Can i work with unreal like i could with maya?

golden_mmxx

I want to create 3D Visuals. Not to work for a company, but for private use.

Build 3D-Models, give them color and texture, animate them and spice things up with a few effects.

Like a field with an object and a statue is crashing on it.

Whenever i look up for the right software, i see that people use Maya, Max, 4D and Unreal. But as a beginner, i don't understand what part is done with i.e. Maya and what part is done with Unreal.

I am able to use Maya for free as a student. But i actually have no idea if i could export all my work without limitations.

I know that Blender is free but just for the sake of understanding the environment:

Could i make an environment with moving objects and a detailed character just with unreal or do i need other software too?

There must be a reason why people spend hundreds of dollars for the software and not use the free unreal or blender.

An artist i asked about his software said that he, and all his friends, use Cinema 4D which costs around 3500€.

Maya isn't cheap aswell. So i am wondering what all the people out there use, when they create stuff without a job in the industry.

I know that those beginner-questions are annoying and you think that i just could look that up. But honestly i am confused and don't understand everything right now. I am producing music, and when i started i was also confused why some use Ableton for a lot of cash, some use Logic for a lot of cash and "nobody" is using Fruity Loops or Magix. And after years of using like all the software and spending a lot of money for nothing in the end, i could answer at least that question. I would like to know the answer for 3D-Software too, but without buying all of them to test them out.

Obscura

You need dcc(like maya) tool for that. The assets should be made in the dcc, and unreal can be used for layout and rendering. Unreal doesn't have a good modeling and animation toolset (yet at least).

golden_mmxx

So why use Unreal at all in my case?

Can i do everything i want just with Maya or just with Cinema 4D?

Obscura

It depends on your goal. If you want a scene with interactive performance and nice lighting, you need some real time external renderer. If you only want to make some still renders, or video of an animation, and you don't mind slow rendering, you don't need Unreal. Even if you only want still images, its good to consider a real time renderer as an option, because the rendering time is far superior compared to the offline renderer solutions. If you don't mind the slow rendering, or you want higher quality lighting, just use the built in renderer of your dcc tool.

golden_mmxx

Thank you for some information i couldn't get until yet.

Do you have any recommendations for me where i can read things like that up? The internet is full with free stuff, but it's hard to get some solid information like the one you wrote. Something like that one (https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/2mcauq/want_to_be_a_3d_artist_for_games_you_dont_need_a/)