Should I learn 3DS Max or Maya instead?

Question

If anyone could be kind enough to give me advice on where to start (I'm a newb). 3DS MAX or Maya? I've been told that people who leave school with MAYA experience are sometimes forced to go through and learn 3dS Max since so many studios prefer that. Which one is better and which one should I begin with?

Answer 1

3Ds Max 8 is very powerful, made by Autodesk, and very expensive (for the "official" version). You can get a cheap copy is you are a student. It is preferred by many studios.
It is designed by Engineers for engineers, so it is a bit complex. However, it imports very well any designs you made with autocad (see an exemple in www.skytargets.com, Dodge City, "the development of Dodge city".
Maya is not bad either, but has less spread.
Blender is very nice to design complex "low polygon count" "objects", such as Avatars and life forms. And it is free. I find it pretty hard to use (but I am engineer, not artist!)
If you are LOGICAL, start with 3Ds Max.
If you are ARTISTIC, start with Blender and Maya!

Answer 2

Low-Cost Alternative:

Blender; $0 or $10/month
http://blender.org

Ask yourself: Is Blender good enough?

Blender has a complete VFX pipeline in one single software package.

In Blender you get tools similar to Maya (animation), 3ds Max (modifiers), ZBrush (sculpting), FumeFX (fire and smoke), RealFlow (fluids), RayFire (destruction), Mocha (planar tracking), Boujou (3D tracking), Arnold (rendering), After Effects (motion graphics), and Nuke (compositing).

All of these tools are far from being perfect, but they're getting better every day.

Motion Tracking in Blender: A short tutorial by Sebastian Koenig.
http://vimeo.com/79032879

Blender is FREE with full functionality and you're allowed to use Blender in any production without having to pay for anything.

Only you know if Blender is good enough for your projects needs and requirements.

Blender Cycles Reel 2015
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wDRTjzLNK0g

Answer 3

Ahm, 3ds Max IS an animation software. For stand-alone productions it's an excellent software. For cinematic-grade compositing you can combine it with Autodesk Inferno, but for most uses it's not needed. Large animation studios often use Maya for animation, but it's harder to learn, and if you're working alone or in a small group you won't enjoy most of its benefits.

Answer 4

Both have their strengths and weaknesses, when it comes down to it. There are a number for forums that talk about these programs from an end-user point of view. Try googling "Maya vs 3DS Max" to see what comes up.

Answer 5

There are benfits and drawbacks to each. Maya have a free "Personal Learning Edition" that allows you to use the majority of the programme. If you're learning animation at school I'd just use whichever program they use and become really competant in it. Employers like to see the way you use light, tone, shading and all of the visual aesthetic things more than being able to use lots of programs. Once you've got the fundementals of animation down it's a lot easier to change.

Answer 6

Professional 3D Design Animation : http://3dAnimationCartoons.com/?QPQy

Answer 7

@tj
ya, I recommend Blender .. It is even better than Maya & 3DSMax for experiened user.. you should learn the script language that comes with it.
They Made A movie from Blender ALone.. can you believe that ???

Answer 8

You could start with Blender and not have to put out any money on software before making such a decision.

http://www.blender.org/

Answer 9

u should start from 3d's Max.