Software Investment?
polycounter lvl 6
Hi all, I haven't been on polycount forums for a long time. I recently graduated from school back in December. I'm going to be attending the graduation ceremony next week and get my diploma. My major is in 3D Digital Design for games. I'm a environment artist / texture artist with strong interest in game design as well. I need to work on my portfolio and start a new project to showcase my skills before applying for jobs. I haven't had any chance to apply for jobs or work on my portfolio in the past 5 months. I plan on working on my portfolio this summer. I realize that my student license of Maya 2016 and 3ds Max 2016/2017 may end. I know they cost $1k per year which is too much for me and my parents can't afford that for me. What should I do about this? I don't have any adobe software either. I used them at school computers to use photoshop. I hate using blender and gimp. It cost $600 for adobe cc and it's kind of tough getting that kind of money for investment. Should I figure out a way to get Adobe CC and maybe Maya LT on steam? What is your opinion on maya LT? Is it any good? I keep getting mixed reviews on it.
It's kind of stupid how I lose access to these essential software after graduating and then I can't work on portfolio on my free time unless I throw like $3K for software I need (Maya, ZBrush, Adobe CC). I understand it's a investment. What should I do?
It's kind of stupid how I lose access to these essential software after graduating and then I can't work on portfolio on my free time unless I throw like $3K for software I need (Maya, ZBrush, Adobe CC). I understand it's a investment. What should I do?
Replies
No opinion on Maya LT, Modo Indie and Blender are both reasonable alternatives though.
Also mentioned above, Modo indie and blender are fine alternatives too, it's mostly down to preference.
Not being able to export 100,000 triangles models might not be a big deal but can be once in awhile when it comes to baking and stuff like that. I use Substance Designer/xNormal/ZBrush for baking anyway. Although if I do hard surface modeling high poly for baking in Maya, that where the issue can occur. Also since it has no Python support, does it mean I can't use python scripts plugins I download or created on Maya 2016 on Maya LT?
I also need to buy ZBrush which is a one time purchase at $800 (good thing it's not a subscription and you get all future version free).
From what I understand a lot of people get around export limits in Modo Indie and Maya LT by exporting their mesh in pieces and combining them in Blender. It's inconvenient but it works and is cheap.
Would it be possible to open Maya 2016 files in Maya LT and vise versa? If I wanted to export a mesh that is more than 100K as a .fbx, could I send the file to a friend online who has Maya 2016 and just have him/her export it for me then send the file back to me? I could also do the pieces as well in Blender. I primarily use .fbx most of the time. I find the 100K export limit stupid, aren't 3d models getting more intensive in games? Look at Uncharted 4, I bet the characters are easily 100K with amazing substance textures.
I found out that I may be able to keep my 3ds Max 2016/2017 & Maya 2016 student license for 2-3 more years after graduating. Hopefully that's true, if not, I will think of getting Maya LT for a year. I will probably buy ZBrush since it's amazing and essential to me.
No.
I personally don't believe in the whole subscription thing at all, especially for programs that are gimped with arbitrary limitations like the polygon limit that you mention. My advice would be for you to get one-time licenses for programs that are not crazy expensive, and to also seriously consider open-source alternatives when relevant.
To give you an idea: I bought Photoshop CS5 about 6 years ago, a one-time purchase. I have no need for ANY of the features that have been added to the program ever since, and so far none of the more recent versions I tried were as fast as CS5. The $10 monthly subscription might seem cheap, but it does pile up. Same for Mudbox, I am still using 2012 since it does all I need from it. And Zbrush has free upgrades.
As for regular 3d, Blender is free, opensource, and is very, very powerful once tweaked according to ones needs. I am more than happy to not have to use Max or Maya anymore - and that's after using them for about 10 years at various studio jobs.
So to sum it up:
- For Photoshop you could try to see if you can find a used license (I hear that in Europe it is possible), or, go for the relatively cheap monthly subscription.
- For 3d, Blender is free
- For texturing and presentation, you'll need Substance Painter and Toolbag2, that's $149 + $149
- Zbrush for sculpting - $795
- For video editing, Sony Movie Studio is a $49 one-time purchase.
And ... that's about it really ! $1042 total + $10 monthly for PS. Good luck !
