Maya or 3ds? at DVinfo.net

Jesse Redman · December 21st, 2006, 12:41 PM

I've been on the Web. Even to the Autodesk site. I can't find a comparison of Maya and 3ds.

Can anyone give me a brief reason (other than cost) to use one over the other?

Graham Hickling · December 21st, 2006, 06:35 PM

Maya tends to get used for film work and 3dsmax tends to get used for game development. So 'they' say .... not sure why exactly.

I've only used 3ds.

Chris Hocking · December 21st, 2006, 07:27 PM

Google returns heaps of useful results...

Both Maya and 3D Studio Max achieve the same results at the end of the day...

Blender is a free option if you're interested...

Alan James · December 22nd, 2006, 04:51 PM

I've played around with Maya and 3dsMax and I perfer 3dsMax. It is alot simpler to use and give you the same results. Maya seems to have alot more options to tweek the images you are rendering in the program while 3dsMax dosnt (but I am by not means an expert). Over the two I would go with 3dsMax, but I dont have any real defenative reason for that choice.

Mark Duckworth · December 23rd, 2006, 06:34 AM

I have used Maya a little bit for certain projects but I use 3ds Max as my main program. I will say outright that I really do not like Maya very much. It is a more powerful character modeler and simulator for cloth, hair, particles etc. And you can definitely tweak your creation much more than with Maya. However I have always found it very counterintuitive ie. what you think it should do and what it actually does are two different things, it has a hugely steep learning curve, the interface is clunky (although it has been streamlined considerably with the new version just released). The caveat with all these programs (Maya, Lightwave, Max, Houdini) is that if you learn one most of your skills and knowledge do not carry over to a different program. In essence, you have to unlearn what you have learned and relearn it again from a different point of view. So if you pick one and get really good with it is difficult to change. So if your like me and really not a vfx guy but need a program that will get the job done quickly, look good, and doesn't take forever to get good, I would recommend 3ds Max. If you have no money get Blender as mentioned before.

Jesse Redman · January 3rd, 2007, 01:45 PM

Thanks for the input.

It seems that Maya may be the application for my intended use (video).

Noah Hayes · January 4th, 2007, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse Redman

It seems that Maya may be the application for my intended use (video).

What is more correct to say is that Maya is better for simulations such as cloth and hair like the other guys said. I've used both and I completely agree Maya is VERY counter intuitive. If you NEED very realistic hair,cloth, skin, ect. simulations and have a ton of time to learn the app and have the artistic skill set to do what you want in a timely manner...then yes Maya is for you. If you just need some basic stuff in 3D, don't have a ton of time to master what Maya is better at, don't require softbody simulations as I mentioned before, then I would recommend 3Dsmax. I've used both in videos that I've done in the past, but prefered 3Dsmax as it took me about half the time to do some of the simple stuff I wanted in 3Dsmax that it would have taken me to do in Maya. If you can give us a little more detail into what you're trying to accomplish we could give you a clearer answer. (Both applications are now owned by the same company so I imagine they will eventually merge into one, but who knows!)

December 21st, 2006, 12:41 PM	#1
Jesse Redman Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cedar Park, Texas Posts: 182	Maya or 3ds? I've been on the Web. Even to the Autodesk site. I can't find a comparison of Maya and 3ds. Can anyone give me a brief reason (other than cost) to use one over the other? __________________ - Jesse XL2 - Vegas - DVDA - Sound Forge - Acid Pro - Cubase SX 3

December 23rd, 2006, 06:34 AM	#5
Mark Duckworth Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Japan Posts: 93	I have used Maya a little bit for certain projects but I use 3ds Max as my main program. I will say outright that I really do not like Maya very much. It is a more powerful character modeler and simulator for cloth, hair, particles etc. And you can definitely tweak your creation much more than with Maya. However I have always found it very counterintuitive ie. what you think it should do and what it actually does are two different things, it has a hugely steep learning curve, the interface is clunky (although it has been streamlined considerably with the new version just released). The caveat with all these programs (Maya, Lightwave, Max, Houdini) is that if you learn one most of your skills and knowledge do not carry over to a different program. In essence, you have to unlearn what you have learned and relearn it again from a different point of view. So if you pick one and get really good with it is difficult to change. So if your like me and really not a vfx guy but need a program that will get the job done quickly, look good, and doesn't take forever to get good, I would recommend 3ds Max. If you have no money get Blender as mentioned before. __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad E6600(@3GHz) \| Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT/1GB PCI-e x16 DVI \| 8GB DDR2-SDRAM \| 2 x 1TB S-ATA2/7200rpm/32MB Hard Drives \| Vista Ultimate 64

January 3rd, 2007, 01:45 PM	#6
Jesse Redman Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cedar Park, Texas Posts: 182	Thanks for the input. It seems that Maya may be the application for my intended use (video). __________________ - Jesse XL2 - Vegas - DVDA - Sound Forge - Acid Pro - Cubase SX 3

December 21st, 2006, 06:35 PM	#2
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	Maya tends to get used for film work and 3dsmax tends to get used for game development. So 'they' say .... not sure why exactly. I've only used 3ds.

December 21st, 2006, 07:27 PM	#3
Chris Hocking Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 595	Google returns heaps of useful results... Both Maya and 3D Studio Max achieve the same results at the end of the day... Blender is a free option if you're interested...

December 22nd, 2006, 04:51 PM	#4
Alan James Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 261	I've played around with Maya and 3dsMax and I perfer 3dsMax. It is alot simpler to use and give you the same results. Maya seems to have alot more options to tweek the images you are rendering in the program while 3dsMax dosnt (but I am by not means an expert). Over the two I would go with 3dsMax, but I dont have any real defenative reason for that choice.