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dfusion
09-15-2003, 02:25 PM
At my college we have 3ds Max 4, which is ok considering its better than nothing, but the studio where I work [for free, sigh] I get to use Softimage XSI 3.5. XSI is cool, no doubt, but when I look at the job market there is so much more 3ds Max out there than XSI! Is anyone else noticing this? Maybe it's a temporary thing, but what I notice is that XSI is use mostly in Hollywood/Film which is where there is a lot of contract work and people are hired/fired all the time. For some reason I don't see alot of "Nor Hiring" ads for XSI even when things are supposedly up. I think Max has always had a good grasp on the game market and is trying to shove its way into Hollywood (and slowly but surely getting there), but at least the game market has somewhat more stability than the on/off contract work in film/tv fx. No?

My local bookstore still has many books on Max 4 and I can spend time in the lab learning this software. Not sure how much different there is between 4 and 5, but I am saving some cash so I can buy [student price] Max 6 if that's the way I go.

Man, I tell ya, it's hard know what software to go with! Even after 'playing' with them, it makes me realize they are both creative tools that are capable of a lot, so it's more about best value for the money, stability, no hassles, and so on. Lightwave is actually the most straight forward "Out of the Box" product, but I think its slowly fizzling.

Hope this was the right forum to post. :blush:
Is-boset
09-15-2003, 03:25 PM
well, i guess i have the same question.
Just i can tell you an little advice.
Personaly i have experience with Ligthwave, XSI, Maya, 3DMax, Cinema4D and Truespace, each app have his advantages, but each have his strong and weak point.
When i'm have to choose i want a tool that let me modelling, and when try to model in each apps i found that 3DMax is for me more intuitive or less complicated to do things, so i have the feel to improve more in others apps, but need time, you can do the same "model" in different apps, found wath is he way in where you feel good.

my philosophy is: if you want to be the best in one field, you need to concentrate in one thing.

sorry for my English, i hope help you:D
dube911
09-15-2003, 07:51 PM
Well I strongly believe in the following: The company who will hire you will not care if you are using XSI or 3ds max or Maya, they want to see the best what you got. Of course it really depends on what you want to do. I use to work for Softimage |XSI and now I am working at discreet as a tech support and I see this a lot ppl are basing everything on a software package...but it's all about talent.
Max is really good it has a large community for tutorials and such it's great for beginners level and some artist really do some awsome stuff. Maya is really good in Particles and Paint FX is pretty cool too. XSI is very strong for modeling (sub-dee) and animation. so it really boils down to you want to use the tool you feel the more at ease with. they all have their way of thinking...well good luck! and looking ffwrd to see your demo reel on this post :)
cheers
Stephane
chach
09-15-2003, 09:51 PM
IMHO, XSI is way more intuitive, and way more elegant software overall; and not just the interface either.
I think if you look you'll see that XSI artists get paid a bit more also.
BTW, I specialized in SI3.8 out of school and work primarily with 3dsmax @ work.
visualboo
09-15-2003, 09:52 PM
To answer your question... go with Max or Maya. They have the biggest market share and to be honest, a LOT of studios dont want to train your sorry ass on there software of choice. There are plenty of really talented people out there that DO use what they use. And a lot of times you will get pulled right into a project and not have any time to learn.

Usually it's only the big studios that don't care.

But to really answer your question... dont stress out about such a little detail. Just GET GOOD.
visualboo
09-15-2003, 09:53 PM
chach... XSI is way more intuitive because it has 1/16th the features.
dfusion
09-16-2003, 09:15 AM
Thanks to all for advice! I'm still in this sure/not sure way of thinking. In one sense, I am enjoying XSI so far. The flip side is that I know I'll never be able to afford this program on my own even if I want to learn myself. 3ds Max and Lightwave are well within my reach, especially as a student and beyond being a student in the future. I know these other companies have free versions for learning with some limitations. Still, 3ds Max for student is $149 for a one year license. Lightwave is $395. I think both application have a lot to offer and like most of you said, if someone views your demo reel and likes the talent, they'll put you in regardless of what application you learn. If I were to leave the studio I'm at now where I learn XSI, I'm screwed. If I stay, I can learn a lot. It's a catch 22.


Does 3ds Max 5 (and the upcoming 6) need a lot of plugins? I remember the old MAx R2 and R3 was more like getting a bare bones application that was plugin hungry, which means more money invested. Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

Regards,
Mark
visualboo
09-17-2003, 05:24 PM
Why is that a catch 22? Stay... Learn.

Does 3ds Max 5 (and the upcoming 6) need a lot of plugins?
Commercial? No.

But there are some free scripts and plugins that are really nice... just go to www.scriptspot.com and www.maxplugins.de
Joel Hooks
09-17-2003, 05:34 PM
Originally posted by visualboo


But to really answer your question... dont stress out about such a little detail. Just GET GOOD.

Just to confirm what VB is saying here, it doesn't matter really what package you learn as long as your work is good. Learning a new package is easy. Max and maya have the lion's share of the market, so the smart bet is to go that route. XSI is awesome though.
visualboo
09-17-2003, 05:52 PM
I agree... XSI is very cool. Version 5 should be bad ass once they get some more features in there.
Joel Hooks
09-17-2003, 05:59 PM
Just curious (and given the obscure title of the thread I will say this isn't OT), but what features are you looking for that are missing from XSI now? I know max has lots more "features", but in terms of stuff that you actually use...

(the condensed list is fine ;))
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