Raiders of the Lost Archives. 
There are a number of reasons to buy or download a 3D model instead of building it yourself - not the least of which are the time & expense that can be saved.
There is a vast treasure trove of LightWave (and other format) objects that have been built over the years. They can be found in places ranging from CD-ROM collections, to internet 'ftp' (File Transfer Protocol) and 'web' sites. As the years pass, these vast libraries continue to grow, thanks to the contribution of many talented 3D modelers. In the unlikely event the object you're searching for hasn't already been built, there are dozens of talented modelers and companies that can create an object to your exacting specifications.
As the demand for high quality 3D animation increases, so too does the need to produce more complex scenes and objects. In recent years the goal of reality simulation has been achieved, resulting in a seamless integration of live and computer generated imagery (CGI). Producers, directors, and the audience have all come to expect perfection. Thus, the 3D animator's job has expanded to cover all aspects of traditional film-making, from lighting, composition, and pacing, down to set construction, prop design, and even special effects. Given that good 3D animation requires attention to all these details, it stands to reason that any animator can benefit from a ready source of 3D models.
Many production houses that use Toasters are more concerned with delivering finished product than taking the time it requires to master a program like LightWave. If the Toaster is part of an edit suite, it becomes even more costly to devote time to 3D development. One way to cut design time is to incorporate objects and scenes from existing libraries of 'stock' objects.
If all this talk of 'modems, and webs, and objects' (oh my!) is enough to make you think twice about using your Toaster for 3D animation, then you might consider subcontracting your animation needs out to one of the dozens of specialty houses that have popped up in the last few years. Taking advantage of LightWave's lower overhead, these facilities specialize in developing custom objects, scenes, and animation to be incorporated into larger productions. Unlike larger 3D companies, whose client's have deeper pockets, and come from a variety of companies, the personalized service offered by these small local companies might be just what you need to take advantage of that LightWave package that came free with your Toaster.
Consider the position of a typical set designer, whose job is to recreate a typical city street in the thirties. Would he or she be expected to recreate the cars, costumes, and even the buildings from scratch? No, they'd just go to some place and rent the cars for the duration of the shoot. Costumes would be requisitioned from the wardrobe dept., or rented from a costume shop. Even the buildings probably already exist, either on location, or in a back-lot set given some minor redressing.
Or try to put yourself in the shoes of the hapless 3D animator for some B grade film. Beset by hordes of screaming producers, all you want to do is incorporate their latest changes into your production schedule, when suddenly the director glares at you from his throne and screams: "Bring me a fully modeled Humpback whale by sundown, or you're fish-bait!"
Knowing there's little chance of talking your way out of this one, you return to your office mulling the possibilities. You could model it yourself, losing a day (or more) of production time. You could also try searching through a number of CD-ROM libraries and on-line services. Failing that, you could take advantage of the vast army of modelers and companies that specialize in subcontracting model and scene construction.
Like the intrepid treasure hunter, your task is now to venture out into the wilds of cyberspace, find the treasure you seek, and bring it back in time to get your project done..
Probably the most widely known source of high quality, stock and custom built models is Viewpoint DataLabs. Having served the high-end graphics and military simulation fields for years, Viewpoint is finally beginning to offer direct, active support for the LightWave object format. While expensive, the quality of the objects is generally very high. They've digitized objects for many popular films and TV commercials, and are used to providing custom digitizing services for a variety of media. Some of their objects have been included with LightWave since release 2.0. (I believe they supplied the Galleon, and the Porsche, among others.)
Viewpoint currently distributes their complete library on an encrypted CD-ROM, free for the asking. If you need to buy one of their objects, you merely call them for the ID code to unlock the object from the CD, and your account is billed appropriately. Beginning with volume 3 (to be released at SIGGRAPH), all the objects on the CD will be directly accessible in LightWave format, eliminating the need for costly third party object translation utilities. This CD, combined with the Web site (which we'll discuss later), will enable an animator to purchase one of their models instantly, at any time. (This can be real handy for those jobs that come in late Friday, and have to ship by the following Monday - if not sooner!) To get a better idea of what they offer (and how much it's going to cost), make sure and call 1-800-Dataset and ask for your free catalog and CD-ROM! (If you build 3D models, the catalog alone is fascinating, since it includes wireframe representations of all their objects.)
