Moving to 3ds Max

dystopianghost

Hey guys I just accepted a new job that requires me to model solely in 3ds max, I have been professionally using maya now for 6 years.(I did tell the employer I was not a max user) I have worked with many guys and gals who use max but never really jumped on that train. There is going to be some level of training my first few days but I would prefer not to go in looking like a newb. Can I just switch 3ds max to maya controls? If I do switch the control mode do I lose any features/ hotkeys? Also any advice to make the switch easier?

Thanks

musashidan

Have a look at this recent thread to get an idea of what you might be in for if using Maya Nav http://polycount.com/discussion/201152/cant-double-click-more-than-one-loop-in-3ds#latest

lotet

ugh...switching to the Maya setup isnt really that good tbh. I have both Maya and Max at work right now and I usually switch between them depending on the task at hand. because of that I use Maya navigation in Max for consistency, but you end up missing a bunch of stuff, so to be honest Id try to just learn Max the way your supposed to if you have to ONLY work within that toolkit

overall It looks like your forced to downgrade unfortunately, so get ready to be frustrated a lot :P

poopipe

Stick to the default navigation scheme and embrace the modifier stack. 
It's a better modeller than maya when used properly and is significantly more stable and predictable (on average) 

 I can say all this from a position of some confidence because I've used both professionally for well over a decade. 

I'd recommend getting a mouse with an easy middle click, it can get pretty hard on your fingers using a stubborn wheel for all the navigation. 

Justo

I use Maya at work and Max at home. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend switching the navigation, you'll lose some stuff. Embrace the navigation, or if you want re-map the keyboard modifier keys somewhere else in your mouse/keyboard, do it if it helps (I did), but don't touch Max' navigation controls in the Customize User Interface or you'll have a bad time.  

CompanionCube

https://www.youtube.com/user/3dsMaxHowTos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSLLdTBwLMfTKWS56tOiQpw/videos

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=3ds+max+for+maya+users

Alemja

I'm going to agree with sticking with the default control scheme, even though it's not great. and I say this as a Max user. The big reason you don't want to switch is you'll lose the shift+drag to extrude when you model, it's one of the better modeling features it has over Maya. If you have a few bucks to spare I would recommend this course:
https://www.udemy.com/learning-3ds-max-after-knowing-maya-modeling/

This person also has one for Learning Maya after learning 3DS Max, which I took and found very helpful, it avoids a lot of the basic "This is how you model stuff" that you see in beginner tutorials and gives you a good overview of the interface instead. I imagine the Learning 3DS Max after Maya one should be just as good.

guitarguy00

I chose to go from Maya to Max because alot of the tutorials I saw online were in Max and I felt that Maya lacked alot of the functionality especially in the modifiers. Not only the non-destructive/stackable nature of the modifiers(which is insanely awesome) but the functionality of such modifiers like the shell and spherify options. I don't like the standard navigation of Max and am still looking at other option to fix it(a script that remaps the deselect feature?) but I prefer Max to Maya big time. Set up your hot keys in Max, they will save you ALOT of time. Also have your most used modifiers displayed because you will use them ALOT.

Justo

Alemja said:

The big reason you don't want to switch is you'll lose the shift+drag to extrude when you model, it's one of the better modeling features it has over Maya.

Maya has finally added shift+drag to extrude in 2018 (maybe 2017, dont remember), its great. 

Alemja

@Justo Oh nice! I didn't know that! I'll have to check that out at work

poopipe

The implementation is clunky as fuck but I guess it's a step forward - It came in with 2018 

Justo

poopipe said:

The implementation is clunky as fuck but I guess it's a step forward - It came in with 2018 

I'm curious - why do you think it's clunk af? It works exactly like Max, doesn't it?

poopipe

You're right,  it's not clunky after the updates. 

dystopianghost

Nice guys thanks for all the great info