We're not talking about Paint VS Photoshop or Inivis AC3D VS Modo,this is Blender VS Max/Maya,and as a Maya user i can guaranty you that Blender is far more impressive modeling-wise than Maya.Just give yourself a week,watch some tutorials and see how to create basic stuff in the software.
If you can't afford Maya full or Max full,then just go with Blender.Maya LT and Modo Indie are castrated versions that can make you cry because of how stupid their limitations are.
In the end, software doesn't matter. Great art is great art, regardless of software used. And, you're expected to learn new tools as the industry evolves. The only jobs you'll lose out are short term "OMG we need a Maya guy" jobs, but trust me, you don't want those.
Also I would love to see more open source in our industry when it comes to content creation tools!
I come from a time where the first 3d computer (take note it couldnt do anything else) cost as much as a decent house. The software cost the same. So if you wanted to practice 3d you had to take out a mortgage because you were buying 2 houses. I am amazed when people complain about having to buy software,.... because you dont, and dont get me started on the dirt cheap prices of incredible hardware now. I remember my first computer had 1MB of ram and cost a pretty penny. Now I am sitting on a new i7, SSD, 16gig ram plus an onboard HHD 2TB which a mate of mine put together and it all cost under 800 euro.
Take a look at what folks are making with free software. As far as I can see you have no problem at all.
With a little more budget, I would buy a Modo license, as it is my current tool of choice. The indie version seem pretty good as well as long as you're a solo artist. At this point I don't think I would go back to Max/Maya unless it was required. Autodesk pricing just doesn't seem justified and their software feels dated.
If you're doing characters, than there is probably no way around Zbrush. If not, then sculptris is free and actually pretty nice.
if you need a node based compositor that can be had for naught, have a look at https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/de/products/fusion
there's also the open source natron http://natron.fr/ which is a direct rip of nuke.
competent photoshop & illustrator replacements will soon be on windows: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/
one time purchases at around 50 each. i'm using them already and photo blows the adobe stuff out of the water for pure speed. 2.2 ghz mac mini kills 4+ ghz windows pc running CS6 consistently for everything, the larger the canvas the more obvious. i have only a vague recollection of what illustrator is like but designer feels very nice to use to me and is snappy.
blender is very cool for 3D. i especially love how reliably it renders alpha mapped geometry in the viewport as opposed to max (i do a lot of hair jobs). needs a lot of reconfiguring on the user interface for max/maya users though. it can be done but might be a painful transition.
the downside to all of this is of course that most of it is not industry standard. it broadens horizons to learn new tools but might not be what an aspiring game artist looking for a studio job should consider.
The biggest concern going forward is that afaik Blender will not continue to maintain their FBX support.
You cannot open Maya LT files in regular Maya.
This is to prevent it being used for things it is not meant (modelling movie props and only have one copy of regular Maya in an entire studio for example)
You can export larger then 100.000 if you export to a game engine like Unity or Unreal.
So the limitation is really minimal and just there to remind you what it is meant to be used for (Indie game developers)
(You can also get Maya LT and get the Stingray game engine included for the same $30.)
In the end Maya LT sounds like it is targeted at people like yourself (lower budget, Indie type people who need something more affordable)
Also, Autodesk products are available free to students, so that is another option (if you are one)
Of course if you need it to be free and you are not a student, then there is pretty much only Blender that I know of.
https://modo.thefoundry.co.uk/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/401090/
For sculpting, if you want to keep the price down you also have 3D Coat as an option. Its not bad at all, I'd rank it the second best option next to zbrush. I find the controls more enjoyable... and a pro license only cost like $375... not to mention you get some killer retopology and texture painting tools. http://3dcoat.com/home/ The sculpting approach and skills easily transfer over to zbrush and vice versa.
Video editing, as some have said Sony Movie Studio being a great option. For Free you can also check out Hitfilm 4 Express. Its a combination of video editor and After Effects like compositor. Really easy to use, practically no learning curve. https://hitfilm.com/express
The photography plan looks like it has lightroom plus a bunch of other stuff. And the single app looks like it has 20 gb of cloud storage.
I only need Photoshop.
Are both full Photoshop?