Lets talk Renderes (Maya. 3dsmax)

gemini8026

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
340
Ok guys.

Heres the scoop. I have quite a bit of experience with 3dsmax, and I recently tried out the latest Maya.

I found the interface REALLY clunky and even on my 20" LCD, it got bogged down , I also hate there materials dialog (hypershade?) or whatever. I t was messy and hard to follow and keep organised!

HEre's the Q, WHY is it the standard, what makes it better then somethiung like 3dsmax6. Better tools? BEtter renderer?

I love there ocean tool, but other then that, there isnt as much plugin support, and as many tutorials for Maya.

Can someone tell me why I would be better off learning Maya, then stayng with 3dsmax?!?

Thanks for any help/insight!
 
I might be wrong, but I think Maya is more for video/movies compositing and 3dsMAX is for modeling and architecture.
 
Why do Americans believe so strongly in the Highlander line "There can be only one!"?

Is the eleventh commandment: "Thou shalt support only Adobe and Alias|WaveFront"?

Different strokes for different folks. Most professional 3D tools do the tasks that the
average "professional" user requires equally well, some excel at specific tasks (the
importance of which is typically blown totally out of proportion in marketing blurb), but
generally a competent user using a "less-than-popular" package will mop the floor with a
smartass wielding the latest in popular software (with go faster stripes and a free-flow).

Example 1
Cathode pwnz all of y0ur 3D appz with his meagre Rhino3D! Why, 'cause he is an artist,
the tool is only a means to an end. I am willing to bet big bucks that juntao would perform
just fine in Maya, 3ds, Rhino, LightWave, Carrara or any other 3D tool presented to him.
True, the designer may prefer 'his' / 'her' tools, but that is mostly personal interface and
functionality preferences and hardly signifies major functionality gaps.

Example 2
Which is best: a Mercedes-Benz, a BMW, an Audi, a Volvo, a Saab or an Aston Martin?
Already everyone's minds are number-crunching the marketing and branding blurb
meticulously designed by artists who know nothing about automobiles, but everything
about target-markets, chromatic-psychology, brand communications and graphic
semantics, gestalt theory etc. I haven't even given model numbers and the Audi-sluts are
already preparing their defence against the BMW-sluts, where in truth there is VERY little
difference between these.

The differences are so minute that it would be impossible to declare one of the above-
mentioned brands as the sole car manufacturer for planet earth due to its superlative
safety, performance, specs and aesthetics.

Branding is the biggest evil of our time ... quality is determined wholly by perception and
not by impirical data. These days it is perfectly simple to sell utter shite, as long as you
pay the graphic design devision enough to dress your shite in gold nuggets with titanium
trim and to slap on a silly little logo that people take as an internationally accepted glyph
of quality certification.

Its amazing how people bitch about anti-trust ... yet they all look for the 'one-ring' to whom
they can pledge their hard earned green no matter what! :rolleyes:
 
oh dear, that answer is gonna require me to re-read my philosophy notes and look at my life in general!

A good answer, but im curious if Maya can do something 3ds cant, or vice versa. Marketing is one thing, but when I see Disney using a program like Maya to make movies, it makes me wonder why they chose it, when they have a budget that would allow for anything!
 
I agree with the op, I'm familiar with 3dsmax but can't stand Maya...I keep wanting to learn it because of the cool features it comes with "out of the box" (ie. ocean, fur), but everytime I try I'm put off by what I think is an unintuitive and confusing UI. Maybe it's just me..I had a hard time with Lightwave too but I can see how its UI could be efficient with enough experience. I'll stick with my trusty 3ds for now
 
I like both for different features. Max feels more powerful for me though since im more into poly modeling. I don't dab much when it comes to NURBS although that's where Maya really screams. But I ttry to use both. Max is my fav right now though :p
 
I know here on the east coast, we use 3ds Max. I'll tell you why Maya is the so-called industry standard among film/tv. One very simple reason. Its the best 3d software available on the Mac platform. Film and TV is dominated by Macs, and you can't get 3ds Max for a Mac, but you can get Maya for it. They do the same things, just in differant ways. Also alot of your big animation compaines , for instance, Pixar, don't use any of those, they have their own software they use. From what I understand though, 3ds Max is used pretty widely used in the gameing industry and alot of independant animators use it. Like stated before, its just a differance of tools that do the same things.
 
Don't get me wrong chaps, I'm not minding any of your preferences, au contraire, I thank
the stars of free choice and fair trade that you as consumers are exersizing your rights
to support software vendors that make tools that fit your preferences.

I'm just warning that no true artist should ever ask: "What is the best app for this that or
the other." Evaluate the key industry players in your own time, choose your champion
based on bang for the buck, performance or features. Learn how to live with the new wife
you have married and start being creative.

Too many people think Adobe is going to make them artists, or that owning a Mac is
going to magically turn the aesthetic frog into an eye-candy prince, it ain't gonna happen.
Either you gym your artistic muscle, or you leave it all to someone who will. ;)
 
Its more of a personal choice. I simply love Maya 6 I despise 3ds Max!. However I respect those that choose that program and I respect their choice. However you feel the same way about Maya...


I will have to disagree with you there. I believe that maya is the standard for Film and similar applications. While 3ds max is the standard for games etc...
 
gemini8026 said:
there isnt ... as many tutorials for Maya.
On the contrary, there ARE some pretty good tutorials out there...you just have to know where to find them...I have a bunch in the list I am building up...I also need to update my friggin Photoshop tut list too...I've been to damn busy with my school work tho I haven't had time to update it...I am putting the Photoshop and the other tutorial lists on a higher priority...maybe I can get to it soon that way...
 
I love Maya, a lot of that love is probably due to the fact that I (a 19 yo college student with little money) can get Maya PLE for free where as I only had one chance to use 3ds. I'm seriously considereing buying it through the academic discount at some point even though for me its just a hobby.
 
JediFonger said:
3ds has a free legal version as well. google it. i think it's gmax or somn like that.
isnt gmax horribly crippled?

i think the PLE only has watermarks in it
 
Last time I checked (a couple of years ago), gmax couldn't render at all, in contrast with Maya PLE which is pretty close to being the full Maya except with watermarked renders. gmax's main purpose is to create models to import into games...it's nowhere near being a substitute for the real 3ds.
 
Hyperion said:
Why do Americans believe so strongly in the Highlander line "There can be only one!"?

Is the eleventh commandment: "Thou shalt support only Adobe and Alias|WaveFront"?

3D Studio Max Rocks. Never really like Maya. So does Adobe products. You shall submit to their will and praise them.

Too bad I have no need for it anymore and am stuck with a 500 program. Dang discreet wont let me sell it either. Oh Well.

GMAX if I am correct is somthing that helps out 3D max with Video Game production.
 
LOL, okay. Photoshop is the best though. Most of their other stuff sucks. But photoshop shall reign supreme.
 
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