The transition from Maya to 3DS Max
Oh god what have I gotten myself into?
I recently decided to forgo my precious Maya (for the time being) and try my hand at 3DS Max. Upon watching various beginner videos and tutorials, I have found that 3DS Max has a hell of a lot to offer... but through my own experiences, I have found that it is encased in three inches of steel that is its insufferable UI.
Now, don't get me wrong - many things in 3DS Max just make sense. I get that, and despite my affinity for Maya, I can appreciate them. But there's some things that just don't seem to follow any sort of logic in my eyes.
Are there any tips some of you out there may have for a humble pilgrim, adventuring out into a new and foreign land? I've found that a lot of these forums are quite fond of 3DS Max (one of the major reasons that I am trying it out), surely some of you may have experienced similar woes.
I recently decided to forgo my precious Maya (for the time being) and try my hand at 3DS Max. Upon watching various beginner videos and tutorials, I have found that 3DS Max has a hell of a lot to offer... but through my own experiences, I have found that it is encased in three inches of steel that is its insufferable UI.
Now, don't get me wrong - many things in 3DS Max just make sense. I get that, and despite my affinity for Maya, I can appreciate them. But there's some things that just don't seem to follow any sort of logic in my eyes.
Are there any tips some of you out there may have for a humble pilgrim, adventuring out into a new and foreign land? I've found that a lot of these forums are quite fond of 3DS Max (one of the major reasons that I am trying it out), surely some of you may have experienced similar woes.
Replies
And khalo just try the tutorials inside 3dsmax, they are good and after that you should at least know how to do the most important things.
_Revel
On the right hand side there is a few panels stacked one behind the other : Create, modify, hierarchy, controllers, Utilities. (iirc). Go to create, and create a sphere of any parameters you want. Go to the modify panel. You ll find the parameters again if you need to edit them further.
Now right click that sphere, and do convert > convert to editable poly.
Now notice that the modify panel changed. Your sphere is not parametric anymore, its now a bunch of components. The current modify panel reflects that (editable poly). Click on the yellow and red squares to go the the various component modes. The modify panel will show only operations relevant to the current component mode you're into (now the interface starts to make sense hehe). Try everything, dont worry too much if something doesnt seem to work too right.
Now at the top of the modify panel, theres a huge drop down list of modifiers. Youll find very useful stuff in it : Symmetry, Bend, FFDs, Relax, Push, Shell. Some work at object level, some at component level. Mess around a little.
Last, try to apply the modifier called 'edit poly modifier'. You ll get access to another layer of components, fully editable, but still driven by the model 'below' them. Remove some faces. Go down the stack, and deform your original shape, then go back up. The hole will nicely follow the deformations performed 'under' it. This is fully non-linear modelling, and thats why Max is and remains the more powerful modeling package ever, regardless how outdated some of its features are...
Smile, enjoy the blissful sensation, think of the hours you will save from now on,
and never look back at Maya again
Good luck!
I've definitely pretty much followed the steps pior outlined (thanks again) - I watched the first few chapters of a basics gnomon dvd, then set it aside and started exploring. The non-linear nature is really wonderful (once I fully wrap my head around it). I've since moved into just diving into the pool and trying to model an object of mid-complexity.
I initially started this thread just after my first attempt at modeling this object - since then, I've restarted, and I think I'm starting to get the swing of things. If I have any other questions, I will be sure to post them here - hopefully others who are moving to 3DS Max will profit from it as well.
Oh, and Mypeople: I'm not looking for a new program - my intention is to learn 3DS Max specifically.
I miss the modifier stack, I miss the modeling tools, I miss the pivot system, I miss biped, I miss most of the advanced features in the curve editors and in motion mixer.
I don't miss the quad menu, the crazy keyboard shortcut override toggle BS, space bar locking things, UV's that can only be edited by applying a modifier, wire parameters and reaction manager, the morpher modifier and all of the scripts that make life easier in max.
The layer manager in max is trash. I strongly suggest getting Outliner which is a little script that PJanssen created and keeps up to date. Amazing script I can't use the standard max layer manger after being spoiled by this script.
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max?search=hotbox
Also check out the hotbox scripts for max, they're both still works in progress but one is released and is pretty useful as is.
Just be wary, switching back and forth between the two, your mind will twist and bend for about 5 - 10 minutes until you get used to doing that as well.... especially when you try to navigate... you might even say the fuck word a few times... and a couple of dammits. Just giving you fair warning
In all seriousness though, really take some time to map your keys. If you find yourself clicking and dragging too often to perform simple tasks, map it the way you want it! The modifier buttons under the mod stack are key, and so are the Illusion Catalyst tools. Get those ASAP, especially the edge tool they have, can't remember the name, but works just like Insert Loop. Having the connect button dialog is still EXTREMELY useful for fine tuning though.
I think you mean PolySplitRing.If he uses max2010+ he can just use the Swiftloop however.
This might be useful too http://draster.com/component/page,shop.browse/category_id,7/option,com_virtuemart/ it switches Max to Maya-style viewport navigation, which is far superior.
Thumbs up on the "Outliner" script Vig, another fantastic Maya-style interface.
I have no idea why they haven't bothered opening the nav in both apps to easily switch between their defaults...
Especially since I use the tablet for everything.
Blender really is super fast for lowpoly, from what i have seen in Maya i think that most program should use the hotbox system,it really is the best solution, (i miss this from Blender) But I use 3dsmax at work and soon as i get home i start blender. I must agree about Modo, That app look freaking awsome. I tryed it but never felt really home, it didnt feel like a 3d program to me, but i must agree it will probably be worth the time to dig deeper into. some scripts that is good for max,
Textools,vert to pivot,hotbox,And good luck !
You lost me on that one!!
I guess it depends on what you get used to. I like 3DSMax because It's what I've been using for a long time, but I can understand people liking other apps like Maya, C4D or whatever over Max, just because it's what they are used to.
But saying stuff like what pior quoted:
Is what's insane.
amen brother ! i wouldnt have survived a day at io-interactive without switcher ! best 50 bucks you will ever drop in this life time !
Edit mesh or poly, In blender you click tab to go in and out how many times you want. And you can even change the settings so that everytime you create an object you start in edit mode right away, but this you can probably do in max to right ? , I can only speak for myself but i build lowpoly object probably twice as fast in Blender. The power is in the shortcuts,once you learn them you will work increadible fast. Another thing thats really good in Blender is that you dont have to click exactly on the move handles to move something, half of the time you do this in 3dsmax you select something else. In Blender you just have to click near the vertecis or handles HUGE differnce.
For moving something not by selecting that particular thing (example 1 particular verts) you can always lock selection toggle (default spacebar)...but honestly i never use that anyway...
_Revel
You could try a few approaches that people mentioned in this thread and may find a better workflow.
My biggest concern with 3DS Max is that it's core technology is archaic - many technical artists I've talked to are frustrated with Max's semi-closed system. Autodesk keeps adding features, but really needs to strip it down and focus on usability,workflow and stability. Not sure if this is going to happen anytime soon considering they eliminated (bought) their competition.
Anyhow, good luck with your quest - as many before me have mentioned it's not easy. It's like putting on a brand new pair of shoes...then walking 10 miles