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Switch to Maya for Job? is max less used in the game industry?

polycounter lvl 11
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Stinkfoot polycounter lvl 11
It's an often asked question, i'm sorry :)

On most job ads i've seen in my surroundings, Maya is the preferred 3D software they're looking for when asking for 3D artist skillset (next to the usual zbrush/Mudbox/PS)

I've been Using Max for ages, but it seems to drop off more and more on applications in favor of Maya. Is this just a coincidence?

Or is it the preferred program next to say Zbrush, a lot of the tutorials from ea3d for example cover maya as well, sure I can do the same thing in Max for basic shapes, but it does seem to focus on Maya a lot.

I saw the lectures by Bradley Wascher for Max to Maya, and wondered if I should make the switch?

Personally I thought 3Dsmax was more prominent in Game developement, and Maya was better suited for animation, the Studio I worked at used mainly Max, and a small ps3 team was working with Maya.

But I don't want to miss out on certain ads just because I don't know the tool that well..

Is it better to focus on my current toolset of Max/zbrush etc? or add Maya in the mix, to know basic knowledge of all? or will I be shooting my own foot and spread the mayo too thin?

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  • oglu
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    oglu polycount lvl 666
    i would switch to everything for the job... software doesnt matter if you get paid...
    in the end you get more skill cause you know more than one app and way to work...
  • Ged
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    Ged interpolator
    As long as you are confident you will be up to your usual speed fairly quickly then its not such a big deal. Some companies will allow you to use whatever software you like but that can make things a little messy when working with other artists files etc.

    Our whole studio just switched to maya the beginning of this year and it was frustrating for the first couple of months but its pretty good now. The modelling and uv tools arent very well thought out in my opinion but they get the job done pretty fast once you are used to it.

    I think a basic knowledge at the very least can help. Ive used lots of different software over the years (max, maya, cinema4d, silo) and I cant say I feel like Ive spread myself too thin as I just dedicate myself to the one I currently use at work.
  • onionhead_o
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    onionhead_o polycounter lvl 16
    I started off with Max and transitioned into Maya for job. I still use max from time to time to get certain things done. Main thing is to keep an open mind to the software.

    Personally I think knowing 2 Primary 3d package is good enough (max,maya) and just one Sculpting software(Zbrush). I think there are more benefits if you learn maya, since a lot of studios use maya as their main. Dont limit yourself just to max.
  • Brygelsmack
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    Brygelsmack polycounter lvl 11
    Ged wrote: »
    Our whole studio just switched to maya the beginning of this year and it was frustrating for the first couple of months but its pretty good now. The modelling and uv tools arent very well thought out in my opinion but they get the job done pretty fast once you are used to it.
    What was the reason behind the switch?
  • meshiah
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    meshiah polycounter lvl 17
    i learned on max, and used it for about 6 year professionally.i had to switch to maya this last spring. it took me 30 days,(the max trial length)and i did it while in full steam production. i just manned up and did it, it wasn't to tough, but you've got to fully dive in. getting some hotkeys and some scripts will get it about 60% similar to max.(you need scripts for basic shit like mirroring/instances, clean combining etc...lame), in the end im happy i know both
    and it not only reinforced the foundations, but makes you stronger and more valuable as an artist. its really helped me identify better techniques.

    so it seems like a total pos in the beginning, and its still missing tons of functionality for construction as well as being a bit clunky but its comfortable enough to get art done.) feel free to use me as a resource or shoot a message if you run into any weirdness (some things you'll just have to think about slightly different). happy to help if ya need it.
    cheers
  • Ged
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    Ged interpolator
    What was the reason behind the switch?

    We only work on macs at my work and started a new project which required a better tool set than cinema4d offered, also a new art director and senior artist joined us who both knew maya well. It was a good move!
  • peanut™
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    peanut™ polycounter lvl 18
    Max, Maya, Maya, Max, learn both. Its easy like candy.
  • HitmonInfinity
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    HitmonInfinity polycounter lvl 11
    Dude, Rob! I feel bad for you man. I know you loved you some Max.

    I just started at id, and everyone here uses Modo. They switched from Max a couple years ago, which a few people still use. I've always used Maya. They're cool with me using it, but I'm going to start making the switch to Modo in a couple weeks anyway.

    Every studio is different. Even if they're cool with you using something else, you might want to just conform anyways. You'll save yourself frustration in the future.
  • Fwap
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    Fwap polycounter lvl 13
    I've noticed the trend in job postings too, so you aren't alone in that one.
    But as it's been pointed out on here a few times, those sites just skim the surface when it comes to actual availability.

    I'm making the switch to Maya next year as well, little scared, max is like ma best friend.
    It will be good to know another tool though, who knows I might like it better.
  • StephenVyas
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    StephenVyas polycounter lvl 18
    In canada, i've noticed a decline in max developers. Maybe it's just the companies on my radar, but rest assured.. there are still some out there that use max if that's what you prefer.

