What 3D Program should I start with?

#1

For years I wanted to jump in and create art for video games. I am now 46 years old and I am kicking things in gear. I am upping my photoshop skills in illustration, character creation, and painting.

Myself I am interested in Character Concept and of course creating vehicles and other items would be fun too. Maybe I would eventually jump into some enviroment concepts.

So first off, my main goal is creating characters and if neccessary creating asset for games, if this means getting into the industry quicker.

What 3d Software?
I’ve decided I will learn Zbrush for sure since it compliments most other 3d programs. Any thoughts on this?

A. Blender?
B. Maya?
C. 3D Studio Max?
D. Other?

I’m leaning towards Maya or Blender. I know cost is steep with Maya and Blender is free. My fear is if I start learning Blender and get to know it well, will it hurt me in the future if I switch to Maya?

Is there any 3d Professionals out there who would like to talk to me on a Zoom call and we can record our conversation to share with other newbies out there looking to get started in the 3d industry?

#2

I don’t think learning blender would make it any harder to switch to Maya than learning Maya would make it harder to switch to blender. There was a time when blender had a well-earned reputation for being distinctly different from most all other programs but the blender Foundation has made great strides in recent years bringing blender much more in line with the other big names in the industry.
Of all of the programs I have, zBrush and blender are the two I most wish were second-nature to me. I’m still likely to fall back on my old standbys such as Wings and Poser simply because I am already familiar with their quirks and limitations. 3D-Coat is another one I’d like to set aside some time to explore more thoroughly.
Anyway, watching a Maya user explore blender for the first time I have to think becoming familiar with one could only help you learn the other later.

#3

Additionally, a Blender 2.8x add-on for Maya conversion is in my opinion an useful alternative when on a budget.

https://gumroad.com/l/FKhQL

#4

Just to give another opinion here. Blender is indeed the number one choice when you are on a budget. But keep in mind that it has a performance problem, which makes it useless for middle up to big projects. And the periphery is still not on par with the periphery of the traditional cg apps. And most probably never will because of the very nature of GPL. And there is still ways too much “we do it our way because we can” content. Like the monochrome icons. Which is like syntax highlighting without highlighting, and counteracts the purpose of icons to lead the eye to the needed button. And the keymap is still in big parts the odd one from Blender 2.79. “Do it with hotkeys only” still a thing. Rigging and weightpainting is aged and imho more cumbersome than it could be, and so on.

In short, you will always find something to moan. But a polygon is a polygon, and an edgeloop is an edgeloop. And nowadays Blender is a good entry into 3D :slight_smile: