Agreed! I also think it's a bit of a self re-enforcing circle here, since not a lot of production artists use Blender, it's also hard to find good people to run a blender-heavy pipeline - which again means that people use Maya, where people now get even better in Maya instead of Blender. It would be fantastic if more people used it, as it would reduce the costs a lot - and Blender really has a fantastic community around it. /H
If you was a Maya user previously then you shouldn't be surprised why blender isint used in the industry as much. Blender isint bad at all, and can do most of what Maya does. However Maya makes the process easier where it counts. More options for retopology. Better UV map system. Better material workflow, way more stable, no need for add ons (which may or may not work properly). At the hobby level blender is fine. Beyond that you gotta step up the software.
Our studio uses Maya as the main program for game art. Our full pipeline runs through Maya. Quite a few people use Max, mainly for modeling and blockout. I'm grateful they allow me to use Blender whenever I want for specific tasks. Modleing in Blender is so fluid as well as accurate. As you mentioned, the unwrap algorithm is brilliant. For anyone interested, you can import-export static meshes between Maya and Blender perfectly with all details preserved- Scale, Orientation, Mesh shading, UVs, vertex colors, material slots, etc.
Filip, thanks for the nice tip! Will remember to try out Roadkill UV. I use Unfold3d inside Maya. Works well most of the times, but sometimes throws up an error and cannot proceed with the operation. Usually happens when polygons of a mesh have different texel density.
It works but I find I have to delete any subsurf modifiers on my blender objects before sending to maya otherwise the effect of the subsurface modifier is baked into the resulting maya objects.
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Working with 3D for over 7 years now, I think its fair to say that most of us spend a huge amount of our time learning all this softwares. I mean you guys did a great job showcasing it all, but at the same time evangelizing a certain workflow productivism is exactly what keeps the studios more strict to certain pipelines. A future with better/easier cross-software integration starts by denying ecosystem based company culture.
I'd love a future where we had a way to transfer data flawlessly between packages! If everyone could work in what they are comfortable with and assemble it in the end, that would be fantastic.
I think that's why certain companies took it upon themselves to create Universal Scene Description and MaterialX. Those are definitely positive steps in terms of organizing data well, and then also sharing materials between packages.
I'm a 3DS Max user- over 15 years now. It's what we use at my job. The last thing on earth I want to do is switch to another software at this point. Max is like an extension of my brain! I don't have to think about how to do most things in it. However, I have to say I'm getting worried about it. The last couple of updates have had some bad problems. I was never able to use the 2018 update because it doesn't work with Windows scaling on high resolution monitors. It says so right on their website, in case anyone wants to think the mistake is mine. Their solution is to keep using the older version, 2017. Which is what I do. But such a major problem worries me and it never got fixed over the service packs. They just released 2019 yesterday, so I haven't tried it yet. But things like that, from such a huge company, are unacceptable. I do consider trying something else, not made by Autodesk.
Wow, thats a terrible bug. Really makes it hard to get any work done. Hopefully 2019 fixes it for you. I'm curious how it would be for you to switch software after using Max for such a long time. Have you tried any other packages recently? How was it? /H
Yeah, there were some features I really wanted to use in 2018 and it was frustrating that it wasn't feasible. Working with Max so long, I know it's best to wait until at least one service pack has been released to fix the major bugs, but none of them fixed this one, so I'm still on 2017. Also very irritating that something that works perfectly in an older version gets broken in the new one. I have dabbled around in other packages, Blender specifically because it is free, but it is very hard. When you know something so well, it makes you feel like you're starting over to try something else. Like you go from being an expert to a newb. I have to keep using Max at work, but outside of work I do play around. I'm sure if I had the opportunity to really switch full time, I could do it with some struggle, but it's doubly hard when I have to use Max all day. Max is definitely the best for the work I do professionally (technical, at an engineering company) but there's a lot in other software packages that draw me to wanting to use them. Need more hours in the day.
i totally expected a video where the message was, "use whatever you are most comfortable with!!!" and so was not interested in watching but after seeing how long it was, i figured it couldn't possibly be that! i think you have the most flexibility for diversity in software in modeling. all you're doing is generating geometry and barring things like scale changing between programs, you're probably not going to run into a ton of issues - basically just using other programs for hard surface modeling as you would zbrush for characters. but as you say, this becomes an issue when you need to modify existing assets. when something that's already in the pipeline needs a small tweak, you really have to be able to do that in the studio's preferred software.
You're pretty spot on here, for sure. If you are only delivering models, this is quite an easy thing to pick up from different software - but the moment you're locked into a pipeline, you need to be comfortable using whatever tool they are using. /H
I use Maya for modeling, animating etc 3ds max for interior design and architecture Houdini and Marvelous Designer for Simulations ZBrush for sculpting and Mari for Texturing Also I use many other softwares in engineering and graphic such as Siemens NX, Catia, Revit, Autocad, Dynamo, Nuke Studio, Photoshop and so on.
Wow! Wish I know just a quarter of what's on that list. I'm designing a 40 hectare site; it's a hilly terrain with ponds, forests/trees, streams, bridges, temples and various other architectural monuments. I started modeling it in sketchup as it has always been my go-to software, but at 1m contours the software is already struggling with the size/complexity of just the terrain itself. I need to learn a new software. Can you recommend one? I do a lot of landscaping and architecture, though this time on an unusually large site. I wish to model everything accurately in a software so that other people can get a good impression of what the final design will look like in reality.
@@Silk-hj5jm 3Ds Max is the best "for you". you need some additional plugins like Forest Pack and RailClone. You can download 3Ds Max educational license and use it as non-commercial for 3 years. Blender is another good choice for beginners but you can't find many jobs for it.
@@Masoud_Amiri Thanks! I'm self employed architect, so job finding isn't an issue. I just started learning Blender a couple weeks ago as many people online seem to advocate it for its potential in the future. Haven't tried Max yet, but will definitely give it a go now that you recommend it.
I would have definitely featured 3D Coat in here. Extremely powerful sculpting, painting and retopo. My advice is always to research the companies you want to apply to, and learn what they are using though (if you want a job at a studio).
Conversation mode is such a genius. Watching experience is so relaxing and enjoyable. And of course, also very informative. Probably the best CG tutorials I've ever seen.
3ds Max = Best Architectural Visualization, Environment, Modeling Maya = Best Animation, Phyton Scripting, Character design, Pipeline other programs Blender = Best Free Program 3d Coat = Best Hand Painting, Unwrap UVW, Retopology Houdini = Best VFX, Node Base, Film and Advertisement Substance Suite = Best Texturing and Material Creation
Why do everybody say that Maya is harder tu use than 3DS Max, first time I opened a 3D tool it was Max and I was kinda frustrated by it. Then few months later I tried Maya and I've actually got a software that does what I want the way I want. The way you move around, interact with objects and the interface, all together helped me out a lot to understand how does everything work.
I think that C4D is a good all around piece of software if you're a freelancer "graphics guy", whether it's mograph, product shots, arch vis (ext/int), plain old art, everything except video production, modelling, VFX and game design. That's what a lot of folks are doing these days, just for a shit ton of commercial graphics. But same goes to Blender. Blender is even better. Much, much better as a full-stack tool. It aims to be. I'm seeing many job offers that have Blender listed lately, mainly for game design, but animation and product advertising as well, weirdly enough! It integrates insanely well with Unity and UE4, as both are free engines, and the 3D package itself is free too. I'll stick to C4D, it satisfies me as a hobbyist 3D artist/non-3D-focused graphic designer. Never wanted to be in the game industry or movie industry. Sadly, the software needs some improvement, mainly with its UV tools, lack of a proper node editor, viewport optimization; modelling and rigging tools are a bit sub par too. But hot damn that UI.
Actually, Cinema 4D can do everything Maya and other top-tier 3d software on the market. I don't know where people got the idea that Cinema 4D is a lesser tool. I used to use Cinema 4D Studio (Universal Install) - which is the highest package. Has everything you need for modeling, animation, rigging, etc. However, Blender has way more than all other 3d software combined. Blender itself is a full pipeline. Just needs more adoption in the western world.
I think you need to go through some modeling and vfx courses to unlock the potential of this program. I used to use 3D max, but now I have completely switched to C4D, modeling, Body paint 3D, sculpting, structuring the scene, stability of the program, amazing ease and logicality of the work process is just crazy. The entire workflow inside one program. You can see a list of movies on the website of the Maxon, almost none of the big Hollywood movies has bypassed the C4D side. C4D is the king of motion design and video production. Maxon has already entered the VFX market and animations where Maya will be squeezed. In the coming years, Autodesk will lose interest in 3D Max or Maya because they are not competitive. I believe that in the coming years will rule C4D, Blender and Houdini.
About Cinema 4D not able to do Video Production, modelling, VFX, and game design... I say HAH! Why do you thing c4d is more expensive than Maya? Cinema 4D Studio is the ultimate commercial 3d Package. I don't use it anymore since I switched to linux (using blender now). Cinema 4d has integration with After Effects for that VFX work. And I loved Cinema 4D because it has the most beautiful User Interface, easiest to learn. I'm using Blender now and I'm back to the skill level I had in Cinema 4D, so there's no turning back, but don't underestimate Cinema 4D. Check out the amazing work some youtubers like Twistereli and MyMotionGraphics are doing these days. They are incredible cinema4d users.
Guys. It's just not a package that is widely used in professional environments that focus on these areas. You won't find C4D in a movie industry CGI studio - you'll find Maya. You won't find C4D in architectural design & visualization studio - you'll find 3DS Max. You won't find C4D in a video game studio - you'll find Blender, especially if it's based around Unity. You'll find Houdini in a VFX studio, not C4D. Because these are the industry standards in these specific areas. And no one is going to integrate C4D into the pipeline just for that one guy, because it will hinder the performance of the entire team. You need a common file format for exchange between users, and shared experience, so that teamwork can... work. You will find C4D in a motion graphics/low-to-mid-end commercial video production studio. If you want to become a professional in this particular area - you probably MUST learn Cinema 4D. C4D can actually do all the things I've listed. So can Maya. So can 3DS Max. So can Blender. So can Houdini. The list goes on. You can even probably develop your own workflow in C4D that'll allow you to work faster in Cinema than in any other 3D package doing ANY kind of work. It's probably possible. However, this will not change the job market for 3D professionals. Companies will stick to using the software they are familiar with and know works. It's the most logical and cost- and time-effective way. For me, C4D is the best as a hobbyist artist/freelancer. I did animation in it, game models, VFX, modelling, texturing, sculpting, you name it. I tried it all, and it does work. Doesn't change the market situation whatsoever. *If you want a professional job at a studio - you need to learn the software package that is the industry standard for the application in which the studio specializes in.* It's possible the studio will use something else, it's absolutely fine, but it's a drop in the bucket. If you're a freelancer/hobbyist/indie artist like me - you do you, try whatever you want, what fits your needs the best, and what you find the fastest, easiest and most fun to work with. C4D is all these things to me, hence why I use it. Perhaps I should have learned Blender back in the day, but when I got into 3D, Blender was at version prior to 2.5, which means that the interface was absolute garbage in my opinion. This is how I got into Cinema 4D, and I don't regret choosing it as my primary package at all. But I can say that Blender is objectively BETTER than Cinema, despite the fact that you can do 99.95% of all 3D work possible in both. Subjectively however, C4D will forever remain my dearest love.
neoqueto I agree with you on blender interface back then. However it got a lot better since 2.68. so now is the best time to use blender on the side. Maybe you'd like it. For now, blender might be really best for Indie game developers.
