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Should I learn 3DS Max or Maya?
3DS is popular because it has a larger user community.
That makes little sense.
If a lot of people already use 3DS, it is the de facto design software where they work.
So other people learn 3DS to get a job at that place.
That makes sense. Why was 3DS more popular?
Maya was a lot more expensive than 3DS Max. Schools bought the cheaper software to teach
their students, and it grew from there.
I guess that's why a lot of companies have cheap student versions.
No, it is why smart vendors gave schools free software to train students in, who then buy
that for their companies and demand it of new hires when they grow up.
It seems like a silly contradiction since both are owned by Autodesk now.
The tools and user interfaces are becoming more similar, but Maya is still the higher
end tool. It isn't like Dyson keeping the fancy name while downgrading to cheaper and
cheaper parts.
I heard Maya was more stable.
Maya is used for VFX. 3DS Max is better for architecture and stable models.
I wasn't sure if Maya was better for animation.
You can do some animation in both, though 3DS is bigger if you do game development.
I heard Maya was better if you want to work in the film industry.
Maya is ahead in terms of adding special effects to film. It's scriptable too, meaning programmable,
though the MEL programming language is proprietary and hard to learn.
Which software package should I learn?
3DS is more forgiving as you learn to work with it. And your pocketbook will be more
forgiving, too.
But Maya is higher end and has more job opportunities.
Learn 3DS to get the basics, since it will give you a short learning curve if you need
to upgrade to Maya. And learning the simpler one gets you in the market faster.