Platform Selection

[ktm07]

Hey all!

 

I am currently contemplating migrating from a CAD based rendering solution to a true 3D platform. I would appreciate any thoughts concerning the use of Maya vs. Max.

 

Thanks!

 

Tom

[chuck]

what do you mean by "true 3d"? autocad has 3d good enough for a number of our users to generate 3d models. accurender doesn't look that bad either.

 

i started on max and it's what i'm familiar with. i tried picking up maya for the fun of it a few years back and got frustrated. i think for the most part max is easier to learn...but realize that i'm pretty biased here.

 

if you are looking at 3rd party renderers, consider vray and maxwell. both can produce stunning images.

 

chuck

[ktm07]

I guess what I am getting at is that basically the two products will do the same thing. But are there inherent strengths or weaknesses that make one a better choice for architectural viz? In all probability I will use Maxwell as my rendering engine in either case.

 

Thanks!

 

Tom

[JamesTaylor]

i'd say that the greatest strength of Max for Arch viz is that of the two mentioned it is most widely used, which obviously means there is more reference material available for you on the web etc and potentially i'd say 3rd party products will generally be aimed at max / viz rarther than maya 1st.

 

Having used both i'd say once you get used to either interface you can do like for like in terms of modelling methods and texturing etc. Maya however, is probably aimed at a higher end user than max and mostly used in the film industry i beleive, where as max has been adopted more by the games industry i think.

 

i beleive now that maya supports dwg import, but one big strength of max in my opinion is the file link which allows updates in CAD to be updated in max with the minimum of fuss.

 

James