A cool video too would be talking about renderers, there's a lot to choose! Arnold, Corona, Redshift (my favorite :3), Octane, Iray, Maxwell, Renderman, Lumion, Vray, Keyshot, Marmoset Toolbag, Fstorm, Cycles, and much more xD
Actually, I can replace modeling in Maya with Zbrush (It's not perfect for any situation but can be comparable to Maya). It allows you set hotkeys for Zmodeler (that many people think is imposible), and keep 3 tools at the same time. Many people simly don't know how to use it for modeling. It's especially great for SubD modeling. PS: I'm not saying Zbrush for everything. It horrible for UV unrapping and retopology.
3Ds Max user for 7 years, discovered Houdini a year ago and I am never going back! I'm investing most of my time learning procedural modelling and procedural world building. The Houdini Indie price is also a huge selling point for freelancers, indie game developers, etc. I'm just a year into learning Houdini and I've already produced things commercially I previously had to declare impossible under the same production deadlines.
13:40 Exactly! There is no Maya training / bootcamp for new employees at the large studio I work at. It's not necessary. People walk in, take an 1 hour to quickly get the extreme basics of the pipeline and custom tools, get their shots assigned and start working straight away.
Yes exactly! This is really the main appeal for Maya today, in my view. It's easy to find jobs where you use Maya and it's super easy to find qualified workers. I've seen a lot of people who's got too locked into MODO and Blender, who struggle to get jobs because of this exact reason. They are both fantastic tools, but that's simply not a factor when talking about employment. /H
I learned 3D with Blender and I love it, but Sadly I had to force myself to learn 3ds Max to get a job ^^ . And yes the Max modifiers stack is UUuuultra powerful
Exactly one of the reasons why we made the video: talking about how you actually need to learn different software just to get a job. How are you finding Max and Maya vs Blender? :)
Honestly after jump from Blender to Max, I had to admit Max is, "out of the box", by far superior in term of modeling, quicks iterations of an object, etc... I heard a lot of peoples who said Blender is more like Maya than Max. But after many years of daily blender uses, I think Blender does not look like any other program I used or tried haha. But i still love it, it can make all I need and there is a tons of addons from the comunnity. Oh and you forgot to mention 3D coat and Quixel in your list :p
@@MikeSn0W Your comment is very interesting. Im a very proficient Max user, and specially for modeling I think is great and better than Maya for sure (althoug I really like it for everything). I have never used Blender more than 30 minutes so I dont know it much, but never felt like it was better,...depsite everyone saying otherwise, specially recently with all the plugins etc. After 2 years of your comment, do you think now Blender is better than Max? Because Im still very confortable in Max...
I just went from Blender 2.8 to Maya 2020, not because I think it's better, but I am a beginner, and I am fairly proficient in blender, but Maya is industry standard and for that very reason I wanna learn to work with the software and it's render engine
Small studio's and indie game developers use Blender. Ofcourse you can use Maya & Houdini indie Version but, it's not available world wide forexample maya..plus, you van't use them in freelance projects if projects are more than $100,000 so, things are a bit complicated. I know you can't use Blender for everything but, still I feel like they are a bit harsh on Blender.
I have used Lightwave =, Cinema 4D, Max, Maya and Blender and using different 3D applications over the past 20 or so years. Blender was really less complicated for me to use. I know Max, Lightwave, Cinema 4D and Maya Ui's has gotten better. But from a learning perspective but I agree from an industry perspective you have not choice but to use Max or Maya. I guess maybe that is why I never choose to work in a studio. So I went into Web/Application Development and used Blender for my own projects or special projects that require 3D.
Yes, I have not used Cinema 4D or Lightwave in years. But blender I can do anything I need in blender. I would love to master ZBrush as well but when I was learning it years ago there was not a lot of materials for learning also the interface was really clunky for me. But that was back in version 3 and 4. Great video and thanks for sharing.
Max and Maya weren't actually made by Autodesk. Max was created by Discreet and Maya by Alias. Autodesk simply acquired them both and continued their development.
Surprised no one mentions Lightwave 3D any more, it is surprisingly powerful and yes the modeler is getting long in the tooth and is expected to get a complete refresh. but it is pipeline friendly and has had many groundbreaking features. I've been messing with many different tools along with most of the ones you featured over the years. That said, a small group or even individual can take Lightwave and do pretty much (with a few plug ins) and complete any project and it is quick to learn and easy to get things done quickly. That said, it is fading, probably because of management issues.
With everything going to a licensing scheme it seems that Blender is fast becoming the only option for the 3D hobbyist. I have used most of the major 3D software packages starting in the 90’s so I appreciate what a blessing it is for hobbyists to have access to a program like Blender. If you are not a professional working in a studio house, Blender is more than adequate.
$1400? where?? Maya is like 3K a year oh and you never pay it off it is 250$ a month FOREVER. Yea fuck that, Blender downright beats maya in several aspects like Modeling, Sculpting, texture painting and it's completely free.
I use 3ds max, maya, but I feel right at home with blender, you can configure it any way you want it, unlike 3ds max that doesn't let you use the maya navigation style because it disables the shift drag function or doesn't work in the UV editor if you use maya selection, etc.; blender is my primary program now, along with zbrush, which is essential; cheers guys, great video, always cool stuff to see, keep it up!
I use Lightwave since 2003. I just got into Houdini 16 because it is finally affordable. I also STILL use Softimage because it WAS the best. I bought recently ZBrush on sale and the GUI is confusing but I like what I see others are creating with it.
Yes I still use LW. I just upgrade to 2018 version but have not truly tested it yet. I like LW for what many hate about it: the two separate interfaces, Modeler & Layout. It keeps things less cluttered than other apps. It is also a good solution for those who want everything from a single software package. I find it easier for Arch Viz compared to 3DS Max which I learned in school but don't use because: Autodesk :-(Houdini has a large learning curve. I still coming to grips with it. Not sure about modeling capabilities but definitely is the software for effects.You have good videos. Keep it up. Peace!
Hi i have 15 years old and i dont know What program to learn i study max for 2 years and maya for 6 months...anyway I would like to know blender and Houdini...I don’t know.. a very nice video🥰
Use whatever software is best for the task you are doing, and whatever the studio pays you to use. Don't stick to one 3d modelling program, learn more. Personally for me it's like this; Generic props: Maya Hardsurface high poly models: 3ds Max Organic models: Zbrush Tiling surface materials: Substance Designer Props texturing: Substance Painter Trees / Foliage: Speedtree World Building: Unity / Unreal Engine That's 99% of what you'll be using as a environment artist in the games industry. Blender might be added to the list slowly, most people still use either maya or max though, since you'll be working on each others 3d files most likely it's not handy to work in different packages.
I have been working in Blender for more than 2 years and it has some better tools than Maya and some that Maya doesnt have at all. Modelling is much better. Extrude single vertices and when you need fill them with faces ability (Maya doesnt have that) and much more. You can always delete single vertex or edge during modelling, when in Maya - not always(so you have to delete whole face sometimes when you need to get rid of only one vertex) No worries about Deleting history because Blender doesnt have that shit. Proportional editing is much better than Maya soft select option. It has very useful modifiers stack system that helps when modelling a lot. All of the modelling shortcuts are setup by default, so you don't have to create them yourself. Also it has texturing mode so you don't have to use external applications like Substance painter. It also has compositing so you don't have to use Nuke or After Effects. It has video editor so you don't have to use Premier Pro. It has awesome dynamic paint feature. Very easy to learn particle system which doesnt requires knowledge of the expressions at all. A lot of free useful addons like Material library or Texture library free addons that have almost all of the materials you need so the knowledge of the Node Editor is useful but not required. Rigging has more constraints and more intuitive to me than in Maya. Also Blender has free or very cheap render farms, which Maya doesn't. Also in UA-cam you can find much more Blender tutorials than Maya tutorials and the good thing about it they are how to create the whole scene from scratch and not just covering one stage for the whole hour like it is for Maya UA-cam tutorials. Blender Guru, CG Geek and many other UA-cam channels have tutorials on how to create the whole scene for one hour or so (modeling, uvs, texturing, animating, adding effects, hairs, compositing, rendering in one single tutorial) You will never find such extensive and complete tutorials for Maya on UA-cam, only paid Pluralsight, but it's like 10 hours long, when in Blender you can create cool scene for 1 or 2 hours. Maya has other advantages like Bifrost fluids, clouds, Ncloth, Paint FX, better Time Editor and few other things. I will be using both in my workflow but i prefer Blender of course. And yes you dont have that shit when one renderer (Arnold for example or vray is not able to render some of the materials or particles like blobby particles or clouds or sprites) Everything is supported in Cycles renderer.
Deleting history isn't a solution to a problem, its a way to clean your mesh/group from any transforms, modifiers etc. There are tons of reasons why Maya's history is useful, being able to modify a stack of deformers in order on an object. Deleting the history isn't something that a Maya pro does without thinking.
@Evgeniy Revin I don't see what's wrong with animation or rigging, and if you're having so many problems with vanilla options, plugins like "rigify" make skeletons for you that you just move to fit the shape of the character.
Maya also has the create polygon tool that lets you create polygons using vertices. The reason it doesn't have a workflow using vertices is that it creates invalid topology not recognized by other programs in the pipeline.
The fact that blender is the most versatile, easy to learn, powerful, feature intensive and heavily documented program and it isnt automatically #1 on the best program list at the very beginning of any video is absolutely mind blowing the me. I opened blender up two months ago and had absolutely no idea how to use it and now Im about half way through making my own emmersive 3D game with absolutely every asset made by my own hand with blender.
I work with C4D and Maya professionally, but have been trying to learn Houdini because the more I use it, the more I'm convinced it's going to be the new Maya soon enough.
Really appreciated for whole lot of information you guys put in. As a student we have some many softwares in school but you only have limited time to train yourself good at something, your video gives some very good options about who and why using these packages. Thanks for your amazing jobs!
Another thing you have to consider is that many studios will force you to use their setup. So be prepared to learn whatever is needed. Sometimes you even have to be proficient with pure ‘vanilla’ flavored DCCs like default maya for example. It’s not always up to you what software and customization your allowed. For me going from heavily customized 3ds max to vanilla maya has been hard but also good.
This is an excellent point! Having a heavily customized Maya can definitely cause issues, particularly if you want to teach or use somebody else's computer. There's a good argument in staying with the default UI and hotkeys.
