Should I go to Max?
polycounter lvl 8
What are main pros and cons between Maya and 3ds Max?
I heard that a Maya is getting so much more love from AD then max, but also I've seen that most 3D artist (modelers prefer.) are using 3ds max. Why?
I'm intermediate Maya user (who focus on character/creature modeling) but there are some things and tools which I really hate and which are useless.
MODO is very good software but I try to keep away from it coz AD products are industry standards and more likely to get you a job.
Any ideas should I stick to Maya or change my workflow to 3ds max? Is it worth?
I heard that a Maya is getting so much more love from AD then max, but also I've seen that most 3D artist (modelers prefer.) are using 3ds max. Why?
I'm intermediate Maya user (who focus on character/creature modeling) but there are some things and tools which I really hate and which are useless.
MODO is very good software but I try to keep away from it coz AD products are industry standards and more likely to get you a job.
Any ideas should I stick to Maya or change my workflow to 3ds max? Is it worth?
Replies
Stick with the software you feel the most comfortable with and if you get hired by a studio that uses a different soft you'll just learn it on the spot, like everyone does. It takes something like 2 months to learn a new modeling software.
So don't worry about what software to use and focus on producing great art, that's the only thing that matters
I did hear through the grapevine though that the Max dev team has been downsizing, where as the opposite might be true for the Maya's team. Just worth taking into account given Autodesk's business choices as of late.
My perfectly biased advice ;-) would be to go with Modo (has a Maya keymap built in) but hold onto those Maya skills for employment. Thankfully there are enough similarities between the apps that you wont really get too rusty.
I've worked at a few studios that have rejected modellers without max experience. (Albeit entry level positions).
In a perfect world it shouldn't matter. But in reality if there's 2 similar candidates, they'll go for the one that can hit the ground running.
Keep in mind most studios don't have 2 months to spare. For an industry incapable of managing crunch, relies heavily on outsourcing, is prone to a day 1 patch, budgeting for 2 months for rampup-time isnt a possibility for even the biggest projects (let alone smaller indies).
Learn both. It's really not hard.
In my opinion its simply a matter of knowing what you want to do, and asking the right questions, (looking for an alternative version of a certain function in your favorite program).
Hope this helps.
Most modeling tools have become quite similar in almost every aspect and while a few years ago switching to a tool like Modo would make a huge difference for a Maya user,it is not the case anymore imho.
If you're looking for industry standard tools,try Max,see if you like it and if not,try Modo.But i would suggest you to stick to Maya and keep improving your workflow instead.
https://www.udemy.com/learning-3ds-max-after-knowing-maya-modeling/
I wouldn't say you need to know Max as well as you know Maya, but going into an interview with the ability to at least be able to function in Max will probably help you if you apply to an all Max studio. That way the studio doesn't feel that you have to start from scratch with getting used to Max interface.
Also by my opinion Modo for example have alot better modeling, retopo, uv kit.
Never tried 3ds max so I can't comment on that.
character animation is more and more maya based cause of the better integration of human ik.... the link to motionbuilder... for modeling it doesnt matter that much which app you use...
Once you know one 3d modelling package inside and out it isn't too hard to switch to another. Unless you're rigging / animating / fx / etc, switching to another package just for modelling is pretty quick. I'd focus more on portfolio work and making awesome assets than spending time just learning software.
Maya's becoming more and more common in this industry. I would say it's getting close to being an even split. No use switching, I'd say, unless you want to.
Maybe watch a video or two on youtube, to learn how max works, so if you do have to learn it for a job, you'll understand it a little beforehand. I would recommend doing that for other software too, in fact. You can never learn enough.
so far to varying degrees. (still haven't tried blender for a full project though.) I use 3ds max at work and I'll just say that honestly I feel that these days it's pretty archaic.
Autodesk has decided as far as I can tell that 3ds max will no longer support vfx. It will probably continue to be developed for architectural rendering. But I see so many studios choosing Maya as the base package these days. It won't be long before barely anyone uses it. Don't get me wrong, it has some really great stuff but Maya has caught up almost completely in modeling. The modifier stack is pretty much the only benefit of Modeling in 3ds max now. And with auto desk continuing to dump more development into Maya it won't be long before it leaves max in the dust.
Which is sad really. Would have been nice to see both software packages get the same love. But business wise it doesn't make any sense so I'm not surprised.
so far to varying degrees. (still haven't tried blender for a full project though.) I use 3ds max at work and I'll just say that honestly I feel that these days it's pretty archaic.
Auto desk has decided as far as I can tell that 3ds max will no longer support vfx. It will probably continue to be developed for architectural rendering. But I see so many studios choosing Maya as the base package these days. It won't be long before barely anyone uses it. Don't get me wrong, it has some really great stuff but Maya has caught up almost completely in modeling. The modifier stack is pretty much the only benefit of Modeling in 3ds max now. And with auto desk continuing to dump more development into Maya it won't be long before it leaves max in the dust.
Which is sad really. Would have been nice to see both software packages get the same love. But business wise it doesn't make any sense so I'm not surprised.
That said, calling Modo "3DS Max 2.0" doesnt sound right. It would be more accurate to compare it with Maya or Lightwave (from which you can trace Modo's origin), though adding the procedural stuff can certainly challenge comparison.
Modo is also, objectively, not the industry standard for 3D modeling and game art. Industry standard implies it is commonly used, the first go to app for game asset creation within the industry. Objectively, it is not that, not even close. We shouldnt confuse wanting it to be the standard with it actually being "the standard". Maya can take that crown.
All that said, in light of trying to keep the conversation on topic... OP: you should have no trouble working with multiple 3d applications once you get the hang of one of them. Knowing Max and Maya is the best for job placement, branching out past that is more for your skills/sanity as an artist.
This is one of those things that is oft repeated and never proven.
Maya has been gaining a lot more traction lately due to it seemingly getting the bulk of R&D / improvements instead of Max. but Max still has close to the same amount of overall market share that Maya does.
Yet Max will still be around because it still has the most flexible modifier stack, making it essential for non-destructive modeling workflows.
But ironically enough ... both are either stagnating or getting worse to an extent. Slow to load, bad response time, it's all kind of getting ridiculous really. That's pretty much a direct consequence of a forced yearly release cycle, which is great for marketing and sales but can only hurt development.
To the OP :
AD products are industry standards and more likely to get you a job.
No. The quality of your work is what get you the job - not the software you use or "who you know". These are just widespread misconceptions - these factors can weight of course, but nowhere near as much as the quality of ones body of work. And if a given studio insists on you using a very specific piece of software for a task that you know you can do better/more efficiently using some other tool, you always have the choice to simply not go work there