Other places, like Acuris, generally support the 3DStudio, Mac, and SGI platforms, however their objects can be translated for use in LightWave, and they have a wide range of items available.
The downside to any of these larger object companies is that they generally charge a premium for their objects - and, once you've bought the object, you'll find that it'll still need to have some final surface detailing added. In the case of most models I've seen from ViewPoint, the surfaces are named properly, but everything is a flat white. Depending on the complexity of the object, texturing could take several hours in and of itself. An example of how important texturing is can be seen in these before and after pictures of the really nice 57Chevy object they gave away during the 1993 SIGGRAPH meeting.
If you have a CD-ROM player hooked up to the PC or Amiga that you're running LightWave on, then I would strongly recommend you consider purchasing one (or more) of the many 3D collections available on CD-ROM. Most CD collections tend to be the best objects culled from some of the BBS and internet sites discussed later in the article. In most cases, the cost of the CD is less than what you'd spend downloading even half of the files. Most CD's usually come with some sort of pictorial archive (either on the disc, or in print form) of the disc's contents, allowing you to quickly scan the CD to see if the object you need is represented.
Light-ROM volumes I & II are probably the nicest collections I've seen for LightWave specific scenes and models. All filenames fit within the 8.3 filename convention, so even PC LightWave users should be able to use them. The disc is well organized into broad object categories, with color thumbnail images of every object on the disc. (Beginning with volume II, the index images are in a separate directory structure, allowing you to easily copy the index onto a local hard drive for off-line browsing.) The remainder of the disc is filled with a variety of useful DEM files and assorted goodies. There's even a directory with some animated image sequences that can be mapped onto LightWave objects. Volumes I & II are available for under $40 each, and at that price, well worth the cost.
Distributed by Graphic Detail, Light-ROM III should be on the shelves by November of this year. Selling as a multi-disc set, it should include a number of new objects, along with selected objects from the previous two discs. This collection will include a greatly enhanced collection of DEMs (Digital Elevation Maps) from around the world. To ease selection, thumbnails of each DEM will be included in a new index.
The first 3D CD collection released for LightWave, the Syndesis 3D-ROM was primarily a vehicle to promote the company's Interchange Plus software. It claims to have over 500 objects - each one in five different formats: 3DS, DXF, OBJ, Imagine, & LightWave formats. All the objects for each format are lumped together in one folder, making it hard to find the specific one you're looking for. While a printed reference book is included, the tiny greyscale images made it very hard to get an idea of how detailed the object was. Volume II was released about a year and a half later, and consisted of all new material - about 200 objects. Each has a suggested retail of $99. A third CD-ROM which consisted of a copy of all the files from the popular avalon.chinalake internet site has been discontinued due to recent changes in the site's administration. (Ed Note: See the sidebar - Avalon: paradise lost? - )
If you haven't already purchased a CD-ROM player, now would be the time to invest in one. For starters, LightWave 4.0 will be released on a CD-ROM, along with several hundred megabytes of objects from a number of companies. Since you can buy double speed CD-ROM players for as low as $200 these days, it's another investment well worth making. (And it'll work on your PC, too!) (Ed Note: recent issues of VTU contain reviews of various Texture libraries available on CD-ROM. These can be a great aid when surfacing the models you purchase or download.)
There are also a number of floppy disk based collections of varying quality. Two exemplary collections are the Humanoid series from Crestline software, and the CityBuilder set from Dedicated Digital Imagery.
The humanoid series includes detailed, morphable figures of a human male, female, and child. Also included is a variety of facial expressions, and hand gestures, allowing an animator to fairly easily create complex action sequences. A new series from Crestline, called KineModelz, will be seamless figures optimized for use with LightWave 4.0's bones and inverse kinematics features. The first of the series will be a collection of dinosaurs - a sample of the work in progress is shown in this accompanying image.
