The LightWorks Plug-in SDK is available separately from the rest of the LightWorks product line, for independent developers wishing to develop plug-ins for LightWorks-based applications.
The LightWorks Plug-in SDK gives developers the power to create plug-in modules and plug-in shaders to extend the capabilities of LightWorks-based applications. LightWorks plug-ins can be automatically installed into LightWorks-based applications without recompilation of the application. LightWorks plug-ins can be delivered separately from the application, direct to end-users, without having to create a new release of the whole application. This significantly reduces the development work required to add functionality to LightWorks-based applications.
LightWorks plug-in shaders are cross-platform and application independent and can operate in both software rendering and in interactive rendering modes.
Features
- Provides comprehensive support for writing additional LightWorks plug-in modules and shaders.
- Gives application developers the ability to extend their applications by adding custom visual effects and features by creating plug-in modules and plug-in shaders.
- The LightWorks Shader Compiler and bytecode generator allow shaders to be written in the powerful, high-level LightWorks Shader Language. These plug-in shaders can work in both software and hardware-assisted rendering modes.
- Plug-ins can be added to a LightWorks-based application without recompiling the application.
- Allows the writing of plug-in shaders for the following LightWorks shader classes: colour, reflectance, transparency, displacement, texture-space, light, background, foreground, post-processing, geometry, interface, pipeline, render-styles and tone mapping.
- Also provides support for the creation of module plug-ins, like additional drivers, for extending the functionality of the LightWorks system.
- Tools for localizing plug-ins into multiple languages.
- Significantly reduces the development work required to add functionality to LightWorks-based applications, by supporting the creation of plug-ins that can be added to applications without needing to recompile or re-release the whole application.
- Includes:
- The LightWorks Shader Compiler and bytecode generator, for the compilation of cross-platform and application independent shaders.
- Libraries, include files, projects and tools for creating plug-ins.
- A suite of utilities for XML-based plug-in authoring, plugin localisation and shader testing.
- Complete documentation on writing plug-in modules and shaders.
- A large number of example shaders and plug-in templates.
- A set of example models.
- Library of textures.
- Library of digital material archives in LWA format.