This method of "Simple Compositing" is a 2-step process that only involves Lightwave. Many variations of this process can be used for different compositing effects. For more complicated compositing features as well as specific menu applications, see the Backdrop Image Reference material for details.

The animation to the right was made by creating a "visual mask" which simulates an invisible object that other objects interact with in the scene.

The camera moves throughout but the background matches up with the "mask" object's overlay of the bacground image creating the effect.

Two renders were used to create this effect. First, the entire scene was staged including the camera movements. The foreground objects (balls and airplane) were set as "unseen by camera" and so the background recorded through the moving camera and was rendered as an avi (sequences of jpgs work equally as well).

Then the rendered avi was set as the background image in the scene as well as the frontal projection image map for the "mask object", the background objects (box in the case of the example) was set to be "unseen by camera". Rendering the second time produces the finished compositing effect.

To see the scene and it's components, download the following and establish a content directory or re-attach the files within the scene:
Objects: ball.lwo ; plane.lwo ; box.lwo
Bitmap: MountainHighway.iff
Scenes: scene.lws

Contact your instructor if you have questions pertaining to this technique.