The CityBuilder series is a decent collection of famous buildings from around the US, including the TransAmerica pyramid, Chrysler building, Empire State building, and about 20 others. Also included are a number of generic buildings, and building blocks. A welcome group of items in the set are various road elements, including templates for extruding your own raised highways. DDI also distributes four other object collections: interior furnishings, medical objects, space objects, and autos/trucks. Future plans include releasing all five collections on a single CD for $199. (Current owners of any set will be able to upgrade for a reduced cost.)
I've included a sample frame that shows how stock objects can be quickly combined to dramatic effect. This scene took only a couple of hours to assemble from stock objects. The TransAmerica pyramid is from the Citybuilder collection. The giant is the strongman humanoid object. And the light beams and movie theater are objects I had created for a self-promotional video.
If you've got more time than money, then your best bet is to try and 'surf the net' for free or shareware objects. There are thousands of models available from hundreds of BBS' across the globe. There are also several large internet sites where you can 'ftp' (download) hundreds of models in a variety of themes. The main problem with all of these sites is that (aside from the size of the file), there's no way to tell whether the object is well made. It's a sad fact of life that the majority of stuff on a lot of these sites is pretty crude. When surfing the net for free objects, you can generally expect to find low polygon counts, weird surface names, and missing pieces. Part of the problem arises from the fact that many objects originate on the PC platform as DXF files. While LightWave is able to load these files, some details, like surface names, can get lost in the translation.
If you're going to get serious about downloading objects, consider investing in a professional object converter, like Interchange Plus (soon to be available for Windows) or Polyform.
There are, however, some real gems out there. There's an Enterprise object by Carmen Rizzolo that is testimony to the power of Boolean operations. My company has uploaded several objects, including a Fender Stratocaster guitar, Listerine bottle, and Earth model in 2 resolutions.
Many other companies have released small samples from their larger libraries of objects, ranging from interior furnishings, all the way up to models from Babylon 5, and other famous objects. In many cases, the surface attributes will need to be fine tuned - but just having the model as a template can save hours of design time.
If you're fortunate enough to have access to the internet, there are two major sites for Lightwave objects: tomahawk.welch.jhu.edu, and avalon.viewpoint.com. (For details about the new avalon ftp site, please see the sidebar: 'Avalon: Paradise Lost?' or 'the ftp follies') Both of these sites can be contacted by anonymous ftp (file transfer protocol), and each has hundreds of models in a variety of formats - many of which are readable directly into LightWave.
A longtime favorite BBS location is 'Studio Amiga' BBS at 817-557-2111. With an extensive, and well organized collection of models for many different 3D programs, this location is worth the long distance charges it'll take to access it. A side benefit is that sometimes you can get questions answered by Allen Hastings himself, as he has been known to frequent the board. Once there, you should be able to find a list of other BBS which specialize in LightWave related subjects.
Finally, it's important to consider the cost/benefit ratio of searching for objects. It's easy to spend hours rooting around looking for objects, when you could either pass that responsibility on to a subcontractor, or just build it yourself.
3D object library collections are of greatest value when they are available for immediate use, so the best thing to do is search out those hidden treasures on the net when you have spare time. Copy them back to your workstation, setup their textures, and then stuff them away for that fateful day when your producer decides he needs an army of miniature dachshunds (or whatever.) 
Sidebar:
Avalon: paradise lost?,
or 'the ftp follies'.....(Whither the Web?)
The internet has existed for years, primarily as a conduit for educational and experimental data. In recent months, however, it has become like the Pet Rock of the '90s - everyone and his cousin needs to 'get wired', and 'surf the net'. This popularity has been spurred mainly by the widespread acceptance of a new graphical front end, called the World Wide Web, that makes accessing the huge storehouse of information on internet much easier.
The 'Web', as it's commonly called, is a seemingly endless, ever growing, series of 'pages' of information. Each 'page' can contain text and graphics that link to other 'pages', creating a giant, international resource of data, ready for easy access. Using applications called 'web browsers' (AMosaic [for the Amiga], Spry mosaic [PC, Mac], NetScape [PC], etc.) and a 14.4Kb (or higher) modem, it's now possible to access the entire internet without having to learn a new, arcane language of TLA (Three Letter Acronym) commands, like 'ftp', 'ping', 'rlogin', and (my personal favorite) 'finger'.
