maya changes, and going forward with job hunting

TheEndOfReason

Just wondering in terms of getting a job doing Maya is it ok to use Blender to create my 3D modeling portfolio, if I have 5 years Maya experience, but do not have the funds to use Maya as the main means of making assets for my real for the time being or is there any alternatives to using Maya that I can continue working on my real, or the tool doesn't matter its more the quality and understanding of 3D that employers are looking for?

PixelMasher

max/maya/modo/blender are all just tools on the belt. having the knowledge and ability to create something that looks great, has an actual sense of proportion and weight, is technically sound etc is what matters. where you place your polygons etc modeling is a skillset that is not really hinged to any specific software. yes some programs have tools that make stuff easier to do and cut production time in half etc.

But at the end of the day the reason most juinor artists are not hired isn't because they dont know max or maya, its because what they are showing they know how to create just doesn't look industry ready yet. Lots of amazing artists build their entire portfolios with blender and get snapped up by studios, simply because they know they will be able to ramp up in max/maya in a couple weeks given they are already able to produce visually appealing work. they just have to learn where the common tools they use are in a different ui. 

my first job was a maya gig and I had never touched it before, only having used 3ds max in the past. I was able to ramp up in maya in a few weeks and soon it was second nature. they hired me for my eye for environment art, not button pushing abilities. Plus you already know maya, so thats even more win/win.

blender is becoming more and more mainstream and lots of artists use it for remote work or even in studios these days, so I would say go for it if it saves you some cash. no one is going to hold it against you if the end results look good. 

NikhilR

You can get the student versions if you're a student, though I must admit that many do use bootlegs for their portfolio (they look at it as a perpetual trial license)

Not to say it wasn't right, or wrong, or anything for that matter.
Or that they wouldn't have been hired for only knowing blender.

But I feel that everyone's insight on this is different from their personal/professional experience.

This girl got hired despite not knowing any software, or having a portfolio, so it can come down to something else entirely in the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYjWdnUqNik

Still on you to be the best you can be at what you like doing.
Really comes down to your sense of dignity.

*Most company's refrain from suing the unemployed because of the cost of their lawyers exceeds anything they can get by way of damages. And its a very poor way of treating someone who might end up buying a subscription or working under one at some point.
Also their revenue streams come from larger companies, so they don't usually operate with a net loss. 

Taylor Brown

There's also that Maya Indie version that's been out for a bit. I think I got mine for like 250 USD for the year. I know for the outsource studio I'm with about half our artists are Blender users. It really just depends on what you can do with the tools you have like Tim said.

TheEndOfReason

Thanks for all the input hearing this defiantly makes me more comfortable moving forward with my portfolio!!!