LW or 3dmax

[Pyro2301]

If it's just animating then I'd get max and CS4. Lightwave's animation tools just suck...but they are slowly getting better.

-Victor

[TimWoods]

Being an avide Max supporter im biased, but when i tryed to learn lightwave i didnt really get on too well with a seperate modeller and animator program. But then im stuck in Max habits and trying to use another program is difficult.
I think lightwave has better built in radiosity, hair plugins and particles,so its better value for money, but its how you use them really.
I think Max would probably be the easier to learn, but im sure a lightwave user would tell me otherwise!
:wavey:

[terryford]

Heh, look at me, I'm behind enemy lines :wavey:

I use LightWave. Almost nobody will be able to give you an unbiased answer to your question. Most of us have invested lots of time and (sometimes) lots of money in the software we use, so it's hard to be impartial. If possible get the demo versions to try out, or better yet get someone who's familiar with each package to demo them for you.

There's a good "which app" article here:
http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19315


Regards,
Terry

[CTRL+X]

I can give you an un-bias opinion, I use both, and I love both, both are very capable,

My thoughts are such, I use Autocad, and I would not give up the autocad to max importing, it is flawless and retains the information perfectly,,,, if you are going into any kind of CAD work then MAX is a MUST..LW just doesnt retain all that information from autocad like MAX does

After that, from an animation point of view, the saying that LW animation tool set sux is an out-dated legacy from pre LW6 days, the current version (7.5) and in particular the next release (7.5b and 8) will feature animation tools that are on par with any package out there.

From a Modeling point of view, again both MAX and LW are very capable. I prefere MAX (with autoCAD ) for exacting precision and I prefere LW for organic modeling such as character modeling.

my two cents worth

[BrandonD]

I've worked both at a MAX studio and at a LW studio, so I might be able to give you a more experienced answer.

When it comes to choosing a 3d app, your first step should be to figure out what kind of work you want to do. Then find out what packages are most common in that area and go that way. That said, if you're specifically looking to compare MAX and LW, then here's my breakdown:

LW and MAX are very much at the extremes in the workflow area. LW is very straight-forward and simple and therefor very quick to work in for the experienced user. In LW there is only one way of doing things for the most part, so this aids in the speed and simplicity. It's strengths are primarily in poly modeling (your only choice) and rendering. That package consists of separate modeler and layout tools instead of an integrated environment. This is a pro and a con. LW really pioneered the use of subdivision poly modeling and still remains at the top. Rendering is strictly raytracing without many advanced features, however the quality is widely regarded among the industry as one of the too renderers.

MAX on the other hand is a more procedural 3d app at the core, having more in common with Houdini than LW. This is primarily useful in animation, something that MAX has always been one of the top pacakges for. Unlike in LW, in MAX there's usually dozens of ways of doing things and this kind of flexibility is key to its power. MAX really pioneered the open architecture 3d framework most of the other packages have adopted. For that reason, customizing MAX is very easy both in the UI and in the functionality. The SDK ships with the CD and MAXscript, the built in scripting language, allows you to easily gain access to much of the program. Poly modeling is very good in MAX, especially because you can exploit proceduralism that you can't in other packages. Also, you're not limited to polys. You can also work in Patches, NURBS(though these are much better in other packages) as well.

In a nutshell, the big advantage of MAX is flexibility and options. The con being it's not widely accepted at the top prestigious levels of the industry (something I blame more on ignorance than anything). LW in a nutshell is fast, simple but lacks options. So they're very different in that aspect.

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