I have heard many aspiring 3D artists ask for help in deciding whether to learn 3ds Max or Maya, yet it seems like a lot of the pros tend to dismiss or scoff at the question. I have explored the high and low for both to find a definitive message. After some research and hands-on experience, I find Maya to be more comprehensive than 3ds Max, while 3ds tends to be more intuitive and has a slightly less steep learning curve. But it goes much deeper than this. You may still wonder “Why and how.” To simplify, I am happy to share my views!
Before I start with the details, it is important for you to know that Maya and 3ds are under the Autodesk umbrella. 3ds Max has belonged to the Autodesk brand for many years. Autodesk acquired Maya recently. Both are considered industry standard for modeling, animation and rendering. Autodesk chose not to merge the two competing products primarily because an entire generation of professionals had become extremely skilled at using one or the other program.
In many ways, Maya and 3ds Max are very similar. We use the Transform gizmo in Max to move, rotate, and scale an object. Maya uses a similar tool. Max still does have some features that are more fun and intuitive to use. On the other hand, I find Maya to be a refreshing improvement to much of the functionality that 3ds Max has to offer. Both Maya and Max use Mental Ray as the secondary rendering engine, giving the artist the power to achieve a photorealistic look.
Max has always focused on game designers. Contrary to this, Maya has its focus on CG film animation. Broadly, they perform the same tasks; they can model, render, and animate. However, speaking of differences…What is the ‘big’ difference if they are so similar? Well…the difference lies in their strengths and weaknesses.
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| Strengths |
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| Weaknesses |
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Max has become extremely popular in architectural and visualization market. In the game and TV/Broadcast market, Maya and Max have equal influence. However, Maya dominates Max in the Film industry.
If you are an aspiring game designer, Max might be a better choice primarily due to its character rigging, motion capture handling, and animation layering. Maya, on the contrary, is known for its fluid effects. So the next time you want to play with pyrotechnics such as fire, explosions, and nuclear blasts; space such as clouds, steam, mist, fog, smoke, and viscous effects such as molten lave and mud, Maya will do the trick. A CG film animator may find Maya to be a better deal.
After being acquainted with Maya, I was inclined towards it, particularly, due to its NURBS modeling. For those unfamiliar with NURBS, they are complex surfaces with low face count. For instance, if you want to create a sphere using polygons, you might end up using over 100 faces. With Maya’s NURB modeling, you will be able to create the shape with a single face. There are no limits to your creativity. Imagine an animation with water seeping down rocks…That’s Maya!
A comparison between the two is no rocket science. Here is a comparison table that will help you make an informed decision.
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Focus Market |
Games |
Film |
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Learning curve to productivity |
< 2 months |
< 3 months |
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Interface |
CAD style, Clean and powerful, slightly more intuitive |
Like a Forge, flexible and powerful, less intuitive than Max |
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Rendering quality |
Excellent |
Excellent |
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Quality w/plugin |
Excellent |
Excellent |
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Animation tools |
Very good |
Excellent |
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UV tools (Unwrap, Pelt…) |
Very good |
Excellent |
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Painting |
None |
Very good |
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Modeling |
Excellent |
Very good |
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NURBS |
Low |
Very good |
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Top unique feature |
ParticlesFlow |
PaintFX Fluids Nucleus |
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The biggest Con |
No new features |
Learning Curve |
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Complete Package for Game Development |
Excellent |
Very good |
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Complete Package for Film Production |
Good |
Excellent |
So getting back to the original question, ‘Which should I choose, 3ds or Maya?’ I find the paint tools, fluid effects, and NURBS modeling in Maya to be simply brilliant. However, the question is not which program is preferable, but what will you use the software for.
I’ve been told many times that you won’t be taken seriously in the CG film industry unless you know Maya. While 3ds Max and Maya appear to be used in equal measure in video game development, Max is considered the industry standard for gaming.
It’s important to settle on your software of choice before getting started. Some artists consider looking into a switch from one to the other, but once you are adept at using one of them, it’s best to stick with it. I find no sense in making a switch as each program involves a steep learning curve. Once you are adept at working with either one, there is almost no difference in what you can create. It is all about how you use the right tools.
53 comments
2 pings
Isaac says:
May 2, 2012 at 11:57 am (UTC 0 )
Maya Interface Is Very Easy to jump Between the Tools.But Both Of Them Rocks In my PC.Some Times Maya Says I’m Great Then Max Says You Can’t Do Games Then Maya Says You Can’t Do Movies.So They Both of them Fights All The Time And I Should Die To Solve Their Issues Because New Rockstar LightWave Has Joined My Fighting Club.
ferraneitar says:
May 7, 2012 at 10:00 am (UTC 0 )
Muy bueno! Me has ayudado muchísimo a entender las diferencias y a tomar una decisión. Muy buen posta. gracias.
FIlbones says:
May 12, 2012 at 9:42 am (UTC 0 )
After being drawn here from a comment at http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?35676-3DS-MAX-or-Maya I thank you so much for taking the time to make this site. I’d love to work with video games, but for know will stick with Maya as I’m doing a degree in screen and media.
My Question however, and it may be a very noob one, But can you create and rig a character in 3dsmax then use it in Maya.
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December 28, 2011 at 1:34 am (UTC 0 )
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