MAYA

[hmossawi]

hi,

is it good?
is it easy?
are there better programs?
can anybody suggest any good books?

thx :D

[Edited on 9-10-2003 by hmossawi]

[undersketched]

Go to Amazon for good books,

I use max myself, its not bad.
Maya kicks ass though, not easy though.
To give you an idea on how good Maya is it is the standard for film. ILM wants peope to know it more than any program.
The program they "made" has a feel similar to Maya I have heard.

Check out Alias/Wavefronts home page. A home release is coming on October 15th, Im downloading it.

Undersketched

[Studio713]

This can be argued forever. I think max is better than maya because i've used max exclusively for 3 years.

There is one general rule for all highend 3D programs

Whatever can be done in one can be done in the other.

[undersketched]

Very true....Its all preference.
Im all for modeling myself.
I wish Mirai was still around.
I use Max....Love it.
Figure...why not give Maya a try.
Undersketched

[hmossawi]

so for me as a beginner u guys think i should use mac, then when i get to know how to use these 3D programs then i go to MAYA?

also any good tutorial books for studio max?

thx

peace!

[Studio713]

If you start off with max you might as well stay with it. If you can get past the learning curve i've heard about with maya then stick with that. If you want to have a knowledge of both then that's cool as well. Not all bigtime animation studio's use maya exclusively. Most have proprietary software of their own that are based on one or the other or combination of both. So it's really up to you.

[undersketched]

Studio713 is right.
I prefere Max, I just want to give Maya a shot.
Plus, it depends on what you plan to do with it. For what package you choose, there are more than just Maya and Max out there.
I think Max is the easiest to learn though, love the interface as well. Very user friendly.
Both can toon render, both can do photo realizm. Both can model and animate. etc.
Download Gmax, its a free version of 3D Studio Max, and on Oct. 15 download the freeware version of Maya, decide off that.
Undersketched

[hmossawi]

thx a lot guys, i really appreciate ur help :D

ill also try the 2 freewares,

any idea if their a site with tutorials for max or maya?

peace!

[mrdesignerperson]

i have the maya PLE (personal learning edition), basically the freebie maya.

the tutorials that came with the package are top notch, but if you want more, check out [Digital Tutors] (http://www.digital-tutors.com/) (thanks again, loiosh
;))

they have a lot of comprehensive and great tutorials, the only thing is that at least half of them are videos. they are really easy to follow, but if you don't have broadband it is a bit of a pain in the neck.

personally, i didn't find maya too hard to learn. it was easier than photoshop. you just need a little patience, and a little more time.

but, as undersketched pointed out, there is little you can do in one that won't work in the other.

just my 2 cents ;)
hope it helped the creative economy :D

[hmossawi]

k thx a lot, u guys really helped me ;)

peace!

[Elgreco]

I like Maya and Max, I find Max more intuitive but that's just me. Mr D is right on about digital-Tutors and for Max tuts you have to go to 3D-Palace, I don't think there is another site like it IMHO, especially for video tuts.

Pete

[undersketched]

I just got Maya PLE...unbeleivable...Im switching....I used to love Max, but after trying Maya. I dont know if I could go back. Its unbeleivable. But I leave with saying it is personal choice on programs, and I have yet to try the Max 6 trial.
Undersketched

[hmossawi]

k thx a lot, so u guys recomend any books for max or maya? :)

[undersketched]

Books...books are boring...basic...and did I say boring?
Yeah they are insightful if you can get past the first lesson but yet they are still boring.

I would say "Inside 3DS Max 4" was the best book I have ever used. It was actually pretty good.

But as you can see "Max 4" now they are up to "Max 6" haven't bought books since. But then thats probly just me. I would say if your going with Max and a Book get that one. Good artist featured in there too.

Im all up for playing with the program though. I love 3D Modeling, cant get enough of it.

I am switching over to Maya for everything though. It nice. Good interface too. Fast modeling.

I cant really recommend any other books than that.

Check out this guy, he uses Mirai (which to my knowledge is not being made anymore) he is an unbeleivable modeler
http://ambient-whisper.cgcommunity.com/
you can learn a ton from artists just like him.

My 2 cents
Undersketched

[hmossawi]

thx, i really apprecaite this :)

[funkee]

I was wondering the same thing about which 3d programs to check out. It's good to know that you can do the same things either way.

[bryan]

FOR ME:

I prefer MAYA unlimited 5. it rocks, really easi to use, I found it works more effective pretain to my experience.

I dont like to use 3ds MAX, it really pissed me off, I cant even understand how it works... sorry, please pardon my stupidness :) why I dont like it so much? cos the interface is really ungly, disgusting... moreover, the 3d modeling process is much more complicated than MAYA according to myself.. sorry again for my crude :)

:lol:lol

[Warmodder]

I've got both Maya and Max. If you're just starting Max is great for you. The learning curve isn't too bad and it's got a lot of great features. Maya is also great, but it's way expensive and it's got a HUGE learning curve. The complete edition has some really cool features though like: Liquid, Cloth, and Hair effects. Also it's animation properties are second to none.

In my opinion max is the best for anything you could ever really need to do, but it comes down to personal preference. I wrote a tut for which 3d program to buy a while back that you might wanna search for too.

[eddies]

and what about bryce for a beginner?

[undersketched]

For modeling in general, I prefere Maya, lot of great features, never really taken it past that though. Thats about all I like in 3D is modeling. Max has some great tools as well. I just find I like the "feel" of Maya more than Max.
Bryce is mainly for landscapes. You know if you want a cool modeler and free buy the way. Check out Wings 3D.
Also for free try Maya PLE, Gmax, Wings 3D, and Blender just to name a few.
-undersketched-

Mirai 1.5 is coming back. Finally IZWare is back.

[cymon]

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[cymon]

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[Science]

I have been using maya for almost two years now, and it does have a pretty steep learning curve, but once you figure everything out it moves pretty smoothly. I have used Max, thought it would be a nice change...I was wrong going from one to the other in 3d was hard for me, had trouble with hitting the space bar to much, Maya users, you know what I am talking about. If you would like a good inexpensive 3d program that still has a lot of features, and is very similar to Maya, I would have to reccomend Cinema 4d, I have been using that for a while now too, although it is not as powerfull as Maya or Max it is a pretty good program to start out with.

I also do ALOT of my modeling in Wings 3d wich is an open source program that is great for modeling, and sort of a trade secret for companies that will remane nameless. But it is free might as well check it out. Blender is also an opensource program although seems to be more steered towards game creation.

As for books for Maya, anthing published by Alias|Wavefront is awesome, The Learning Maya book by them is a fantastic way to learn the program.

But it is like alot of people have said it really comes down to prefrence the best thing to do is try out the learning editions, and if you haven't done anything in 3d at all yet, check out Wings 3D.