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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?

Replies

  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    Honestly, if your main focus is modeling, grab the trials of Silo and Modo and see if you like either. Both are more streamlined modelling apps, and may suit your purposes better.
  • Moped
    Yeah I've considered that, but I also like the other aspects of 3D. I like texturing/lighting, and also animation. I just feel it would be nice to have access too all of that. Or will I fall into the trap of jack of all trades master of none? I've always figured that the whole jack of all trades thing is BS. I usually went with "Jack of all trade, master of some".

    Modo does seem tantalizing though.
  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    Go pro with Max/Maya/Xsi mud and Photoshop. Or go Indie With Blender and Painter Tool Sai. Lightwave is a middle ground where the main industry doesn't use it and neather do the casual or Indie devs, so I'd say stay away from it.

    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.
  • Chai
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    Chai polycounter lvl 18
    You can buy a 500$ license for 1 year 3ds max (with free upgrades), and you could grab polyboost at 150$ to beef up the modeling part heaps.
    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.
  • JDinges
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    JDinges polycounter lvl 18
    3ds Max (or Maya) + photoshop + mudbox (optional) + Unreal Editor 3 (free with UT3) = Environment art win.

    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.
  • EarthQuake
    I think XSI has a version in the $500 range, XSI foundation? It lacks a lot of the crazy advanced features i think but has most everything you'de want for game dev.

    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.
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    Get mudbox when the new version comes out (soon)
  • Wokky
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    Wokky polycounter lvl 17
    EarthQuake wrote: »
    I think XSI has a version in the $500 range, XSI foundation? It lacks a lot of the crazy advanced features i think but has most everything you'de want for game dev.

    Unfortunately they ditched Foundation for the release of XSI 7. :(
  • Moped
    Ok, how about this. This is what I'm thinking of doing.

    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....
  • bugo
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    bugo polycounter lvl 17
    for me, sincerely, you could buy silo, zbrush and photoshop, low cost, and good benefit!
  • EarthQuake
    Sai will definately NOT be enough for real production, its nice to sketch around a bit in, but there are a LOT of features it doesnt have that you'll find in photoshop. Photoshop is *the* uncontested industry standard for texturing.

    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.
  • Moped
    Yeah I feel the same way about photoshop. The reason I included modo and not silo is because i'm only leasing 3ds max (year is a long time though), and I figured it would be nice to have the capabilities of modo and also its renderer/other additions (basically since its like a general 3d app in its own right aside from animation capabilities).


    Edit* I'll go with silo. I've used it before and I quite like it. Plus it's much cheaper.
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