Maya versus 3D Studio Max

[luismmorales]

I've been using Alias Studio Tools for years and in that time have had a strong focus on rendering and animating. I'm now looking at a more dedicated software for this purpose and have been researching both Maya and 3D Studio Max. At present I'm not sure which way to go. The price of 3D Studio Max is inviting, as is the level of web-based support, plugins, models, textures, scripts etc. It seems that both packages are similar in functionality, and at the end of the day my focus is on delivering quality renders/animations, hence I'm looking for software that can help me achieve this. Can someone out there tell me why Maya is a better way to go than 3D Studio Max, or vice versa, given the rather large price difference?

[gchen]

well...it's a tough question to answer. I statered out using 3dsmax 1.0. I have used Softimage, 3ds Max, Maya extensively. As I usally say to people it depends what you want to do. With rendering I would definately say that Renderman would win hands down. Simply the most robust, fast, quality photorealistic renderer out there. It's also has a hefty price tag, but well worth the money in the long run. So I would say hands down that maya wins there. Also Maya is ALOT better for animation then max. Animation in max seems so frustrating to me. Maya just simply has superior animation tools then max, and artisan is a very good added bonus.

On the other hand, I also talk to alot of max people still, and the IK has improved in max (still not great) but alot better then it was. Well I have never tried it yet, there is a plug-in for max that can convert max scenes to RIB files. I guess in theory it works, but you never know.

So I guess my whole point to this little ramble on is that both apps are good and you really can't go wrong with eithier one. Just that with max, you need to buy alot of plug-ins to do what you want it too. Also Maya's support team is great, when you get the service contract there help is invaluable. It's a tough call really, I have tried them all and I like maya the best. That's my personal opinion though. I would get your dealer to let you try out both apps before you buy, see what one you or your artists like better. That's the best way. You could sit here an debate for days and days about which app is better. Really they both do the same thing, it's just that some apps make it easier then others.

[refract1]

Maya and Max are getting close to the same thing these days.
For Maya I like the bones setup still better than Max, even though they were written by the same guy.
For Max I love the material editor compared to Maya's.
Maya has paint weights and paint fx.
Max has soft selection visible in the viewports and scripts that can do some of what paint fx can do.
Maya has Renderman as a huge production advantage.
Max has Brazil and Vray coming in a few weeks. (with future development for Maya also)
....and a few questions of my own for those listening.
I've read that Maxscript is basically c++ and can be applied to other apps outside of Max, is Mel the same?
Rpf format vs. .iff format with Maya. I know .rpf saves zdepth, material id #'s, and object id #'s for output to Combustion/Flame/ Inferno for adding glows later, dof, fog, etc....(can .iff do the same?) And is there a way to send camera's and lights also from Maya? (just a few questions I don't know thanks)

[stop]

I agree mostly with they others that have posted. You really need to try both packages out for yourself and see what fits best for YOU.

We actually use both. If character animation is what you are after, then I think Maya is the way to go. Max's bones wig out sometimes. As far as the IK goes, I actually like Max's HIIK solver better. Both have the crappy ON/OFF switch for ik that is useless.

For dynamics and particles, Maya wins hands down. Reactor is pretty nice and really fast, but the integration just isn't there yet.

Modeling. This is a tough one. On one hand Maya has the best NURBS out there, but I mostly do chaaracter work, so I try and stay away from them. I like Max's new poly system with the Meshtools better than Maya tools. There are some scripts out there that replicate what Meshtools do, but I find the workflow of Max's to be more like Miria.

Materials/shaders. I think I like the hypergraph better than Max's material editor. The reason is that it is easier to see whats going on when you start to have a complex shader. I must say that I think BOTH could usse some work here.

Rendering. Hands down, Max. It has it's problems, but Maya's shadow maps are nasty, and the renderer is way slow. speed is a big deal when you don't have 100 cpu's behind you.

Also, a couple of others were discussing PRMan for Maya. Max also has hooks into it through MaxMan. You also have Exluna, Final Render, Vray, Brazil, Arnold?, Mental Ray, and a few more i'm sure.

Well, I tried to be as fair as I could about what I have found to be in both packages. Whatever you are wanting to do, I'm sure you will be able to pick the best package for you. Both are great, and both make you angry every day.

Hope this helped.

[bvocal]

I have used both and my bottom line comment is that I make money and go home on time and feeling fine with MAYA.
With max I always have to [censored] with everything forever to get it right and I never finish on time and I usually end up staying up to 3am trying to get things right.
While max has some nice things I just do not like it anymore.
Maya always has gone the distance, it is faster, even with a slower render. Also, I don't end up re-rendering things in Maya any where near as often as with max.
I did a 4 minute charactor piece with Maya, by myself. I did it and got it done. I tried for 4 years to get it done with max and never even got hte main charactor to work right, and when he was near to right max was so slow that it would take 20 seconds after a click for the program to finish thinking. Same charactor in Maya, more blend shapes, better bones and such and I was able to work in realtime, same computer.
I take Maya any day over max.

[torran]

I would say Maya.

AW slashed its price 50% for one month and now its about $7000. It is definitely a good investment, it is very flexible and great for animation.

If u're after realistic rendering, then get Mental Ray as well which has just come out for Maya. Or RMAN if you have the money.

Don't worry about plug-ins for 3DSMAX...if you need a plug-in for Maya, you can always code one yourself..=)

RF

[rivard]

I've read that Maxscript is basically c++
and can be applied to other apps outside
of Max, is Mel the same?

I don't know how portable Max script is since I never put my hands on it, but for MEL I have to say I am as happy as a pig in mud, #1 it's amazing that an entire program is run off ASCII commands.#2 If A

[skullnation]

Another benefit of using Maya for a studio tools person is the fact that you can bring your studio tools .wire models into Maya and vice versa. Also the tools and icons in Maya are basically the same as Studio Tools since thay come from the same place. I've used both (Maya more than studio) and they are very similar. You just have to get used to different hotkeys and nav methods.