3dsmax vs. Maya

[Arangol]

Well yes...wich one should i chose?

I\'m not new in 3D modelling but not that good.

So, what do you think whould be the best of them for a not-new-but-still-not-that-good?

(The one I\'m using now is Blender)

btw. First post

[Gumono]

First of all: What is the reason to move away from Blender?

[ThomPhoenix]

Indeed, I use blender myself and it\'s very capable and free .

[Zaxim]

*cough* *cough*
Someone who\'s a beginner in modeling is probably going to be getting maya *cough* or max *cough* free *triple cough*

I would say the interface for Blender is more similar to Max, but someone who knows better correct me if I\'m wrong.

I really didn\'t like Maya\'s layout when I tried it.  3DS Max was extremely intuitive for me.  Easiest to use out of all the major modeling packages I tried.  I think it\'s also one of the more cheaper ones.

I don\'t like yafray(sp) just because it looks even worse than Max\'s default scanline renderer.  And if you can figure out how to use mentalray (I\'m still trying) you can get some serious photorealistic stuff going on.

[Rolf Blacksmith]

When I read the topic, I first thought: \"Not one of those flamethreads again ...\"

But, it turned out well.

Back to topic:
I think you can\'t simply say which one is better. You can have an opinion on it, but nothing more than that.

So, if you want to hear advices, you should specify why you want to leave Blender. Only then could you get some helpful answers.

By the way:
Do you know what Maya and 3dsMax cost?

Do you think their possible advantages over free Apps is worth the money for you?

[ArcaneFalcon]

Being fairly proficient at both I\'d say they\'re about equal.  I like max\'s modeling tools a bit better, but I\'m probably biased since that\'s what I learned with.  Plenty of companies swear by both programs.  If you want to try them out, there are free versions of both so that you can compare them a bit.  If you\'re trying to decide between them...I don\'t know what to tell ya, besides try them and see which you feel most comfortable with (and by try them, I mean for a few weeks each, since playing with them for 2 hours each accomplishes nothing).

:emerald:

[Arangol]

A friend of mine said that they should be much better than Blender so i tought about it and want to ask what you think.

And i don\'t think I want to buy them yet. Just asking what you think.

And Rolf i know what they cost.

[Rolf Blacksmith]

Just wanted to make sure ... ;-)

[Elentor]

If you can have any of them, I\'d say go Maya, its becoming very popular.

Any of them is infinitely better than Blender anyway, so if you can have them, get them.

[Zaxim]

Except I wonder whether they will continue to be releasing Maya, or will autodesk merge it with their 3DS Max package.  Or even 3DS Maya!

Autodesk owns the world now.

[ThomPhoenix]

Of course, just forget about blender...  
It\'s very capable, it\'s opensource, it\'s free, but it sucks right?

[ArcaneFalcon]

There will still be maya and 3ds max, autodesk just owns alias.  Maya has too big a niche to get rid of it I think.

Also, blender doesn\'t suck, it just isn\'t developed to the point that some of the others are.  Blender can be very powerful if you can learn everything it has to offer.

:emerald:

[Zaxim]

You don\'t think that in the future they\'ll try to merge the technologies?

[Netty]

Even though each package has quite a following, it\'s a bit too hard and expensive for Autodesk to support two giant products like 3dsmax and Maya, so most likely we will see both of these products merged into a single one in the future.

One of the typical responses you\'ll hear about either package is that if you\'re in a gaming industry, go with 3dsmax, and if you\'re in a film industry, go with Maya. Or even with Softimage|XSI, which is exellent, by the way. However, either package has \"leaked\" into different fields and is being used successfully.

If you ask the same question at \"CG Society\" forum, you\'ll probably be flamed because they\'re tired of them and the answer is in the sticky.

Honestly, you could really pick either one and be great, since it\'s the artist and not software that makes the art.

However, if you still can\'t decide and want to get inspired, go to this \"CG Choice Gallery 3D\" forum, where cream-of-the-crop 3D renderings are posted, and the artists list what software they used. If you find a particular style or an artist that becomes your favorite, you might end up using the same software as they do. But remember, that they could probably create the same in either of the top packages. Their choice is often influenced by what they\'ve started with, what their sponsors have invested in, and so on.

CG Choice Gallery 3D

I like looking at the character renderings, especially faces, and there are quite a few 3dsmax users, although plenty of Maya and other packages as well. If you ignore the quantity and look at quality, you\'ll see that they all are very comparable.

Try out a demo of each package and see for yourself. You might end up hating one software\'s interface and loving the other\'s, which might make a big difference for you.

[Cyl]

Well I cant judge about Maya or 3dsMax, considering that I never used Maya and well just a stone age version of Max, however I can say, that as long as you are not very talented or experienced (or both) AND try to take a step in mentioned industries, Blender will fit all your needs.

My advice would be to learn the basics in blender, and then decide if you want to head for a higher niveau.