I loved hearing you guys' professional and personal perspectives on these 3D packages. I've been on the fence lately about which pieces of software do I need to purchase to start doing commercial work, since I am about to graduate from VFX school. And one thing I absolutely cannot do is the whole Subscription-only based 3D packages. $185 a MONTH for Maya!? Nah, there's just no way I can whole-heartedly commit to that bill. Thank you guys for shining the light on these alternatives, because even though Maya is industry-standard, there are definitely some seriously powerful (and cheaper) competitors that major Studios ARE using! Keep up the great work you two! I'm loving your comeback!
Thank you! I'm glad it was an interesting video for you. You're right regarding Maya, it's really expensive. I absolutely understand the appeal of a tool like Blender. /H
To be honest i dont even understand why people always have this sotftware is the best mentality, every software has it cons and pro's so instead or max or maya it should be max with maya or whatever software....there is no such thing this is the best since its only a tool a produce art . every software can be customized aswell....
indeed - that's what w're trying to get across in the video. It's like asking what car is the best - well that depends entirely on the context. You have some objectively terrible 3d software out there, mostly obsolete stuff, but most of them aren't objectively better than any other; just different use cases and strengths. /H
why even care at all, like if you life in Germany, every study will use a different tool!. Out of ten studios maybe two use Max, everyone else uses a different tool like 1/10 use blender, 1/10 use maya, 1/10 use cinema. You better learn to switch fast over here and how to work with two or three tools at once. So why not just learn 3D and than use whatever your project needs? That is what we always do in my company, actually we really depend on that shit to work Efficiency and cheap. We had a project that was saved because of a feature in blender that just didn't worked well in cinema, we have projects that would have been much harder with blender instead of cinema, we had projects where we used something different entirely. If you have people where everyone knows another tool you often get more projects done. I guess if you make a larger project like a game or a movie there should be a greater amount of people being masters at one tool.
lol, i remember when my only knowledge was that ppl said max is for games and maya for film.... then when i first switched from maya to max.... couldnt really tell why people thought those things... they both did the same stuff, just different interface as far as i was concerned...
I started with Blender cause it was free, and I loved it, but as you said, I had to move to other softwares. First I tried Maya and I liked until it crashed. Then, since I found a job in advertising and the other guys at the studio used Cinema4D, I learnt it and I have to say that it's phenomenal for many tasks, not only for motion graphics where it certainly shines, but even for cartoons and simple vfx. It's a pleasure to work with because of its amazing user interface. Of course it has its limitations, but for a freelance designer is awesome. Just think at the fact that you don't need a 3 button mouse: I'm a commuter and I can do everything on a train just with my MacBook Pro trackpad. Finally, aside from motion graphics, my favorite 3D softwares are Houdini and Modo.
What do you think I should use? I am completely new to everything about effects, CG, just everything. I have been using Zbrush for a few months, trying to learn it with your tutorials and stuff (great btw), but I also want to get myself into stuff like maya, where you can animate, rig and render and lots of other stuff than just sculpting, because, as you said in this vid, I'm not going to get anywhere with ONLY Zbrush. So, I figured you were the perfect people to ask, what software do you think I should use? Any favorites, ones that are powerfull and have everything you need, ones that are powerfull, have everything you need and is good for beginners? Anything would be nice, I am eager to start but confused where I should, and how I should. Love your stuff, keep doing a great job! Would really appreciate an answer :D
I Jumped from C4d to Max a couple years ago. Then i started to create Game Assets and had to jump back to C4D since in my opinion it Max is damn outdated and most RT Engines use Object Hierarchies like C4D. And WYSIWYG is a crucial thing when making Game Assets.
This may be outdated video, but you say NO studio uses blender. There's that Netflix film Nextgen that's made in Blender, and the Man in the High Castle used it because their studio was actually frustrated with Maya. High Castle uses Houdini for simulations though. It's slowly but surely becoming more used
I have been using Max since Max 7, but went to college and learned Maya. I switched back to Max some years ago and never looked back. Modeling and UVing in Max is so fast for games. I am still fluent in Maya though.
Well another thing. This is a good rule of thumb. Decide what kind of workflow you need in what ever project your in, look at the pros and cons of each. & Try to shrink down your workFlow from there.
I use Substance Painter with a UDIM workflow as part of a VFX pipeline. I'm sure it's not as robust as MARI (I've never used it) but I wanted to clarify that they are in fact supported.
Thanks for the clarification! As far as I know though, it's not full udim support, where you currently cant paint across the different UV tiles. Is this correct?
Being able to paint across multiple tiles allows the possibility of much larger textures. E.g. you could paint across 2 neighboring tiles for a rectangular 8K x 16K texture without any seam or interrupt in the texture.
That's a great video to get an overview of several 3D softwares. Been looking for a comparison for quite a while. But I would have preferred a more objective view on Blender instead of praising it to the skies - just not to offend Blender users. I started 3d art with Maya but for a new job had to learn Blender (quite the opposite way). I am just not getting comfortable with Blender - the navigation/interface is so different and I have some hard times to get things efficiently done.
im kinda surprised that you didnt mention some more of the features in blender, like, how the sculpting system has had a huge update over recent years, not to mention the new eevee rendered will be incredible for game asset creation :)
Nick Collins ... Martin Hash was a great program! It was way ahead of its time really as far as character rigging and animation. I had a hard time getting used to the node based system but it is a great way to work.
I learned 3ds Max in college it was used for everything, Modelling, rendering, rigging, animation, VFX, etc when I did the Maya course I couldn't believe how that was the "industry standard", Maya to me is so inferior in everything except animation, it's so buggy and imprecise, everything feels I'm doing it by eye compared to 3ds max, I really hate it.
Currently at school for game art and developmet, and am constatly told off by my teachers for using blender as "iTs NoT tHe INduStry STandArd" but every time I am sitting in a tutorial for maya and all I can think about is, "I could have done this in blender in half the time to the same effect if not better"! so frustrating!!! cant wait to see studios accepting blender more....
Your teachers are right though - it's not industry standard. It's not about it being better or worse, but rather what will give you employable skills :)
On the topic of Houdini, a local studio has done talks with my university, about the software, and how they are constantly looking for Houdini artists. One of my friends has basically got a job with them when he graduates since he's doing Houdini for his honours, and has already done the interviews for it.
Indeed! We see this a lot. Houdini is insanely powerful, so a lot of people want it in their pipeline, but it's also fairly tricky to learn. Big demand + not a lot of supply = Good jobs for people who know Houdini :)
Yeah I started a FD course in 2003 and had to learn Maya. It was really difficult as we had to figure it out. Wish I had Flipped Normals back in the day! :D
Nobody is talking about the elephant in the room. Etch a Sketch beats them all hands down. No Render time, great UI, and it's portable. When will we learn?
Jup, just like Blender, it's actually kinda weird how Etch a Sketch is not an industry standard. They just don't get it! It's very cheap and super reliable. But nope, let's throw half of all investments away into licensing costs! Apparently that's the way to go. You know what? Hear out my theory... I think that Autodesk brainwashed the industry! But just like how James Bond takes on evil companies in the movies.. Etch a Sketch will crush them someday.
Most studios write their own tools for their 3d software. Blender's license means your plugins are under GPL which is very limiting for most large studios.
Nobody can make you to distribute these plugins. You can find Ton's interview where he's talking about the main advantage of Blender. It's about that you can completely rewrite the Blender's code for your needs.
Wow It's blowing my mind all the guys switching from Maya to Blender, I used to swear by the Maya Master Race and laugh at the Blender peasants. I got into Blender 2.8 and I'm not looking back! $5,440 every 3 years? Yea No thanks! Blender is downright destroying Maya modeling wise and for the things it lacks, it has insane plugins that do what Maya does in 1/10th of the time. Auto Rig pro, RetopoFlow 2, the Boolean tools, it's just insane. Oh and did I mention actual Sculpting tools that WORK?? Yea, screw Maya, they got rich, fat and lazy, Blender is the one innovating now and it's FREE.
The scary part is Blender haven't reached it's final form yet. 😨 You'd think it's done and then BOOM! FULL BLOWN 2D ANIMATION. So you take a breather think it couldn't get anu better and then BOOM! REALTIME CLOTH SIMULATION FOR SCULPTING. But hey it could just a novelty. But then... BOOM! ANIMATION NODES! It doesn't stop!
@@Akko1 You're the one joking mentioning Mudbox in here. Also, if you don't know why Blender would crash sculpting at 7 digits and Zbrush won't nor how to get around this, then you don't know how 3D works and are an amateur at best.
You have to be a user of ALL these applications to properly asses the usability. Big studios use different packages in combination to get the best result. For me personally a package has to make sense. I need to understand what is going on, not just push buttons. Third party plugins are deadly in that respect, they often have a completely different workflow: just a quick fix, but you do not know what you did right. “The best” for me is the most comprehensive. Maybe you should look at the learning curves for each one of them to get a clear picture.
As to my background knowledge : I'm a CG artist for 30 years, teaching it for the last 20 and used (among others): Cubicom, Alias, Maya, Softimage, 3D MAX, Bryce and Cinema 4D. I can tell you I thoroughly hate 3DS and currently work with Cinema 4D and Maya.
3ds max is the king tell what they say blender is not used in any large video game studio just use maya and 3ds max blender for freelancers and indie games
My Favourite 3D Packages: Commercial - Cinema 4D Studio Open Source - Blender 3D. Overall favourite - Blender 3D (because I don't use Windows or Mac OSX for production work anymore. I use Linux Mint all day!) About Blender not being used in the "industry"...You'll find that Blender is used throughout Europe in production, Blender is used in Hollywood for certain tasks that other commercial 3d apps can't handle easily, and Blender is a favourite among Indie Game Developers for every task - Modeling, Sculpting, Texture Baking, 3D Painting, and more. Basically, you can make the same game assets in Blender, and export to your favourite game engine to continue work - UnReal, Unity, Godot. Not being used in the industry? Hah! It's being used, just not publicized much. Watch some of the Blender Conferences and you'll see Hollywood 3d artists talk about how they used blender to achieve tasks in movie and visual effects production.
When I say "Commercial" I mean "Closed Source", as in "You pay cash for it". Nothing's wrong with commercial or open source. Just know, and entire pipeline can be created using only open source software. I do realize that you'd have to train each person you hire to adapt to your own pipeline, but that's nothing new. Pixar hires Blender experts anyway. Just ask the guy who made Sintel.
“Closed source” ≠ “You pay cash for it”. You can pay cash for open-source software, too--lots of people do. And proprietary software can be given away as “freeware”, where you don’t pay money but there are restrictions on what you can do with it.
Just wanted to correct a comment you guys made in the video that “no company uses Blender as their primary package”. The studio I work for uses Blender and Cycles as our primary package for almost everything, even comp. We also use a bit of Max with Fumefx for VFX, photoshop, a bit of zbrush, our editors use Resolve, but these are all unitaskers for us. Even our fume stuff we render right in camera using an implementation of OpenVDB. We’ve used Blender for years now, our first production was a lower budget movie, but our latest film has a much higher budget and will be released very soon worldwide. Blender has its weaknesses, but compared to the runaround we used to get with AD, it’s a dream to work with. Our developers are able to write tools for us extremely quickly, and the money we save on licenses allows us to spend more on artists. I’ve worked in Maya, Max, with nuke and fusion, and more, but Blender is easily as capable.
