What is your favorite 3d software

[metalrahul]

I just started learning Cinema 4D and I feel its very easy compare to Maya or Max but I do agree its not powerful as them either.

One thing I liked about this software is its intuitive workflow. Just for example the render settings looks simple but its very effective. Finally the reason I tried this software is Mograph and I wasn't disappointed by spending time to learn it.

[Kyo]

Maya, max or any other, if you know how to use, i think it's powerfull .. Maya is very powerfull software but my fav. Luxology Modo

And maybe we can adjust the question, Autodesk or ...

[dluv]

I use Max, and I think it's great. Obviously Maya may be a bit more powerful and robust, but with plugins I get a lot out of Max.

For character modeling, I pretty much start with a VERY rough base mesh in Max and then take it to Mudbox.

I haven't had a chance to try out Modo, but I hear good things.

[Jaist]

Cinema 4d until it gets really serious (and i mean REALLY), then maya.
Maya is powerful, but c4d is blazing fast (workflow wise).

[Riptcage]

I have been using Maya as my 3D software of choice. I am actually learning XSI on the side..and to be honest, for modeling. I'd rather use XSI. I think thats why autodesk bought XSI.

[andjar]

I have been using Maya as my 3D software of choice. I am actually learning XSI on the side..and to be honest, for modeling. I'd rather use XSI. I think thats why autodesk bought XSI.

I'm on the same learning path as you are and i think that xsi was clearlly better at poly modelling than maya for quite a while but since maya2008ext2 and especially maya2009,xsi doesn't have such a big step ahead anymore. I greatlly enjoy modelling in maya2009 eventhough things like component loop selection don't work as good as in xsi yet.
XSI's strong points over maya are the mental ray implementation and this amazing ICE thing wich amazes me much more than the whole nucleus thing....damn,i wish i had the brain for it.

[Riptcage]

Haha, good point. Yea 09 has been real nice. Just wait till the new XSI to blow it out of the water. Let's just hope Autodesk doesn't make it worse.

[Kyo]

hope Autodesk doesn't make it worse.

like some others ...

[Riptcage]

like 3d max? which ones did they make worse. I've only really used toxic and Maya. 3dmax...didn't care for the interface and the modifier crap..its not artistic at all. there bound to make something worse since there taking over the 3d world of software. whats next? newtek? =0

[im.thatoneguy]

3dsMax all the way.

Autodesk has not made Max worse. And Autodesk has doubled the size of the development team for future releases. That can only result in great improvements.

The only reason to use Maya is for Renderman. The only reason to use Renderman is if you have a full time team of renderman developers. For anything short of a $50m feature Max is a much faster workflow.

Is anybody ever actually going to use Maya's fluid system in production? It's fun to play with but if you want fluids you're going to use reelflow. If you want atmospherics you're going to use something like fumeFX.

Also. Blender sucks. I could create great renders in photoshop if I spent months working on it. Time is money. I have a friend who has worked a lot with Blender. He was even a core member of the Big Buck Bunny project. I asked him what people on the Big Buck Bunny project thought of blender and he said almost universally the concensus was that it's not ready for production.

[Kyo]

whats next? newtek? =0

I think, it's not possible for Newtek, Sidefx and blender, i want to see sidefx and luxology in one product ..

[andjar]

3dsMax all the way.
The only reason to use Maya is for Renderman.

here goes the flame war .
The few things max offers over maya/xsi are: some great plugins avalable for it only,vray(but it's a matter of short time till vray for maya comes out) and some small CAD/arch features .Other than that maya and xsi are more powerfull in almost every department.

And Autodesk has doubled the size of the development team for future releases. That can only result in great improvements.

max has alway had a large developing team yet the features and the improvments they've made during the past 2 years are not half as spectacular than those implemented by the maya team.

[im.thatoneguy]

Those are some fighting words!

I will say that XSI's animation tools are second to none.

But I challenge your assertion of an innate Mayan superiority.

Again. Nucleas is cool. But who is going to use it in production? It shows promise but none of the refinement that a package like Reeflow or FumeFX offers.

Everything else Maya has gotten over the last 2 years have been ripped off from max.

[Kyo]

Actually there is an other great product " E-On Vue 7" Perfect integration with 3ds Max, Maya, LightWave, Cinema 4D and XSI. Vue 7 is 4-6 times faster than V6 ..

For more information : http://www.e-onsoftware.com/

[im.thatoneguy]

[IMG]Perfect integration with 3ds Max, Maya, LightWave, Cinema 4D and XSI.

After my experiences with Vue6 integration "I'll believe it when I see it."