Going to make a huge investment... need some help
Hello all. I just graduated about a month ago with a BFA in Animation. I'm working on a reel since the one I made for school I'm not satisfied with (to be honest it's unfocused... and crap).
I am soon to acquire quite a sum of money, and I'm trying to decide on what programs I want to invest in. At the school we used Maya, and I am confident enough with that program, but for personal taste it is not my cup of tea. I have tried out though XSI, 3Ds Max, and Lightwave. I've fiddled around with them a bit, and XSI does seem to stand out more to my liking. Thing is, it's 3000 dollars whereas Lightwave is close to 1000.
My focus is on the game industry as an environment/level artist, and modeler. But, I still enjoy animating, and the other fine aspects of creating shorts, and Indie/Mod game development . I am also trying to look from the perspective of studios hiring others. Is what program you use really a big deal in the hiring process? If only for your first job? I would figure it would just be whether your artwork shows enough raw skill and creativity.
The reason I ask is should I just go for the cheaper of the two lightwave? Or should I just say hell with it, and put the cash down for XSI?
What I have figured in to this decision is that lightwave is cheaper, and I've noticed it is pretty capable with modeling, and the renderer produces good quick results. The animation tools have recieved quite an update, but I dont know if it is substantial. I havent heard much use of it in the game industry though and it is looked down upon quite a bit from a lot of artists.
XSI I am beginning to like quite a bit. The animation tools are great, and the modeling tools seem to be very nice. It's a well made program, and I like how it can handle so much geometry on the screen at once. I havent had problems with testing it so far. With the price I also get a lot of things Maya Complete does not provide.
3Ds Max I know is considered 'the' program in the industry, but when I used it (more likely because i'm used to maya workflow) it felt clunky to me. Now, the program has great tools especially modeling, but I'm not sure if I like using it much. I am open to someone changing my mind though.
Money is not much of an issue, but out of what I'm recieving ($5000), I can get XSI, Mudbox, and Photoshop which will cut it close. Or I can get Lightwave, Mudbox, and Photoshop leaving me some spending money for things such as a better computer or an extra monitor.
I'm asking this based on what I heard before. The better program debate between them all is bullshit, and it is all up to your personal taste. What matters most is the work you produce with them.
I'm sorry. I thought I would've been able to sum this up quicker. What would you guys do? Should I spend the 3000 for XSI (or possibly even max), or go with the cheaper lightwave? Will it seriously effect my job choices if i go with a rarely used program?
I am soon to acquire quite a sum of money, and I'm trying to decide on what programs I want to invest in. At the school we used Maya, and I am confident enough with that program, but for personal taste it is not my cup of tea. I have tried out though XSI, 3Ds Max, and Lightwave. I've fiddled around with them a bit, and XSI does seem to stand out more to my liking. Thing is, it's 3000 dollars whereas Lightwave is close to 1000.
My focus is on the game industry as an environment/level artist, and modeler. But, I still enjoy animating, and the other fine aspects of creating shorts, and Indie/Mod game development . I am also trying to look from the perspective of studios hiring others. Is what program you use really a big deal in the hiring process? If only for your first job? I would figure it would just be whether your artwork shows enough raw skill and creativity.
The reason I ask is should I just go for the cheaper of the two lightwave? Or should I just say hell with it, and put the cash down for XSI?
What I have figured in to this decision is that lightwave is cheaper, and I've noticed it is pretty capable with modeling, and the renderer produces good quick results. The animation tools have recieved quite an update, but I dont know if it is substantial. I havent heard much use of it in the game industry though and it is looked down upon quite a bit from a lot of artists.
XSI I am beginning to like quite a bit. The animation tools are great, and the modeling tools seem to be very nice. It's a well made program, and I like how it can handle so much geometry on the screen at once. I havent had problems with testing it so far. With the price I also get a lot of things Maya Complete does not provide.
3Ds Max I know is considered 'the' program in the industry, but when I used it (more likely because i'm used to maya workflow) it felt clunky to me. Now, the program has great tools especially modeling, but I'm not sure if I like using it much. I am open to someone changing my mind though.
Money is not much of an issue, but out of what I'm recieving ($5000), I can get XSI, Mudbox, and Photoshop which will cut it close. Or I can get Lightwave, Mudbox, and Photoshop leaving me some spending money for things such as a better computer or an extra monitor.
I'm asking this based on what I heard before. The better program debate between them all is bullshit, and it is all up to your personal taste. What matters most is the work you produce with them.
I'm sorry. I thought I would've been able to sum this up quicker. What would you guys do? Should I spend the 3000 for XSI (or possibly even max), or go with the cheaper lightwave? Will it seriously effect my job choices if i go with a rarely used program?
Replies
Modo does seem tantalizing though.
Edit: As for Silo and Modo, Silo is a wonderful tool for modeling, but that's it really. Modo is more of a complete package, and it's modeling tools are great, but it animation tools are (supposedly) not really done yet.
Autodesk releases a new version every year anyway, so that would be catching two birds with one stone
It's hard to recommend a program over another, it just degrades discussions to flamewars and fanboyism - if you're proffesional you realize those are just tools and you should pick the best tool for the job.
I have used all the above mentioned programs for various projects, and nowdays go with modo, 3dsmax, zbrush, and photoshop.
There are many routes you can take, that's the one I would recommend.
And as it is with school, programs only give back what effort you're willing to put into them.
Good luck dude.
Modo is great, its what i use but honestly i think its a little expensive for what it is, especially compared to silo. If you want to focus on environment art, you really should focus on it, so i would say forget about animation for now. The games industry is turning more and more into an industry full of specialists, very few people do both animation and modeling. I would say try out the demo of Silo and see what you think, if it leaves you wanting more out of your package of choice, check out the various copies of XSI.
One thing to keep in mind is that at about 80% of the studios you'll be applying to, they're going to be using Maya or Max. These are the big players in the industry and if you're looking for an entry level position its best to know them both.
Unfortunately they ditched Foundation for the release of XSI 7.
3Ds Max ($500 Leased)+MODO+Mudbox(2)+Photoshop
or I could replace Photoshop with SAI, and combine that with using GIMP but I don't know if that would be better or just as good as using photoshop....
Before you go purchasing modo i would highly suggest you try out both modo and silo, they are pretty similar, and silo is a LOT cheaper. If its in supliment to 3dsmax, the more advanced features that modo has like rendering arent as important.
Edit* I'll go with silo. I've used it before and I quite like it. Plus it's much cheaper.