Hey, thanks for the comment. So we know that *some* studios use it and it's a great tool. Our point is just that very very few major studios use it, so if people want to work professionally, it's a better bet to learn Maya or Max. You're absolutely correct in your comment though :) Thanks for your input.
FlippedNormals I absolutely agree. I learned Max and Maya first, and quite honestly was a bit disappointed when I heard we were going to start using Blender primarily. (I’ve since changed my mind) I think people overall should really just try and learn the underlying concepts behind these tools so that they can work independently of the software. Students seem to leave school thinking they’ll be able to use whatever they like the most, but the reality is you usually end up using what the studio you work for has in their pipeline. Once you’ve picked up the tools in one or two packages, however, it really only takes a few weeks to start picking up other ones. The concepts do stay relatively consistent. This video is really great at pointing out the strengths of each package. I think you guys were spot on.
@@danteart373 not smart choice! Why the hell you need C4D? Redshift can be used in Houdini. I don't see any reason to use C4D if you use Houdini as it covers all C4D functionality and gives much more. Maybe modelling is not very good, but in C4D either. So better choice is Houdini + Redshift and maybe Blender for poly modelling as it's free.
first of all the work flow is 10x faster in C4D. When I decide to give up on my life I will be 100% Houdini guy for sure. btw I use Octane not the Redshift but both are supporting all the major 3D softwares..
@@danteart373 I can only say that you don't know Houdini well if C4d is faster for you. In Houdini you can make hundreds of ready presets and tools and use it in your pipeline. In c4d it's not the case, maybe partly. In big serious projects Houdini will be faster for sure.
I am a professional compositor but a 3D amateur, I started with Softimage at a time when it was only available on SGI hardware. At some point I had to switch to another software, so I tried them all. I obviously tried blender since it is so powerful and for free, but there is one little thing in Blender that drives me mental and that is that the Y axis in Blender is the Z axis like in all CAD applications. If you don't use 3D software every day I guess and in all your "normal" daily use software (like nuke and flame) the axis are different it was impossible for me to use. Max is super powerful, but I completely hate it to always work in the 5th sub-menu. Maya for me was simply way too complex, so I ended up using C4D. I am well aware that it really has a lot of limitations if you want to create photo real stuff, but I am still an amateur so I still have far more limitations than the software has. When I work in feature film I don't do 3D and if I need a 3D object for whatever reason I just go to the 3D department and ask for it. When I do commercials (and have to do 3D on my own) they usually have C4D. IMO C4D for my purpose it is always good enough, it is fast, easy to use and I get things done. I do not even miss Softimage anymore even though I liked it a lot. ;-)
So in summary, Substance Painter is the smart kid on the block while Mari is the strong bodybuilder that clearly doesn't need no smarts to do some heavy lifting.
Pretty much! The smart kid will run circles around the big guy, but when you need to do heavy lifting, you need to bring out the big gun and get Mr. Mari on the job.
Sorry but kinda stupid compare one software which from the beginning was created for film industry and another one which for games and then say that second one won't get you to that 100%. For games you don't need Udims, you don't need 16K+ textures. Best option to use both if budged allows and if really needed. Plus Mari has masks for like edge wear as well and other procedural stuff. And in Painter smart materials and masks are not so smart as you say because first you need create one and then you can reuse it.
God damnit, blender users are so loud and annoying! I like the software but I hate the fact that its users are creating a new republic, and they try to push it to everyone and expect all people to leave their beloved tools and use blender! I mean, before blender we had numerous 3D tools and we all knew that they all had advantages and disadvantages, but now we got a software which allows everyone to develop it as they like, and this causes them to feel that THEY OWN IT, SO THEY WANNA MAKE EVERYONE USE IT ! God damnit dude, chill ! I use max, c4d, ZBrush, substance and Houdini, since they complete each other ... Because I'm comfortable with them and I don't give a damn if blender fans say : "Ooohh blender is gonna dominate CG world ! You should switch now!" Man, I just hate the appearance of software... It's not attractive for me (which will change in the new 2.8 and then I might give it another try) But I'm really sick of this software-worshiping madness ... Stop it!
As for Substance Painter - such a great program. It is just a pleasure to work with. It supports UDIMS. I used SP to texture a creature which had 5 tiles 8K each. The major drawback is that you can't paint across the patches for the time being - you can paint one patch at a time. Their team is working hard on it and it will probably be included in their future updates. I know it is very little compared to Mari but it is a great start. The guys from the Foundry will need to push it very hard because SP will become more and more powerful.
Completely agree - they REALLY need to step up their game. Like we talk about in the video, there are things where you simply need mari, but for most texturing tasks, you really dont. More and more work can very comfortably be done in Substance and they are aggressively updating their software, and it's turning into something fantastic. I really hope that in the future, that we'll have both Painter and Mari present, to make sure we have a competitive market. /H
Hi everyone, I do need some help! What would you recommend for building an optimal workflow? Stages are: 1. Modeling Small objects with precise geometry. Spirals, spheres, polygons. 2. Painting/texturing Finding out the best color/texture combo for the model, rendering Thanks
After using Max for 2 years (my time with 3D in general) I tried several times switching out to Modo and I failed painfully several times but I really like it though and I will keep trying. It's not like it's difficult to learn but because Max is so simple to model anything with I just find it really complicated and if you don't do shorcuts it's slow, as opposed to Max that if you don't have shorcuts well it's slower but if you get the hang of it really comes down to how fast you're with the mouse, and that's me I'd use shorcuts along with mouse, with Modo you can't do that if you want to be fast. And I'm just talking about Modelling, UVing standpoint because that's pretty much why I use for sculpting I'd go for Zbrush. I am studying game art so that's why I only do that in 3D programs,
Hey! If you're comfortable with Max, I dont see a reason to switch to MODO for modelling. MODO is great, but Max has seriously improved their modelling over the last decade, to the point where it's a solid modeller today.
and Mesh Fusion is just a gimmick. Horrible performance while you start to 'fuse' more than 3-4 objects together I was surprised to hear that its used very little even by those who swear on Modo modelling tools. For their own implemention of a modifier stack it can hardly beat Max on that.
The problem with Modo is that it's not owned by Luxology anymore, since The Foundry bought it the price has increased and the update quality and rate decreased. The Foundry is the closest 3D corporation to Autodesk. Blender and Houdini update at a much faster rate with big features added frequently but I suggest Blender compared to Houdini for the price, tutorials and size of the community and because Blender is more powerful for everything non-VFX and non-procedurally generated. Note: mesh fusion is a bit useless since the introduction of the Bevel shader in Blender, Houdini, Modo. And Blender has boolean modifiers and the BoolTool addon that are good alternatives. Note 2: Modo has advanced modeling tools but it's not as fast as Blender for modelling which is heavily shortcuts based.
You should include 3D Coat in your list. Also you might like Nvil which is a modeling specific tool but it offers potentially one of the fastest workflows out there if you spend the time learning it and customizing it. By the way, you're spot on with your comments about Blender. I use it in my pipeline, but you have to be prepared to teach it to your team. Also, there is a studio in Toronto making feature films using Blender called Tangent Animation.
it's all about user, i'm a long time Maya user i also used modo , lightwave, houdini and ofcourse blender and i really tried to use blender as my main tool but i just can't maya is still my favorite software for doing everything except sculpting that i use zbrush for that. i should also mention that based on my experience the most enjoyable experience for me was 1.Maya 2.Houdini 3.Lightwave/modo (very similar) 4.blender (and i'm talking about blender 2.8)
As someone who recently jumped from Maya to Blender, each day I find it more and more crazy that Blender isn't used in industry more!
Of course, without charging for software they have no marketing budget...
Agreed!
I also think it's a bit of a self re-enforcing circle here, since not a lot of production artists use Blender, it's also hard to find good people to run a blender-heavy pipeline - which again means that people use Maya, where people now get even better in Maya instead of Blender.
It would be fantastic if more people used it, as it would reduce the costs a lot - and Blender really has a fantastic community around it.
/H
the answer to your question is at 10:17
Mark Escosora it wasn't a question, it was a direct response to 10:17
If you was a Maya user previously then you shouldn't be surprised why blender isint used in the industry as much. Blender isint bad at all, and can do most of what Maya does. However Maya makes the process easier where it counts. More options for retopology. Better UV map system. Better material workflow, way more stable, no need for add ons (which may or may not work properly). At the hobby level blender is fine. Beyond that you gotta step up the software.
Our studio uses Maya as the main program for game art. Our full pipeline runs through Maya. Quite a few people use Max, mainly for modeling and blockout.
I'm grateful they allow me to use Blender whenever I want for specific tasks. Modleing in Blender is so fluid as well as accurate. As you mentioned, the unwrap algorithm is brilliant.
For anyone interested, you can import-export static meshes between Maya and Blender perfectly with all details preserved- Scale, Orientation, Mesh shading, UVs, vertex colors, material slots, etc.
What file formats do you use to send between Blender and Maya to preserve info? FBX? Alembic?
FBX works perfectly.
Filip, thanks for the nice tip! Will remember to try out Roadkill UV.
I use Unfold3d inside Maya. Works well most of the times, but sometimes throws up an error and cannot proceed with the operation. Usually happens when polygons of a mesh have different texel density.
GLTF is the future man
It works but I find I have to delete any subsurf modifiers on my blender objects before sending to maya otherwise the effect of the subsurface modifier is baked into the resulting maya objects.
Working with 3D for over 7 years now, I think its fair to say that most of us spend a huge amount of our time learning all this softwares. I mean you guys did a great job showcasing it all, but at the same time evangelizing a certain workflow productivism is exactly what keeps the studios more strict to certain pipelines. A future with better/easier cross-software integration starts by denying ecosystem based company culture.
I'd love a future where we had a way to transfer data flawlessly between packages! If everyone could work in what they are comfortable with and assemble it in the end, that would be fantastic.
I think that's why certain companies took it upon themselves to create Universal Scene Description and MaterialX. Those are definitely positive steps in terms of organizing data well, and then also sharing materials between packages.
Couldn't you basically just export fbx and textures to a game engine from any software? I mean at least in Unreal you can, but why don't we?
I'm a 3DS Max user- over 15 years now. It's what we use at my job. The last thing on earth I want to do is switch to another software at this point. Max is like an extension of my brain! I don't have to think about how to do most things in it.
However, I have to say I'm getting worried about it. The last couple of updates have had some bad problems. I was never able to use the 2018 update because it doesn't work with Windows scaling on high resolution monitors. It says so right on their website, in case anyone wants to think the mistake is mine. Their solution is to keep using the older version, 2017. Which is what I do. But such a major problem worries me and it never got fixed over the service packs. They just released 2019 yesterday, so I haven't tried it yet. But things like that, from such a huge company, are unacceptable. I do consider trying something else, not made by Autodesk.
