3ds Max 2016 VS. Maya 2016 for modeling?
I know this probably has been asked tens of thousands of times, but what do you guys think?
If I want to model hardsurface sci-fi characters and do great environments, what do you think is better?
If I want to model hardsurface sci-fi characters and do great environments, what do you think is better?
Replies
It is capable of being configured for that, but it takes some time investment in UI customization, script building, and plugin gathering.
Max has very robust polymodeling and polymodel-oriented UV toolsets ready to use in a stock install, and their hotkeys and quad menu workflow is very good.
I would not attempt the same kind of rigging and animation in Max that Maya excels at.
In the latest release, Mayas out of the box modeling approach has been streamlined a lot, to make it more attractive. In the end, use whats most comfortable for you, everything will evolve over the years anyways
This is true but Ive found that a lot of studios Im interested in are using maya and Im currently using maya at work so thats also worth considering. Where do you want to work and what do they typically use? Its easier to slot straight in to thier pipeline if you know the tools well.
(sorry, I had to do it, it's a compulsion)
Yep. If your goal is to get a studio job then use Max/Maya (try them both and see which feels better to you). With regards to modelling, besides Max's modifier stack, there's not a lot of difference now.
Otherwise look into Blender (free) or Modo Indie (really cheap).
So odds are you will probably learn your way around both at some point. It's really not that difficult to learn one after the other once you learn where everything is, hotkeys, and the navigation. For the most part the actual workflow is basically the same.
Go with Max.
Maya 2016 is a huge improvement on previous versions, but honestly after a LOT of customization and scripting and messing about it is still missing some powerful tools/workflows that are being used in Max/Modo to create this kind of work.
I can only recommend Maya if you are interested in rigging/animating your creations, if not then forget about it.
If you look at what top-tier studios and freelancers are using to create complex next-gen hardsurface stuff it is mostly Max and increasingly, Modo.
That being said, the future is bright for Maya if AD continue to improve it as they have been doing for the past 2 versions or so.
Jokes aside though, there is just something about Max. It gives you a more direct & in control feeling. MODO is great but there are just times when its hard to spot & fix mesh errors. You have to run MeshCleanup constantly & hope that it fixes the problem.
That Max Modifier stack & rock solid symmetry though...just cant live without it.
Frankly there isn't really much between the main packages now in terms of modelling, they're all very very capable, but at the same time, they also have their faults. So I guess it perhaps comes down to how they work in the hands of the user. And that's often about the one that people feel the most comfortable in.
Try them and go with what 'you' like, not what people should tell you to. However at the same time, be prepared to take your ego out of the equation and be willing to change and adapt if required.
With Maya on the other hand, unless you use it a lot, and work out the kinks, you will find yourself saying "why isn't this working!?!?!?!?!?111?!?!@" a lot.
UV'ing in max is superior, hands down. Honestly i wouldn't mind working in Maya if the UV tools where better.
Just start going. They're both as equally adopted among big studios.
Yes every now and again 901 crashes. It really doesn't happen as often as everyone makes it out to be. Maya and 3DS Max crash at times too. It's not enough of a deterrent for me not to recommend MODO to somebody.
Anyway, XSI>3ds Max>Maya
Bit off topic but is there still a legit way to get the older version of XSI before autodesk murdered it?
IMO, max's navigation with the middle mouse button has always killed it for me. Along with it's lack of advanced precise snapping features as that of Maya.
No.
I think they're very similar, only the snapping tools in Max are a tiny bit clunky to use, not as streamlined (but more simple to understand)
I think you can still purchase Soft as part of the Entertainment Creation Suite, but if you want an old version of XSI (pre-Autodesk), then no, you can't buy one. It's kinda worthless now, as there's no way to generate licenses anyway. Autodesk stopped support of the older versions a while back and warned people at the time, that if they wanted to move any licenses and servers then to do it quickly.
And this explains why I couldn't find XSI 7 on sale anywhere.