Just like everyone else who's decided to cash in on the World Wide Web, lots of 3D animators and object companies are beginning to advertise their services. However, unlike the Ragu spaghetti 'home page' , or the SPAM page, selling software (like 3D objects) over the internet makes sense. Since the entire product can be transferred electronically, a whole line of objects could be available for access at any time of the day or night. (Great for those projects where you can't afford to wait an entire day for the object to be shipped.) ViewPoint is one of the first to offer this service through the web, however I expect the number to increase dramatically by the time this article is printed.
However, before the web, most users could only access the internet using somewhat arcane, UNIX-based, software. Of all the 3D object sites on the internet, probably the most popular was avalon.chinalake.navy.mil.
Recently, Viewpoint datalabs assumed administration of the avalon site. An initial press release announced the voluntary closure of all mirror sites (locations where an exact duplicate [or mirror] of one site's files are kept), and cessation of ftp access for the site (the site would remain open, but only through the World Wide Web [a new graphical interface for the internet which requires different software from standard ftp software]). A second press release, on the same day, from Syndesis Corporation, announced a voluntary liquidation of Syndesis' Avalon CD-ROM - as ViewPoint would be distributing all future copies.
Apparently, this was cause for concern among many longtime net users. They were suspicious that this was a first step towards elimination of the free Avalon site. I have to admit to sharing those concerns, since it didn't make sense that a commercial 3D object company would want to spend money running a site that distributed objects for free.
The resulting outcry from internet users, who feared the loss of a valuable and free resource, caused Viewpoint to rethink it's decision to eliminate ftp access to the site. When questioned, a ViewPoint representative explained that they had seriously underestimated the number of people who could only access the site through ftp, and in no way wanted to limit free access to the site for as long as they administered it.
In an official press release posted on the net several days after this whole thing blew up, ViewPoint thanked everyone for their 'honest open and direct feedback regarding (their) initial steps in maintaining the avalon site.' They went on to stress that they considered the administration of the site to be a 'public trust', and wanted to clarify any misconceptions that might have arisen. Ftp access would be continued, and two of the more popular mirrors of the site were also reactivated.
The immediate benefits of ViewPoint's administration are the addition of more access lines, and elimination of the security check required when the site was running on 'chinalake.navy.mil' (a US. Navy run site.) Future plans include development of a 'web' page for avalon similar to the one they currently run for ViewPoint's commercial objects.
The Viewpoint web page (http://www.viewpoint.com) is an interesting example of how electronically generated material (like 3D objects) can be marketed on the internet. Graphically oriented, but still tolerable on a 14.4Kb modem, every object has it's own page, complete with text description of the object, a wireframe picture preview, and even a little 'Buy It' button. Using the new 'digicash' for internet purchases, or by using an existing account, buying an object is as quick as downloading it from their BBS. ViewPoint isn't alone in offering 3D models for sale over the internet, but they're the only ones I know of that is solely dedicated to supplying 3D objects.
In my opinion, it is this marketing edge that drives ViewPoint's desire to maintain the avalon site. ViewPoint actually benefits from the name recognition of the avalon site, and probably hopes to benefit from the increased traffic. If someone can't find an object on the avalon site, then it stands to reason they might check the Viewpoint libraries, since they're right next to avalon's site, now. As they have publicly stated:
'...Viewpoint makes a living selling 3D data. We used to view the dissemination of free 3D data on the net as a threat to our business and secretly hoped that it would go away. But that was ridiculous. In fact, we believe now that just the opposite is true. A net resource like Avalon is actually a compliment to our business and if we help build it, improve it and always keep it free, we'll build positive goodwill for 3D and for Viewpoint and introduce our company to people who someday might become clients.'
As the internet continues to grow and mature, I'm sure we'll see more 'strategic alliances', such as the one described above. Whether they will all be 'free' remains to be seen. The internet is an exciting new frontier - if you have a chance, check it out.
Erik Flom is the president of ELF Works 3D Construction Co. For the last three years, ELF Works has been producing high quality 3D rendered stills and animation for a variety of media, including: CD-ROM, television, print, & interactive TV. Before that, he was actually working for a living.  
Erik@ELFWorks.com