Wow, thats a terrible bug. Really makes it hard to get any work done. Hopefully 2019 fixes it for you. I'm curious how it would be for you to switch software after using Max for such a long time. Have you tried any other packages recently? How was it?
/H
Yeah, there were some features I really wanted to use in 2018 and it was frustrating that it wasn't feasible. Working with Max so long, I know it's best to wait until at least one service pack has been released to fix the major bugs, but none of them fixed this one, so I'm still on 2017. Also very irritating that something that works perfectly in an older version gets broken in the new one.
I have dabbled around in other packages, Blender specifically because it is free, but it is very hard. When you know something so well, it makes you feel like you're starting over to try something else. Like you go from being an expert to a newb. I have to keep using Max at work, but outside of work I do play around. I'm sure if I had the opportunity to really switch full time, I could do it with some struggle, but it's doubly hard when I have to use Max all day. Max is definitely the best for the work I do professionally (technical, at an engineering company) but there's a lot in other software packages that draw me to wanting to use them. Need more hours in the day.
After Softimage and their game engine, is MAX the latest for the chop?
So you think it’s more likely Maya will be killed instead?
Autodesk is probably thinking about killing 3DS Max :(
i totally expected a video where the message was, "use whatever you are most comfortable with!!!" and so was not interested in watching but after seeing how long it was, i figured it couldn't possibly be that!
i think you have the most flexibility for diversity in software in modeling. all you're doing is generating geometry and barring things like scale changing between programs, you're probably not going to run into a ton of issues - basically just using other programs for hard surface modeling as you would zbrush for characters.
but as you say, this becomes an issue when you need to modify existing assets. when something that's already in the pipeline needs a small tweak, you really have to be able to do that in the studio's preferred software.
You're pretty spot on here, for sure. If you are only delivering models, this is quite an easy thing to pick up from different software - but the moment you're locked into a pipeline, you need to be comfortable using whatever tool they are using.
/H
I use Maya for modeling, animating etc
3ds max for interior design and architecture
Houdini and Marvelous Designer for Simulations
ZBrush for sculpting and Mari for Texturing
Also I use many other softwares in engineering and graphic such as Siemens NX, Catia, Revit, Autocad, Dynamo, Nuke Studio, Photoshop and so on.
Can you give me an advice? I want sculpting cartoons characters and send It to pepakura. What modeling software do you recommend me? Thank u.
@@sansimb5735 In sculpting world, no software is better than ZBrush.
Wow! Wish I know just a quarter of what's on that list. I'm designing a 40 hectare site; it's a hilly terrain with ponds, forests/trees, streams, bridges, temples and various other architectural monuments. I started modeling it in sketchup as it has always been my go-to software, but at 1m contours the software is already struggling with the size/complexity of just the terrain itself. I need to learn a new software. Can you recommend one? I do a lot of landscaping and architecture, though this time on an unusually large site. I wish to model everything accurately in a software so that other people can get a good impression of what the final design will look like in reality.
@@Silk-hj5jm 3Ds Max is the best "for you". you need some additional plugins like Forest Pack and RailClone.
You can download 3Ds Max educational license and use it as non-commercial for 3 years.
Blender is another good choice for beginners but you can't find many jobs for it.
@@Masoud_Amiri Thanks! I'm self employed architect, so job finding isn't an issue. I just started learning Blender a couple weeks ago as many people online seem to advocate it for its potential in the future. Haven't tried Max yet, but will definitely give it a go now that you recommend it.
I would have definitely featured 3D Coat in here. Extremely powerful sculpting, painting and retopo. My advice is always to research the companies you want to apply to, and learn what they are using though (if you want a job at a studio).
Conversation mode is such a genius. Watching experience is so relaxing and enjoyable. And of course, also very informative. Probably the best CG tutorials I've ever seen.
That's so cool to hear :D Thank you! We have a lot more content like this coming out.
3ds Max = Best Architectural Visualization, Environment, Modeling
Maya = Best Animation, Phyton Scripting, Character design, Pipeline other programs
Blender = Best Free Program
3d Coat = Best Hand Painting, Unwrap UVW, Retopology
Houdini = Best VFX, Node Base, Film and Advertisement
Substance Suite = Best Texturing and Material Creation
Wheres Mari?
Why do everybody say that Maya is harder tu use than 3DS Max, first time I opened a 3D tool it was Max and I was kinda frustrated by it. Then few months later I tried Maya and I've actually got a software that does what I want the way I want. The way you move around, interact with objects and the interface, all together helped me out a lot to understand how does everything work.
I think that C4D is a good all around piece of software if you're a freelancer "graphics guy", whether it's mograph, product shots, arch vis (ext/int), plain old art, everything except video production, modelling, VFX and game design. That's what a lot of folks are doing these days, just for a shit ton of commercial graphics.
But same goes to Blender. Blender is even better. Much, much better as a full-stack tool. It aims to be. I'm seeing many job offers that have Blender listed lately, mainly for game design, but animation and product advertising as well, weirdly enough! It integrates insanely well with Unity and UE4, as both are free engines, and the 3D package itself is free too.
I'll stick to C4D, it satisfies me as a hobbyist 3D artist/non-3D-focused graphic designer. Never wanted to be in the game industry or movie industry. Sadly, the software needs some improvement, mainly with its UV tools, lack of a proper node editor, viewport optimization; modelling and rigging tools are a bit sub par too. But hot damn that UI.
Actually, Cinema 4D can do everything Maya and other top-tier 3d software on the market. I don't know where people got the idea that Cinema 4D is a lesser tool. I used to use Cinema 4D Studio (Universal Install) - which is the highest package. Has everything you need for modeling, animation, rigging, etc. However, Blender has way more than all other 3d software combined. Blender itself is a full pipeline. Just needs more adoption in the western world.
I think you need to go through some modeling and vfx courses to unlock the potential of this program.
I used to use 3D max, but now I have completely switched to C4D, modeling, Body paint 3D, sculpting, structuring the scene, stability of the program, amazing ease and logicality of the work process is just crazy. The entire workflow inside one program.
You can see a list of movies on the website of the Maxon, almost none of the big Hollywood movies has bypassed the C4D side.
C4D is the king of motion design and video production.
Maxon has already entered the VFX market and animations where Maya will be squeezed. In the coming years, Autodesk will lose interest in 3D Max or Maya because they are not competitive.
I believe that in the coming years will rule C4D, Blender and Houdini.
About Cinema 4D not able to do Video Production, modelling, VFX, and game design... I say HAH! Why do you thing c4d is more expensive than Maya? Cinema 4D Studio is the ultimate commercial 3d Package. I don't use it anymore since I switched to linux (using blender now). Cinema 4d has integration with After Effects for that VFX work.
And I loved Cinema 4D because it has the most beautiful User Interface, easiest to learn. I'm using Blender now and I'm back to the skill level I had in Cinema 4D, so there's no turning back, but don't underestimate Cinema 4D.
Check out the amazing work some youtubers like Twistereli and MyMotionGraphics are doing these days. They are incredible cinema4d users.
Guys. It's just not a package that is widely used in professional environments that focus on these areas. You won't find C4D in a movie industry CGI studio - you'll find Maya. You won't find C4D in architectural design & visualization studio - you'll find 3DS Max. You won't find C4D in a video game studio - you'll find Blender, especially if it's based around Unity. You'll find Houdini in a VFX studio, not C4D. Because these are the industry standards in these specific areas. And no one is going to integrate C4D into the pipeline just for that one guy, because it will hinder the performance of the entire team. You need a common file format for exchange between users, and shared experience, so that teamwork can... work. You will find C4D in a motion graphics/low-to-mid-end commercial video production studio. If you want to become a professional in this particular area - you probably MUST learn Cinema 4D.
C4D can actually do all the things I've listed. So can Maya. So can 3DS Max. So can Blender. So can Houdini. The list goes on. You can even probably develop your own workflow in C4D that'll allow you to work faster in Cinema than in any other 3D package doing ANY kind of work. It's probably possible.
However, this will not change the job market for 3D professionals. Companies will stick to using the software they are familiar with and know works. It's the most logical and cost- and time-effective way.
For me, C4D is the best as a hobbyist artist/freelancer. I did animation in it, game models, VFX, modelling, texturing, sculpting, you name it. I tried it all, and it does work. Doesn't change the market situation whatsoever. *If you want a professional job at a studio - you need to learn the software package that is the industry standard for the application in which the studio specializes in.* It's possible the studio will use something else, it's absolutely fine, but it's a drop in the bucket.
If you're a freelancer/hobbyist/indie artist like me - you do you, try whatever you want, what fits your needs the best, and what you find the fastest, easiest and most fun to work with. C4D is all these things to me, hence why I use it. Perhaps I should have learned Blender back in the day, but when I got into 3D, Blender was at version prior to 2.5, which means that the interface was absolute garbage in my opinion. This is how I got into Cinema 4D, and I don't regret choosing it as my primary package at all. But I can say that Blender is objectively BETTER than Cinema, despite the fact that you can do 99.95% of all 3D work possible in both. Subjectively however, C4D will forever remain my dearest love.
neoqueto I agree with you on blender interface back then. However it got a lot better since 2.68. so now is the best time to use blender on the side. Maybe you'd like it. For now, blender might be really best for Indie game developers.
A cool video too would be talking about renderers, there's a lot to choose!
Arnold, Corona, Redshift (my favorite :3), Octane, Iray, Maxwell, Renderman, Lumion, Vray, Keyshot, Marmoset Toolbag, Fstorm,
Cycles, and much more xD
We've been thinking about talking about render engines in a separate video :D We'll have to limit it to the biggest ones as there are a lot!
Fstorm is dead as it uses the source code of Octane. You can blot out this one )))
Eevee
Actually, I can replace modeling in Maya with Zbrush (It's not perfect for any situation but can be comparable to Maya). It allows you set hotkeys for Zmodeler (that many people think is imposible), and keep 3 tools at the same time. Many people simly don't know how to use it for modeling. It's especially great for SubD modeling.
PS: I'm not saying Zbrush for everything. It horrible for UV unrapping and retopology.
3Ds Max user for 7 years, discovered Houdini a year ago and I am never going back! I'm investing most of my time learning procedural modelling and procedural world building. The Houdini Indie price is also a huge selling point for freelancers, indie game developers, etc. I'm just a year into learning Houdini and I've already produced things commercially I previously had to declare impossible under the same production deadlines.
Houdini and Redshift for life
13:40 Exactly! There is no Maya training / bootcamp for new employees at the large studio I work at. It's not necessary. People walk in, take an 1 hour to quickly get the extreme basics of the pipeline and custom tools, get their shots assigned and start working straight away.
Yes exactly! This is really the main appeal for Maya today, in my view. It's easy to find jobs where you use Maya and it's super easy to find qualified workers. I've seen a lot of people who's got too locked into MODO and Blender, who struggle to get jobs because of this exact reason. They are both fantastic tools, but that's simply not a factor when talking about employment.