    I'll say this though, once you spend a week with a different program, setting up all your hotkeys/scripts.. you'll shrug off the new user feeling VERY quickly.
  • Oniram
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    Oniram polycounter lvl 15
    I was a max user and have now switched to maya for my job. The job didnt require me to, i couldve still used max if i really had to, but most of our tools run through maya so i figured it would be better to just work in maya. A lot of our artists use multiple tools, so it really depends on the company. in general it doesnt hurt to learn both
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    3d packages only really take about a week to learn if you got good modeling skills so switching is not a big deal. It seems a lot of studios use Maya since pymel and python make it so easy to integrate Maya into a larger workflow. I think Max now having python will do the same for the Max community too since it is easier for a lot to use than maxscript and can be used to automate things that aren't part of the 3d package too.

    Though what I'm curious to see is how studios built a workflow around modo, yes modo has amazing modeling tools and UV tools, but its script interface sucks balls no matter what language you use with it.
  • Baj Singh
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    Baj Singh polycounter lvl 9
    Still using Max (and been using it forever). I wouldn't worry about it too much (otherwise you might find yourself learning Maya and forgetting all those little things that make Max great).

    Spend the time being an awesome artist, picking up new tools takes a lot less time :P.
  • Decoyz
    meshiah wrote: »
    . getting some hotkeys and some scripts will get it about 60% similar to max.(you need scripts for basic shit like mirroring/instances, clean combining etc...lame), in the end im happy i know both

    ive found mayas duplicate special and subdiv proxy to be somewhat annoying/limited to deal with.
    for one example, whenever use the sculpt geometry tool extensively with half of my mesh instanced, i usually have to re-attach the center verticies whenever i sculpt near the center which is an annoying part. (so far the only barely tolerable workaround ive found for that is to keyframe the all the center verticies to one axis.)

    then another annoyance is that the duplicate special instance doesnt merge center verts. so if you preview the smoothed version it will not look right at the center.

    then in subdiv proxy mode you can see the smoothed version live but i find it a pain to work with and you still have to delete center double faces when extruding at center.

    what scripts do you use for mirroring/instances and where would i download it? or perhaps i should make a new thread for this.
  • Bellsey
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    Bellsey polycounter lvl 8
    The problem for many people is that if you're coming from another package to a new one, you simple can't just continue in the same way of working that you have been used to. It just doesn't work. And yet, this is one of the most common mistakes people make, even now.
    Many just go through some basic tutorials, then just dive in, can't find what they need and then get frustrated.

    Over many years, I've often heard that Maya is hard to learn, its UI is tricky, or you need scripts for everything, but frankly I've always found this to be a kinda myth. It's really no better, or worse than any other package to learn really.
    The one thing to remember about Maya, is that it's very open, it was designed that way. So there can be different ways to do the same thing.
    Also, Maya has a lot of preferences, so you can actually change many things, including the UI. It's mastering those things, that can often be the trick. I still see people now, who aren't using the hotbox or marking menus correctly and they're key (imo)to Maya's UI and usability.

    Overall though, I think the main thing when having to consider using a different software, is be professional. On another thread there was discussion about why studios don't just allow people to use what they want. Well, this sounds great on paper, but isn't always practical, for many reasons. The fact is that despite what you might want, you aren't in control of the situation and a studio in question has chosen their software of choice and that's that.

    I've always been a Maya and Softimage guy, and I make no secret of the fact that I'm not the biggest Max fan in the world. However, in the past, I've had to work on projects that have used Max and though I haven't liked it, I just got on with the job. My employer isn't paying me to moan, they're paying me to do a job.
  • Stinkfoot
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    Stinkfoot polycounter lvl 11
    Ha, Sorry dustinbrown, I thought I searched thourou..thougr... well enough for a similar topics :P, Tis true I must I'll verse myself in Maya, i just had some bad experiences with it in the past.

    great experiences in your original topic tho!
  • Mark Dygert
    If I had to draw a paralleled...

    Software A is like a manual transmission. Software B is like an automatic transmission.

    It doesn't really matter which software is A or B. The point is, if you learn to drive both ways, you can drive any car out there.

    Don't handicap yourself and don't stress about leaving one for the other and never being able to going back, you can. It's not like they are two forces locked in an intergalactic war and you'll be a traitor to our home world, unable to return if you choose to "join the other side".
  • peanut™
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    peanut™ polycounter lvl 18
    In 2000 i learned Max, Maya and Lightwave at the same time, and i lost 50 pounds. :poly114b:
  • meshiah
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    meshiah polycounter lvl 17
    Dude, Rob! I feel bad for you man. I know you loved you some Max.
    I just started at id, and everyone here uses Modo. They switched from Max a couple years ago, which a few people still use. I've always used Maya. They're cool with me using it, but I'm going to start making the switch to Modo in a couple weeks anyway.

    DUDE!!!, congrats on ID!!, i will buy and play whatever your working on for sure. your gonna be a super star, cant wait to see your ID work!

    but for maya/max, i think every one pretty much covered it, while its not hard to learn the software, keep the focus on the art and keep the learning momentum up. momentum is the key to success in anything! good luck!
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