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3ds Max/Maya necessary for a future job in the Industry ?

Hi guys,

I'm working with Maya for a while now, but I feel a lack of new features with Autodesk's 2015 softs. When I see both modo or Blender, I think that these softs have a more promising future than 3ds Max for example. Meshfusion is a good example IMHO. This is just an amazing feature. And the economical aspect is important too. modo costs around 1k $, Blender is totally free, while Maya/3ds Max are very very expensive.

I feel comfortable with Maya, but I think that I can work faster if I completely dive into modo for example. And the economical aspect is very important too. But I ask myself if it's a good idea because I know that 3ds Max/Maya are very used all around the world.

So do you think that leave Maya for modo/Blender is a great idea ?
Feel free to answer.

Thanks,
Samuel.

Note : This post isn't a troll, but a serious question from an humble artist :)

Replies

  • JordanN
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    JordanN interpolator
    All the job postings I've seen either recommend 3DS Max or Maya. I've never seen Blender or modo.
  • stevston89
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    stevston89 interpolator
    What modeling software you use doesn't really matter. If you make good art you make good art. You can always learn modeling software fairly quick.
  • Dashiva
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    Dashiva triangle
    Why not both? You sound like you already have Maya experience. It's still relevant and always relevant in the industry. But Blender is free, so why not try it? You can always use both. I use Maya LT for animation but I would never model in it (Blender all the way).
  • Meteora
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    Meteora polycounter lvl 8
    If you plan to work for a gaming company you'll probably need to learn/use Maya and or 3ds Max. Honestly it doesn't take very long to learn any of the modelling software - you only have so many tools to work with as a modeller and all it really comes down to is moving vertices around.

    It only took me a few hours to learn the basics of Softimage once I changed the navigation to Maya. Much longer with Max because its a completely different beast from Maya and Softimage (seriously, a modifier to change the UVs?).
  • JacqueChoi
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    JacqueChoi polycounter
    Yes. Learn both.
    To put it bluntly, it is completely stupid for you not to learn it, considering how easy it is, and the access you have to videos, and your understanding of one software program.


    Not only should you learn every software widely used in the industry, it's pretty much an expectation. Infact, you will learn software for the rest of your career. Your job as an artist will be to always learn new software, always adapt new pipelines, and be expected to know how to use these softwares on Day 1.

    Companies want you to be able to join, and then hit the ground running. Quite a few studios are leaning towards only allowing Seniors Artists being allowed the freedom to learning programs AT the job.

    Also, not knowing 3DS Max you are limiting yourself to HALF of the jobs in a HIGHLY competitive job market.
  • Amsterdam Hilton Hotel
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    Amsterdam Hilton Hotel insane polycounter
    It depends on your goals OP - What kind of job do you want? Do you want to work in the independent world or the published world? I know some indie studios (well, Wolfire) that use open source programs like Blender for cost reasons. I also know some industry studios that apparently use Modo, but that's not the average.

    In general, great skills can get you a job even if you don't use the native software.

    But, you'll always be a more attractive candidate for a job if you already use the software that the job requires. It means a shorter ramp-up period for you, and less time that other artists need to leave their work to help you out. So, using industry-standard software is an easy way to create an advantage for yourself.
  • inflict3d
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    inflict3d polycounter lvl 7
    Maya especially useful in game industry and vfx.
  • Samuel_D
    Thank you for these answers. So I understand that my main idea was good. 3ds Max and Maya are used all around the world and it's a suicide to miss these softs. I touch Blender sometimes, but I often come back to Maya because I'm bored to search basic functions (how to move pivot point, how to get cleans smoothing groups...)
    So I'll keep using Maya, even if I know that I miss cools functions and features from others softs (MeshFusion for instance).

    About 3ds Max, I don't really use it. I just make sure that I know all the basics from it. But the modifiers founded philosophy is quite weird. And in my opinion, this soft is less intuitive than Maya. I don't mean that Maya is better (when I see Lonewolfs's or Paul Pepera's projects, 3ds Max looks to be the ultimate tool).

    Anyway as stevston said, this is the man on the chair which is doing art. Not the software. The software is just a tool. :)
  • MITVIZ
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    MITVIZ polycounter lvl 6
    I also wondered about the same thing so i went ahead and started learning the basics of blender, it has so many features, idk about its future or that of maya or 3ds max but for me the only issue is its a pain remembering all the hotkeys and stuff for the packages. These days i just stick to 3ds max(because i started with it), but i am looking to switch to maya as soon i am able to customize the middle mouse button (ama prick about orbiting with middle mouse button) i work for a software studio and we mostly use 3ds max and that was a requirement before getting the job but after working there i see that no one really cares what you use but just that you get the job done. knowing blender is a plus in my eyes, the others are really costly.
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