/H
I learned 3D with Blender and I love it, but Sadly I had to force myself to learn 3ds Max to get a job ^^ . And yes the Max modifiers stack is UUuuultra powerful
Exactly one of the reasons why we made the video: talking about how you actually need to learn different software just to get a job. How are you finding Max and Maya vs Blender? :)
Honestly after jump from Blender to Max, I had to admit Max is, "out of the box", by far superior in term of modeling, quicks iterations of an object, etc...
I heard a lot of peoples who said Blender is more like Maya than Max. But after many years of daily blender uses, I think Blender does not look like any other program I used or tried haha. But i still love it, it can make all I need and there is a tons of addons from the comunnity.
Oh and you forgot to mention 3D coat and Quixel in your list :p
@@MikeSn0W Your comment is very interesting. Im a very proficient Max user, and specially for modeling I think is great and better than Maya for sure (althoug I really like it for everything). I have never used Blender more than 30 minutes so I dont know it much, but never felt like it was better,...depsite everyone saying otherwise, specially recently with all the plugins etc. After 2 years of your comment, do you think now Blender is better than Max? Because Im still very confortable in Max...
I just went from Blender 2.8 to Maya 2020, not because I think it's better, but I am a beginner, and I am fairly proficient in blender, but Maya is industry standard and for that very reason I wanna learn to work with the software and it's render engine
i miss using blender, wish more studios would use it.
Small studio's and indie game developers use Blender. Ofcourse you can use Maya & Houdini indie Version but, it's not available world wide forexample maya..plus, you van't use them in freelance projects if projects are more than $100,000 so, things are a bit complicated.
I know you can't use Blender for everything but, still I feel like they are a bit harsh on Blender.
I have used Lightwave =, Cinema 4D, Max, Maya and Blender and using different 3D applications over the past 20 or so years. Blender was really less complicated for me to use. I know Max, Lightwave, Cinema 4D and Maya Ui's has gotten better. But from a learning perspective but I agree from an industry perspective you have not choice but to use Max or Maya. I guess maybe that is why I never choose to work in a studio. So I went into Web/Application Development and used Blender for my own projects or special projects that require 3D.
Thanks for your comment! So you prefer to use Blender today over all the other packages? What do you think about Lightwave and C4D?
Yes, I have not used Cinema 4D or Lightwave in years. But blender I can do anything I need in blender. I would love to master ZBrush as well but when I was learning it years ago there was not a lot of materials for learning also the interface was really clunky for me. But that was back in version 3 and 4. Great video and thanks for sharing.
Max and Maya weren't actually made by Autodesk. Max was created by Discreet and Maya by Alias. Autodesk simply acquired them both and continued their development.
27:39 I really like it when one of the guys says "yes!" with such conviction every time his friend points out something he agrees with.
Surprised no one mentions Lightwave 3D any more, it is surprisingly powerful and yes the modeler is getting long in the tooth and is expected to get a complete refresh. but it is pipeline friendly and has had many groundbreaking features. I've been messing with many different tools along with most of the ones you featured over the years. That said, a small group or even individual can take Lightwave and do pretty much (with a few plug ins) and complete any project and it is quick to learn and easy to get things done quickly. That said, it is fading, probably because of management issues.
It actually has major updates coming.
Feels like XMAS everytime I see a new upload from you guys!
Awesome :D That makes us really happy to hear!
Woah
0:00 Maya
9:05 Blender
14:47 Houdini
18:45 Cinena 4D
20:59 Modo
25:56 ZBrush
33:33 Substance Designer & Painter
40:33 Mari
thanks so much
C4D is my livelihood, 14years and counting.
What do you use it for if you mind?
With everything going to a licensing scheme it seems that Blender is fast becoming the only option for the 3D hobbyist. I have used most of the major 3D software packages starting in the 90’s so I appreciate what a blessing it is for hobbyists to have access to a program like Blender. If you are not a professional working in a studio house, Blender is more than adequate.
Even me shifted from Maya to blender it's lot fun here and I wanna be a freelancer so blender was my only option rather than $1400 software 😀
$1400? where?? Maya is like 3K a year oh and you never pay it off it is 250$ a month FOREVER. Yea fuck that, Blender downright beats maya in several aspects like Modeling, Sculpting, texture painting and it's completely free.
cracking is also an option
@@gilgabro420 isnt tat illegal?
@@chetangowda6584 yes but no one will konw if you use a torrent and a proxy
@@chetangowda6584 but I'm a student so it dosen't matter
I use 3ds max, maya, but I feel right at home with blender, you can configure it any way you want it, unlike 3ds max that doesn't let you use the maya navigation style because it disables the shift drag function or doesn't work in the UV editor if you use maya selection, etc.; blender is my primary program now, along with zbrush, which is essential; cheers guys, great video, always cool stuff to see, keep it up!
Im using maya as a student, i really want to learn houdini because effects and abstract art is my thing
А что ты сразу Гудини не начал? Гудини капец какая сложная . Как её изучить ? И заедает .
I use Lightwave since 2003. I just got into Houdini 16 because it is finally affordable. I also STILL use Softimage because it WAS the best. I bought recently ZBrush on sale and the GUI is confusing but I like what I see others are creating with it.
Cool! Are you still using LW? What draws you to LW. Houdini is definitely on my list of software to learn, as it's so powerful.
/H
Yes I still use LW. I just upgrade to 2018 version but have not truly tested it yet. I like LW for what many hate about it: the two separate interfaces, Modeler & Layout. It keeps things less cluttered than other apps. It is also a good solution for those who want everything from a single software package. I find it easier for Arch Viz compared to 3DS Max which I learned in school but don't use because: Autodesk :-(Houdini has a large learning curve. I still coming to grips with it. Not sure about modeling capabilities but definitely is the software for effects.You have good videos. Keep it up. Peace!
Great video guys !!
Thanks Mike! Much appreciated. Hope you're doing well :)
/H
Hi i have 15 years old and i dont know What program to learn i study max for 2 years and maya for 6 months...anyway I would like to know blender and Houdini...I don’t know.. a very nice video🥰
Thanks for all the good word about blender! :}
It's a brilliant software! Free and incredibly feature rich. A bit... unusual... in its ways, but powerful nevertheless.
/H
Use whatever software is best for the task you are doing, and whatever the studio pays you to use. Don't stick to one 3d modelling program, learn more.
Personally for me it's like this;
Generic props: Maya
Hardsurface high poly models: 3ds Max
Organic models: Zbrush
Tiling surface materials: Substance Designer
Props texturing: Substance Painter
Trees / Foliage: Speedtree
World Building: Unity / Unreal Engine
That's 99% of what you'll be using as a environment artist in the games industry. Blender might be added to the list slowly, most people still use either maya or max though, since you'll be working on each others 3d files most likely it's not handy to work in different packages.
I have been working in Blender for more than 2 years and it has some better tools than Maya and some that Maya doesnt have at all. Modelling is much better. Extrude single vertices and when you need fill them with faces ability (Maya doesnt have that) and much more. You can always delete single vertex or edge during modelling, when in Maya - not always(so you have to delete whole face sometimes when you need to get rid of only one vertex) No worries about Deleting history because Blender doesnt have that shit. Proportional editing is much better than Maya soft select option. It has very useful modifiers stack system that helps when modelling a lot. All of the modelling shortcuts are setup by default, so you don't have to create them yourself. Also it has texturing mode so you don't have to use external applications like Substance painter. It also has compositing so you don't have to use Nuke or After Effects. It has video editor so you don't have to use Premier Pro. It has awesome dynamic paint feature. Very easy to learn particle system which doesnt requires knowledge of the expressions at all. A lot of free useful addons like Material library or Texture library free addons that have almost all of the materials you need so the knowledge of the Node Editor is useful but not required. Rigging has more constraints and more intuitive to me than in Maya. Also Blender has free or very cheap render farms, which Maya doesn't. Also in UA-cam you can find much more Blender tutorials than Maya tutorials and the good thing about it they are how to create the whole scene from scratch and not just covering one stage for the whole hour like it is for Maya UA-cam tutorials. Blender Guru, CG Geek and many other UA-cam channels have tutorials on how to create the whole scene for one hour or so (modeling, uvs, texturing, animating, adding effects, hairs, compositing, rendering in one single tutorial) You will never find such extensive and complete tutorials for Maya on UA-cam, only paid Pluralsight, but it's like 10 hours long, when in Blender you can create cool scene for 1 or 2 hours. Maya has other advantages like Bifrost fluids, clouds, Ncloth, Paint FX, better Time Editor and few other things. I will be using both in my workflow but i prefer Blender of course. And yes you dont have that shit when one renderer (Arnold for example or vray is not able to render some of the materials or particles like blobby particles or clouds or sprites) Everything is supported in Cycles renderer.
Deleting history isn't a solution to a problem, its a way to clean your mesh/group from any transforms, modifiers etc. There are tons of reasons why Maya's history is useful, being able to modify a stack of deformers in order on an object. Deleting the history isn't something that a Maya pro does without thinking.
@Evgeniy Revin I don't see what's wrong with animation or rigging, and if you're having so many problems with vanilla options, plugins like "rigify" make skeletons for you that you just move to fit the shape of the character.
Maya also has the create polygon tool that lets you create polygons using vertices. The reason it doesn't have a workflow using vertices is that it creates invalid topology not recognized by other programs in the pipeline.
The fact that blender is the most versatile, easy to learn, powerful, feature intensive and heavily documented program and it isnt automatically #1 on the best program list at the very beginning of any video is absolutely mind blowing the me. I opened blender up two months ago and had absolutely no idea how to use it and now Im about half way through making my own emmersive 3D game with absolutely every asset made by my own hand with blender.
I agree.
Lightwave still has a pulse that's starting to get livelier, or trying at least. Could you do a video on it?
It is pretty crazy what they do with openVDB combined with nodes and other paremetric suff.
I work with C4D and Maya professionally, but have been trying to learn Houdini because the more I use it, the more I'm convinced it's going to be the new Maya soon enough.
Yup, Houdini is a powerhouse! Love it.
Nice topic. I like 3ds Max :)
Cheers :) Max is great.
Keep coming back to it myself!
Really appreciated for whole lot of information you guys put in. As a student we have some many softwares in school but you only have limited time to train yourself good at something, your video gives some very good options about who and why using these packages. Thanks for your amazing jobs!
Evee for Blender is coming...Great video guys.
Thanks a lot. I'll be looking forward to Evee!
Eevee. Extra easy virtual environment engine.
Blender will need alot more then evee to get on top of things.
Eevee. It's a palindrome.
WHat's that?
Another thing you have to consider is that many studios will force you to use their setup. So be prepared to learn whatever is needed. Sometimes you even have to be proficient with pure ‘vanilla’ flavored DCCs like default maya for example. It’s not always up to you what software and customization your allowed. For me going from heavily customized 3ds max to vanilla maya has been hard but also good.
This is an excellent point! Having a heavily customized Maya can definitely cause issues, particularly if you want to teach or use somebody else's computer. There's a good argument in staying with the default UI and hotkeys.
Softimage (XSI) is the best 3d software!
Whole video miss this software...
Me too :(
You will make an update video with Softimage?
you guys motivate me so much to work on my 3d stuff and get more sctructured! thanks guys!