I hope Blender will improve soon.
Gonna sponsor this right here.
I'm gonna miss XSI.
Modo has both edge slide/edge snapping as well as a powerful set of falloff modifiers. You can also find an entire section dedicated to constraints.
so its rather MAX2014 with MAYA2016 review.
here are my review for modeling workflow between them
modelling TOOL > i would say that the only thing that maya good is its hot menu and hot key workflow, is super fast than MAX once u get used to it. beside that mostly modelling tool from maya is rather i would say... "irritating", u have to work around or go to some "secret" setting or go for some MEL script to get it right for only 1 simply result meanwhile in 3dsmax it just one click and so straight, example :spacing tool, opacity, normal and disp map input, geopoly and so many more.
in other word maya is cant beat max at "procedural" modelling tool. thats why so much interior designer or architect go for MAX. (not to mention that in MAX2016 got its MAX creation graph)
UI > in maya the tools UI are rather chaos, example : for mirror and object u will find 3 tools that are placed in different place at all. color management, paint effect, paint 3D. it just so scattered everywhere. 3DS max UI is more mature and user friendly (because of max is older i think). mostly, in max all you have to do is heading to modifier tabs only.
NODES > MAX material editor are much more user friendly than maya hypershade the input and output con naming are so straight in max, in maya u will have to memorize all little trivial secret nodes setting spreading everywhere, meanwhile in max u just connect to it.
if u are a person who like a simply and straight to the point stuff and also need to budgeting ur brain memory for other software, then go for MAX.
if u are a person who like a complicated stuff, scripting, tweaking, and challenging stuff then go for MAYA.
NB : MAYA 2016 UI ICON is much more simply than older version, and definitely more "eye" friendly than MAX. hope ADS keep improving maya UI more manageable not just "eyelicious" only in the future.
Maya has really stepped on their modeling suite and keeps adding great features on each update.
my main problem with threats like this is that opinions are alwayse biased and on top you maybe get a lot of false statements. i don´t read everything again but to pick the last which caught my attention in this threat:
wrong! ok it´s F8 to F12 to switch between components and object lvl but once you found it you can convert your selections with the ctrl+Fxx combo as well. this is just one example but these threats pop up every now and then and you can always read something like this (about every software btw.).
so in the end it´s up to you to try and make your choice. i tried c4d, max and maya (there was no modo) when i started and decided for maya at this time for a couple of reasons but one was the UI. and does it help someone? No since you just read above how bad / cluttered the ui was/still is!
i also have a modo license for some time now and like a lot of it (fall offs, workplane..) but if i want i can also tell you a lot about what i hate in this soft (one point is the UI and even more cluttered tools;)). again it will not really help anyone since you never know if it´s user error or personal preference which can be completely different for someone else.
I can't speak to how Max has changed, but I assume it's a similar situation. I know Blender has been improving like crazy in these past few years, and yet people still think of how it was 6 years or so ago.
The one thing Max/Modo has that I will miss is the work plane (Max from Miauu's script and Modo built-in). I also really liked the pelt map with pinning feature in Max. It made the UV process much easier. I'm still trying to figure out an alternative to that in Maya. Unfold using pinned UVs kind of works but it's not as smooth as I would like.
Me, I have the mind for Maya. I used Max a lot in College, and never could understand the logic behind the modifier stack. I could use it well, but I always came away feeling like it was roundabout, inefficient, and clunky. But I know many people swear it's one of the biggest blessings in Max, and who find Maya's history system clunky. In max, I always felt like I was working through a glass wall, or something. Never actually touching the model, or directly working on it. In Maya, I feel like I'm pretty directly interacting with my work. I don't know why it feels like that, but for me, it does.
Basically, I agree wholeheartedly with Arkaria.
Both do their job really well, more or less equally. Each does some things better than the other, but in total, they're pretty equal. And if you feel otherwise, well, maybe you're biased.