 (or above):

1) Download your license key from your account page

2) Run LightWave and drag the license file onto the splash screen that appears when you first run LightWave

3) LightWave should now place the license file in the correct location

4) Restart LightWave

For LightWave 10.x :

1) Download your license key from your account page

2) Place the license key into the following location: YOUR_LW_INSTALL_PATH\bin
(The same location as the executable files for Layout, Modeler and Hub)

3) Restart LightWave

For LightWave 9.x (or below):

1) Download your license key from your account page

2) Place the license key into the following location: YOUR_LW_INSTALL_PATH\LightWave 3D 9\Programs
(The same location as the executable files for Layout, Modeler and Hub).  The "LightWave 3D 9" will be different for LightWave 8, etc.

3) Restart LightWave

For replacement dongles please contact Customer Support using the following email:

cs@newtek.com

You should know, that under most cases there will be a charge for the replacement of lost dongles, and as of LightWave 11.0.3, LightWave doesn't require the use of a dongle.  It has become an option.

Our licensing system does not give us the ability to track user dongles in that manner. If a physical dongle is lost, please contact us about purchasing a replacement.

If that version of LightWave was 10.x or older, then yes. You got scammed. Please report the scam artist to whatever website the sale took place on (ex: eBay). Older versions of LightWave still require a physical hardware dongle in order to run the software.

LightWave 11.0.3+ introduced the option of a software license and does not require a hardware dongle. Any copy of LightWave 11.0.3+ and higher can run on a software license.

Whichever version of LightWave you purchase from a third party, that third party must contact Customer Support to officially transfer that license from his or her registered account to your registered account. Otherwise, the records kept by LightWave 3D Group will show that the third party still owns the software.

Transferring the license to your account will give you access to convenient online backup copies of your software, licenses, content and manuals. More importantly, it will also make you eligible for future upgrades from that version of LightWave, because the LightWave 3D Group will know that you own that copy of LightWave.

Effective August 1, 2014, a transfer fee of $100 per license will be required to transfer the original registration and ownership of any version of LightWave 3D or ChronoSculpt software to a new owner. The NevronMotion plugin, however, is tied directly to the LightWave 3D license and cannot be transferred separately.

This does NOT apply to the transfer of license from one machine to another.  Only between "Seller A" and "Buyer B"

Please email any transfer requests or inquiries to The LightWave 3D Group's customer support desk at customer_support@lightwave3d.com. The purchase of the transfer fee is done by requesting the purchase link from customer service.

What it will involve, is the validation of the serial to be transferred.  Making sure that it's registered proper, and that it's valid for transfer.  Educational and NFR licenses are not valid for transfer.  Then, the buyer needs to have an account at www.LightWave3d.com to receive the transfer.  Once the communication of the transfer fee is made, Seller and Buyer will be notified when the transfer is complete.  If a dongle is involved, that dongle must be given to the buyer by the seller by whatever means works for the seller/buyer pair.

Proof of the transfer payment being made must be provided by the cleverbridge reference number being sent to customer service.