Can you make an 8h long video like this? I could listen to you forever while modelling in 3ds Max!
We'll certainly keep them coming! We've made around 7 hours of videos in the last 2.5 months already, so almost at the 8 hour mark :D
I loved hearing you guys' professional and personal perspectives on these 3D packages. I've been on the fence lately about which pieces of software do I need to purchase to start doing commercial work, since I am about to graduate from VFX school. And one thing I absolutely cannot do is the whole Subscription-only based 3D packages. $185 a MONTH for Maya!? Nah, there's just no way I can whole-heartedly commit to that bill. Thank you guys for shining the light on these alternatives, because even though Maya is industry-standard, there are definitely some seriously powerful (and cheaper) competitors that major Studios ARE using! Keep up the great work you two! I'm loving your comeback!
Thank you! I'm glad it was an interesting video for you. You're right regarding Maya, it's really expensive. I absolutely understand the appeal of a tool like Blender.
/H
All the proprietary vendors are out to screw you. What surprises me is why people put up with it.
To be honest i dont even understand why people always have this sotftware is the best mentality, every software has it cons and pro's so instead or max or maya it should be max with maya or whatever software....there is no such thing this is the best since its only a tool a produce art . every software can be customized aswell....
indeed - that's what w're trying to get across in the video. It's like asking what car is the best - well that depends entirely on the context. You have some objectively terrible 3d software out there, mostly obsolete stuff, but most of them aren't objectively better than any other; just different use cases and strengths.
/H
The right software is usually the one that gets you paid.
why even care at all, like if you life in Germany, every study will use a different tool!. Out of ten studios maybe two use Max, everyone else uses a different tool like 1/10 use blender, 1/10 use maya, 1/10 use cinema. You better learn to switch fast over here and how to work with two or three tools at once.
So why not just learn 3D and than use whatever your project needs? That is what we always do in my company, actually we really depend on that shit to work Efficiency and cheap. We had a project that was saved because of a feature in blender that just didn't worked well in cinema, we have projects that would have been much harder with blender instead of cinema, we had projects where we used something different entirely. If you have people where everyone knows another tool you often get more projects done. I guess if you make a larger project like a game or a movie there should be a greater amount of people being masters at one tool.
lol, i remember when my only knowledge was that ppl said max is for games and maya for film.... then when i first switched from maya to max.... couldnt really tell why people thought those things... they both did the same stuff, just different interface as far as i was concerned...
If i want to create 3d animation for kids like explaining colour with 3d objects and character which software will be better
I agree, besides it's not the tools but the artist behind the tools that create great works.
For sure! A good artist can make amazing work with any tool.
Part of being a smart artist is choosing smart tools.
Art is always limited by the available technology.
Thank you, the one and only good answer!
I started with Blender cause it was free, and I loved it, but as you said, I had to move to other softwares. First I tried Maya and I liked until it crashed. Then, since I found a job in advertising and the other guys at the studio used Cinema4D, I learnt it and I have to say that it's phenomenal for many tasks, not only for motion graphics where it certainly shines, but even for cartoons and simple vfx. It's a pleasure to work with because of its amazing user interface. Of course it has its limitations, but for a freelance designer is awesome. Just think at the fact that you don't need a 3 button mouse: I'm a commuter and I can do everything on a train just with my MacBook Pro trackpad. Finally, aside from motion graphics, my favorite 3D softwares are Houdini and Modo.
i don't particularly agree that Max is used more for gaming, what exactly makes 3Ds more preferable over Maya in the gaming aspect?
What do you think I should use? I am completely new to everything about effects, CG, just everything. I have been using Zbrush for a few months, trying to learn it with your tutorials and stuff (great btw), but I also want to get myself into stuff like maya, where you can animate, rig and render and lots of other stuff than just sculpting, because, as you said in this vid, I'm not going to get anywhere with ONLY Zbrush. So, I figured you were the perfect people to ask, what software do you think I should use? Any favorites, ones that are powerfull and have everything you need, ones that are powerfull, have everything you need and is good for beginners? Anything would be nice, I am eager to start but confused where I should, and how I should. Love your stuff, keep doing a great job!
Would really appreciate an answer :D
I Jumped from C4d to Max a couple years ago.
Then i started to create Game Assets and had to jump back to C4D since in my opinion it Max is damn outdated and most RT Engines use Object Hierarchies like C4D.
And WYSIWYG is a crucial thing when making Game Assets.
This may be outdated video, but you say NO studio uses blender.
There's that Netflix film Nextgen that's made in Blender, and the Man in the High Castle used it because their studio was actually frustrated with Maya. High Castle uses Houdini for simulations though.
It's slowly but surely becoming more used
You are really very much focused on maya!!
I have been using Max since Max 7, but went to college and learned Maya. I switched back to Max some years ago and never looked back. Modeling and UVing in Max is so fast for games. I am still fluent in Maya though.
houdini!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well another thing. This is a good rule of thumb. Decide what kind of workflow you need in what ever project your in, look at the pros and cons of each. & Try to shrink down your workFlow from there.
Thank God for Blender 2.8.
I use Substance Painter with a UDIM workflow as part of a VFX pipeline. I'm sure it's not as robust as MARI (I've never used it) but I wanted to clarify that they are in fact supported.
Thanks for the clarification! As far as I know though, it's not full udim support, where you currently cant paint across the different UV tiles. Is this correct?
That is correct.
Being able to paint across multiple tiles allows the possibility of much larger textures. E.g. you could paint across 2 neighboring tiles for a rectangular 8K x 16K texture without any seam or interrupt in the texture.
That's a great video to get an overview of several 3D softwares. Been looking for a comparison for quite a while.
But I would have preferred a more objective view on Blender instead of praising it to the skies - just not to offend Blender users. I started 3d art with Maya but for a new job had to learn Blender (quite the opposite way). I am just not getting comfortable with Blender - the navigation/interface is so different and I have some hard times to get things efficiently done.
im kinda surprised that you didnt mention some more of the features in blender, like, how the sculpting system has had a huge update over recent years, not to mention the new eevee rendered will be incredible for game asset creation :)
We'll actually do a separate video talking about Blender! :)
I always felt that Blender's UI was like a programming environment.
@Riley Smith Good thing I made that comment 2 years ago.
This was such an informative overview of the currently available tools for a 3D enthusiast/beginner 👌 Thanks a lot ! 🙏
Awesome, much appreciated! :)
I use lightwave and modo , learn lightwave back on my Commodore Amiga. I use Caligari back in college
TrueSpace! My first program.
@@XHuntinatorX I also started with TrueSpace, then moved to Hash Animation:Master, then 3DS Max and Lightwave. Now use Modo, Zbrush and Blender.
Nick Collins ... Martin Hash was a great program! It was way ahead of its time really as far as character rigging and animation. I had a hard time getting used to the node based system but it is a great way to work.
I learned 3ds Max in college it was used for everything, Modelling, rendering, rigging, animation, VFX, etc when I did the Maya course I couldn't believe how that was the "industry standard", Maya to me is so inferior in everything except animation, it's so buggy and imprecise, everything feels I'm doing it by eye compared to 3ds max, I really hate it.
Learn more of it😂
you didn't mention 3DCoat, which is great application.
I heard you'd have to be a Christian to use it. 😅
@@hereb4theend hahahaha "3DCoat is developed by three Christians"🤣
Currently at school for game art and developmet, and am constatly told off by my teachers for using blender as "iTs NoT tHe INduStry STandArd" but every time I am sitting in a tutorial for maya and all I can think about is, "I could have done this in blender in half the time to the same effect if not better"!
so frustrating!!! cant wait to see studios accepting blender more....
Your teachers are right though - it's not industry standard. It's not about it being better or worse, but rather what will give you employable skills :)
Houdini is the real best 3D program. Houdini is life. Houdini is everything. Houdini Forever
On the topic of Houdini, a local studio has done talks with my university, about the software, and how they are constantly looking for Houdini artists. One of my friends has basically got a job with them when he graduates since he's doing Houdini for his honours, and has already done the interviews for it.
Indeed! We see this a lot. Houdini is insanely powerful, so a lot of people want it in their pipeline, but it's also fairly tricky to learn. Big demand + not a lot of supply = Good jobs for people who know Houdini :)
According to comments i didn't understand which software i should learn!!!!!
Yeah I started a FD course in 2003 and had to learn Maya. It was really difficult as we had to figure it out. Wish I had Flipped Normals back in the day! :D
Nobody is talking about the elephant in the room. Etch a Sketch beats them all hands down. No Render time, great UI, and it's portable. When will we learn?
blender 2.8
Jup, just like Blender, it's actually kinda weird how Etch a Sketch is not an industry standard. They just don't get it! It's very cheap and super reliable. But nope, let's throw half of all investments away into licensing costs! Apparently that's the way to go. You know what? Hear out my theory... I think that Autodesk brainwashed the industry! But just like how James Bond takes on evil companies in the movies.. Etch a Sketch will crush them someday.
Most studios write their own tools for their 3d software. Blender's license means your plugins are under GPL which is very limiting for most large studios.
Nobody can make you to distribute these plugins. You can find Ton's interview where he's talking about the main advantage of Blender. It's about that you can completely rewrite the Blender's code for your needs.
Wow It's blowing my mind all the guys switching from Maya to Blender, I used to swear by the Maya Master Race and laugh at the Blender peasants. I got into Blender 2.8 and I'm not looking back! $5,440 every 3 years? Yea No thanks! Blender is downright destroying Maya modeling wise and for the things it lacks, it has insane plugins that do what Maya does in 1/10th of the time. Auto Rig pro, RetopoFlow 2, the Boolean tools, it's just insane. Oh and did I mention actual Sculpting tools that WORK?? Yea, screw Maya, they got rich, fat and lazy, Blender is the one innovating now and it's FREE.
The scary part is Blender haven't reached it's final form yet. 😨 You'd think it's done and then BOOM! FULL BLOWN 2D ANIMATION. So you take a breather think it couldn't get anu better and then BOOM! REALTIME CLOTH SIMULATION FOR SCULPTING. But hey it could just a novelty. But then... BOOM! ANIMATION NODES! It doesn't stop!
@@Akko1 You're the one joking mentioning Mudbox in here. Also, if you don't know why Blender would crash sculpting at 7 digits and Zbrush won't nor how to get around this, then you don't know how 3D works and are an amateur at best.
You have to be a user of ALL these applications to properly asses the usability. Big studios use different packages in combination to get the best result. For me personally a package has to make sense. I need to understand what is going on, not just push buttons. Third party plugins are deadly in that respect, they often have a completely different workflow: just a quick fix, but you do not know what you did right. “The best” for me is the most comprehensive. Maybe you should look at the learning curves for each one of them to get a clear picture.
As to my background knowledge : I'm a CG artist for 30 years, teaching it for the last 20 and used (among others): Cubicom, Alias, Maya, Softimage, 3D MAX, Bryce and Cinema 4D. I can tell you I thoroughly hate 3DS and currently work with Cinema 4D and Maya.
