Whats Your 3D Progam Of Choice? & Why??

I have only started using Maya, but there are people who say Maya has its faults & offer up other 3Dprograms.

Like Newtek LightWave,Electric Image Universe,3D Max & SoftImage XSI.

So what I was wanting to know, what 3D program do you use & why??
As there only seems to be LW & 3DMax models available over on the SCI-Fi 3D site.

Please forgive me if this has been brought up before.

 

I use Cinema 4d, Well... To tell you the truth it works great and some of the stuff you can do with it is unbelieveable. Also it was one of the first programs I got., I also use Maya but I prefer Cinema... C4d Portal

 

I bought and use Rhino3D and Cinema 4D. I use them because they're both powerful yet intuitive packages to learn and work with.

 

I use 3ds Max, but it is very much like Maya, so I wouldn't switch from Maya to Max, but i've also tried Lightwave, but I didn't like it since it is slow and hard to model things, plus it doesn't have a very good renderer and you can't really do anything about it. But I would stick with Maya since it offers better options, because most of the other programs have to have a plugin for some things that come with Maya anyway, plus the big films like LOTR use Maya.

 

plus it doesn't have a very good renderer and you can't really do anything about it.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!!

*wipes tears from eyes*

good one, viper.

 

unless you have the ability to tap every single feature and wield it for your own purposes and you've yet to fall prey to the faults of the program you're using, then screw what others say...

all, all, all the programs have faults... that's what plugins, scripts, updates, and talent is for...

I like MAX, it does what I need it to do... that's all that matters...

Darksteps...

 

Lightwave has an excellent renderer.

 

Cinema 4D...

Easy to learn.
Great bandwidth at graphic possibilities.

 

I prefer 3D Max Studio R3.

Right now, I'm studying in university for special effects, and I find 3D Max Studio R3 very helpful!

 

Softimage XSI and Wings3d...

XSI best animation tools available plus great service, support, development and userbase.

Wings3d... best polygon modeling tool ever developed, and it's free.

 

XSI.

3dsmax is garbage. Its full of underdeveloped buggy tools with no professional testing. Its an instable pile of crap, that falls far to short of highend 3d work. While many incredible things can be done with 3dsmax, it is extremely buggy, and most of teh tools are flawed from a work flow approach and functionality of the tools is so amatureish compared to the competition. I never thought i would see MAX be beat by Lightwave... but its happened. And i'm a long time 3ds user, from the dos days. It has constantly failed to realize the competition around it, delivering standard tools later or not at all, compared to the competition. For example... Softimage's IK system, vs's MAX R1's... It wasnt until R4 they finally realized IK was a big issue.

They're always behind in functionality/quality of tools, and the program has grown increasingly unstable.

MAYA is an incredible package with a whole ***t load of robust tools proven, tested and designed with a WORKING functioning work flow in mind. The animation tools, to simulation tools, to modelling tools... The program is a performer.

XSI... Being that Softimage set the standard for animation back in the Jurrassic Park 1 days.... XSI continues this great history. XSI not only breaks new ground in animation, it blows the competition so far out of the water that no one should even look at the others if animation is the goal. XSI's subD's, IK, constraints, data management, scene navigation, skinning, morphing, modelling, non linear editing, UI... ARE so revolutionary that they simplify complex tasks and will inspire you to do more.

XSI's integration with mental ray is so far above the competition, that Maya and MAX look like a joke.

The level of complexity that you can acheive with Mental Ray shaders in XSI will blow your mind.

Like MAYA, XSI is developed with highend professionals in mind. The developement of tools is clearly an exercise in researching and developement. The tools are refined, robust, and are designed to excell at their task without flaw. They mix and match incredibly well.

Lightwave....

Well well.. Having tried Lightwave 4 back in the old windows NT 3.51 days.... WOW WOW WOW has it improved. It really has become a great product, with a very good line of quality plugins from Worley and the likes. The renderer is better than ever and so is its modelling. The problem i have with LW is the interface. It drives me crazy But IT IS a GREAT package... and uh... while i always thought of it as a good program, it was behind max in many ways for a few years... but it is now on top and i respect it and the level of work that is coming out of it. Mainly because i cant beleive people can work with that ui

 

Blender. Because I'm poor.

And Wings3D because it's a darn good modeler.

 

i love lightwave's ui....
i've seen maya's ple and it drove me nuts with all those drop downs, etc etc etc....

 

I should add that while trashed max...

There is no reason why one could not create really nice works of art from it. The problem with it in my point of view is reliability and the tools tend to hit a wall when you get into the really detailed work. You can push through those problems but... what a nightmare.

And it really all comes down to artist. A program will not make you a better artist. Programs are tools.

If i give someone a hammer, will they build me a house worth living in? Depends on the person.

But also it is true that... If one person has a hammer, and the other person doesnt... chances are the guy with the hammer knows what he's doing, or atleast has better tools for the job.

 

Max is very much like Maya, so if you use Max then it will be easier to learn Maya which most of the companies use anyway, but it does have problems, the amount of plugins for it speaks for that. But as far as I know Maya is the best, but I've only used Lightwave and 3ds Max,(and Animation Master But I won't talk about that since it stinks beyond reason). I would stick with Maya, and try to look at the other programs if they have like a Personal Learning Edition or a Demo.

 

True Maya is difficult to learn, but once you do, you'll be worknig with a very Professional Program used in practically every special effects movie made in the 90's.

 

Cinema 4D

 

Lightwave.
it's all i got, i now how to use it and i ain't going to change.

 

personally i perfer lightwave..

and one of the biggest reasons is for the UI.. i like how the modeller and the animation package are in separate programs.. it keeps the massive ammounts of buttons that combined packages have to a minimal .. tools that only have purpose for modeling.. are in the modeller ..etc

i've tried maya ple and max (r3) and while i thought they were nice programs.. i couldnt stand the interface.. softimage i just sort of fiddled with (the learning edition) and i found it to be pretty nice.. but i didnt have the time to get to know it well.. houdini i also liked.. but again havnt had the time to mess with.. plus i just like lw interface what can i say

and no the lightwave renderer isnt crappy at all.. if i recall until max 5 max's default renderer couldnt even touch lightwave's in features and quality.. granted now its kind of dated.. but we'll see how lw8 comes along..

 

Actually, Max's renderer is better, you can setup the quality as much as you want, plus it has the ability to add much better renderers which isn't availible for Lightwave, such as Mental Ray, Brazil, V-Ray and others. The Lightwave renderer is as good as it gets. Plus Lightwave is a slow program which is another reason that I use 3ds Max. I'm not trying to say that Lightwave isn't a good program, but I like Max better. Besides, Lightwave costs $1,000 and Max costs $3,000 so it's better by price also, I don't mean cheapness, because Maya costs $6,000 and we all know how good that is.

Again, not trying to make anyone mad....

 

I've downloaded SoftImage's EXP learning edition, and use video tutorials.
Once getting a feel for XSI as I do for Maya, I'll buy the one I like best.

 

Isn't XSI about six times more expensive than Maya?

 

XSI is only $4751 more than Maya Unlimited.

 

Only........

I'm glad I can get student pricing

 

Like DarkSteps, I use Max, and it's ok for what I'm doing. But I had to add a few script and plugin like Meshtools or Texporter.