CGTalk - max or maya for charactor animation?

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thomaskc

03-22-2009, 10:57 AM

Hi everyone, there probably have been many asking this question but id like to get you guys point of view on this matter.

the thing is, i work with 3ds max professionally for interior, architechture and industrial images and animation, and i have this urge to try and learn charactor animation for the fun of it and to become better at many things. the thing is i do it more or less from scratch, should i then just stay and learn it all in max or would it be smarter in the long run to do it in maya (which i know how to handle at beginners level) ?? or doesnt it matter at all really?

Im thinking like theoretical jobs, what does the animation world actually use and so on?

the point is, if im going to learn this, i might as well do it with the software that is used.

thanks in advance guys.

DJ-Nicke

04-03-2009, 01:13 AM

Hey Thomas,

I really prefer Maya for character animation, but I get more work using Max.

Most of the big film houses use Maya for animation, or maybe XSI. A lot of games houses use Max, but this is a generalization and is also changing.

If you can, I'd learn to animate in Maya. At least you would then have TWO software packages under your belt.

Also, check out a company called "dRaster" here:
www.draster.com

They make software and also training dvd's to help artists switch between Max and Maya effortlessly. I use their software "Switcher" to make Max behave like Maya (for viewport navigation and object transformations), and I can't live without it now!

Good luck!

ah-fx

04-09-2009, 08:10 PM

I learned Max while going to school. Now I am an intern at a studio that uses Maya. For character animation I defiantly prefer Maya. But i still prefer Max for a lot of other things.