3ds max is the king
tell what they say blender is not used in any large video game studio just use maya and 3ds max
blender for freelancers and indie games
Blender has been quickly catching up to ZBrush on sculpting capabilities over the past few years, especially if you throw a few addons into the mix.
BLENDER ONE LOVE !!!!!
Which one is the easiest to learn
Our studio uses Blender. Blender is awesome.
Where is your studio lol?
Сenter of Prague, kid. Two upper floors. Where is your?
@@monari_yt beresnev.games
My Favourite 3D Packages:
Commercial - Cinema 4D Studio
Open Source - Blender 3D.
Overall favourite - Blender 3D (because I don't use Windows or Mac OSX for production work anymore. I use Linux Mint all day!)
About Blender not being used in the "industry"...You'll find that Blender is used throughout Europe in production, Blender is used in Hollywood for certain tasks that other commercial 3d apps can't handle easily, and Blender is a favourite among Indie Game Developers for every task - Modeling, Sculpting, Texture Baking, 3D Painting, and more. Basically, you can make the same game assets in Blender, and export to your favourite game engine to continue work - UnReal, Unity, Godot.
Not being used in the industry? Hah! It's being used, just not publicized much. Watch some of the Blender Conferences and you'll see Hollywood 3d artists talk about how they used blender to achieve tasks in movie and visual effects production.
Who says Open Source cannot be “Commercial”? There are plenty of people and companies making money from Open Source. Myself included.
When I say "Commercial" I mean "Closed Source", as in "You pay cash for it". Nothing's wrong with commercial or open source. Just know, and entire pipeline can be created using only open source software. I do realize that you'd have to train each person you hire to adapt to your own pipeline, but that's nothing new. Pixar hires Blender experts anyway. Just ask the guy who made Sintel.
“Closed source” ≠ “You pay cash for it”.
You can pay cash for open-source software, too--lots of people do. And proprietary software can be given away as “freeware”, where you don’t pay money but there are restrictions on what you can do with it.
true
What about Newtek Lightwave?
One of the top 3D packages out there!
Just wanted to correct a comment you guys made in the video that “no company uses Blender as their primary package”. The studio I work for uses Blender and Cycles as our primary package for almost everything, even comp. We also use a bit of Max with Fumefx for VFX, photoshop, a bit of zbrush, our editors use Resolve, but these are all unitaskers for us. Even our fume stuff we render right in camera using an implementation of OpenVDB. We’ve used Blender for years now, our first production was a lower budget movie, but our latest film has a much higher budget and will be released very soon worldwide. Blender has its weaknesses, but compared to the runaround we used to get with AD, it’s a dream to work with. Our developers are able to write tools for us extremely quickly, and the money we save on licenses allows us to spend more on artists. I’ve worked in Maya, Max, with nuke and fusion, and more, but Blender is easily as capable.
Hey, thanks for the comment. So we know that *some* studios use it and it's a great tool. Our point is just that very very few major studios use it, so if people want to work professionally, it's a better bet to learn Maya or Max.
You're absolutely correct in your comment though :) Thanks for your input.
FlippedNormals I absolutely agree. I learned Max and Maya first, and quite honestly was a bit disappointed when I heard we were going to start using Blender primarily. (I’ve since changed my mind) I think people overall should really just try and learn the underlying concepts behind these tools so that they can work independently of the software. Students seem to leave school thinking they’ll be able to use whatever they like the most, but the reality is you usually end up using what the studio you work for has in their pipeline. Once you’ve picked up the tools in one or two packages, however, it really only takes a few weeks to start picking up other ones. The concepts do stay relatively consistent. This video is really great at pointing out the strengths of each package. I think you guys were spot on.
Substance Painter allows for 8K UDIM exports. It's pretty dope
Thats awesome! Painter is one of the software Im incredibly eager to learn properly.
/H
I really like it. They really need to introduce nodes though.
Very interesting video, I’m curious has there been any shift over the past three years with this?
C4D + Houdini + Octane (or Redshift)
finally someone with open mind and smart choice.
@@danteart373 not smart choice! Why the hell you need C4D? Redshift can be used in Houdini. I don't see any reason to use C4D if you use Houdini as it covers all C4D functionality and gives much more. Maybe modelling is not very good, but in C4D either. So better choice is Houdini + Redshift and maybe Blender for poly modelling as it's free.
first of all the work flow is 10x faster in C4D. When I decide to give up on my life I will be 100% Houdini guy for sure. btw I use Octane not the Redshift but both are supporting all the major 3D softwares..
@@danteart373 I can only say that you don't know Houdini well if C4d is faster for you. In Houdini you can make hundreds of ready presets and tools and use it in your pipeline. In c4d it's not the case, maybe partly. In big serious projects Houdini will be faster for sure.
I am a professional compositor but a 3D amateur, I started with Softimage at a time when it was only available on SGI hardware. At some point I had to switch to another software, so I tried them all. I obviously tried blender since it is so powerful and for free, but there is one little thing in Blender that drives me mental and that is that the Y axis in Blender is the Z axis like in all CAD applications. If you don't use 3D software every day I guess and in all your "normal" daily use software (like nuke and flame) the axis are different it was impossible for me to use. Max is super powerful, but I completely hate it to always work in the 5th sub-menu. Maya for me was simply way too complex, so I ended up using C4D. I am well aware that it really has a lot of limitations if you want to create photo real stuff, but I am still an amateur so I still have far more limitations than the software has. When I work in feature film I don't do 3D and if I need a 3D object for whatever reason I just go to the 3D department and ask for it. When I do commercials (and have to do 3D on my own) they usually have C4D. IMO C4D for my purpose it is always good enough, it is fast, easy to use and I get things done. I do not even miss Softimage anymore even though I liked it a lot. ;-)
So in summary, Substance Painter is the smart kid on the block while Mari is the strong bodybuilder that clearly doesn't need no smarts to do some heavy lifting.
Pretty much! The smart kid will run circles around the big guy, but when you need to do heavy lifting, you need to bring out the big gun and get Mr. Mari on the job.
That said, you need crazy big file , like VFX asset for substance to choke
What if it's Mrs. Mari
Sorry but kinda stupid compare one software which from the beginning was created for film industry and another one which for games and then say that second one won't get you to that 100%. For games you don't need Udims, you don't need 16K+ textures. Best option to use both if budged allows and if really needed. Plus Mari has masks for like edge wear as well and other procedural stuff. And in Painter smart materials and masks are not so smart as you say because first you need create one and then you can reuse it.
Great video! Loved how detailed and informative you guys were about each software. :D
God damnit, blender users are so loud and annoying! I like the software but I hate the fact that its users are creating a new republic, and they try to push it to everyone and expect all people to leave their beloved tools and use blender! I mean, before blender we had numerous 3D tools and we all knew that they all had advantages and disadvantages, but now we got a software which allows everyone to develop it as they like, and this causes them to feel that THEY OWN IT, SO THEY WANNA MAKE EVERYONE USE IT ! God damnit dude, chill ! I use max, c4d, ZBrush, substance and Houdini, since they complete each other ... Because I'm comfortable with them and I don't give a damn if blender fans say : "Ooohh blender is gonna dominate CG world ! You should switch now!" Man, I just hate the appearance of software... It's not attractive for me (which will change in the new 2.8 and then I might give it another try) But I'm really sick of this software-worshiping madness ... Stop it!
As for Substance Painter - such a great program. It is just a pleasure to work with. It supports UDIMS. I used SP to texture a creature which had 5 tiles 8K each. The major drawback is that you can't paint across the patches for the time being - you can paint one patch at a time. Their team is working hard on it and it will probably be included in their future updates. I know it is very little compared to Mari but it is a great start.
The guys from the Foundry will need to push it very hard because SP will become more and more powerful.
Completely agree - they REALLY need to step up their game. Like we talk about in the video, there are things where you simply need mari, but for most texturing tasks, you really dont. More and more work can very comfortably be done in Substance and they are aggressively updating their software, and it's turning into something fantastic.
I really hope that in the future, that we'll have both Painter and Mari present, to make sure we have a competitive market.
/H
I use LightWave 3d
Still the cleanest renderer ever.
Hi everyone, I do need some help!
What would you recommend for building an optimal workflow? Stages are:
1. Modeling
Small objects with precise geometry. Spirals, spheres, polygons.
2. Painting/texturing
Finding out the best color/texture combo for the model, rendering
Thanks
For modeling, pretty much any major software would work. Blender is good and free.
2. Substance Painter.
After using Max for 2 years (my time with 3D in general) I tried several times switching out to Modo and I failed painfully several times but I really like it though and I will keep trying. It's not like it's difficult to learn but because Max is so simple to model anything with I just find it really complicated and if you don't do shorcuts it's slow, as opposed to Max that if you don't have shorcuts well it's slower but if you get the hang of it really comes down to how fast you're with the mouse, and that's me I'd use shorcuts along with mouse, with Modo you can't do that if you want to be fast. And I'm just talking about Modelling, UVing standpoint because that's pretty much why I use for sculpting I'd go for Zbrush. I am studying game art so that's why I only do that in 3D programs,
Hey! If you're comfortable with Max, I dont see a reason to switch to MODO for modelling. MODO is great, but Max has seriously improved their modelling over the last decade, to the point where it's a solid modeller today.
and Mesh Fusion is just a gimmick. Horrible performance while you start to 'fuse' more than 3-4 objects together I was surprised to hear that its used very little even by those who swear on Modo modelling tools. For their own implemention of a modifier stack it can hardly beat Max on that.
I am switching to Modo right now. Sadly I can't afford Max. Modo is the next best thing it seems (when it comes down to modelling).
The problem with Modo is that it's not owned by Luxology anymore, since The Foundry bought it the price has increased and the update quality and rate decreased. The Foundry is the closest 3D corporation to Autodesk. Blender and Houdini update at a much faster rate with big features added frequently but I suggest Blender compared to Houdini for the price, tutorials and size of the community and because Blender is more powerful for everything non-VFX and non-procedurally generated.
Note: mesh fusion is a bit useless since the introduction of the Bevel shader in Blender, Houdini, Modo. And Blender has boolean modifiers and the BoolTool addon that are good alternatives.
Note 2: Modo has advanced modeling tools but it's not as fast as Blender for modelling which is heavily shortcuts based.
again Blender and Houdini convenient association ... such a jolly team lol. again The mouse and the elephant crossing a bridge...
You should include 3D Coat in your list. Also you might like Nvil which is a modeling specific tool but it offers potentially one of the fastest workflows out there if you spend the time learning it and customizing it. By the way, you're spot on with your comments about Blender. I use it in my pipeline, but you have to be prepared to teach it to your team. Also, there is a studio in Toronto making feature films using Blender called Tangent Animation.
3ds max😍
it's all about user, i'm a long time Maya user i also used modo , lightwave, houdini and ofcourse blender and i really tried to use blender as my main tool but i just can't maya is still my favorite software for doing everything except sculpting that i use zbrush for that. i should also mention that based on my experience the most enjoyable experience for me was 1.Maya 2.Houdini 3.Lightwave/modo (very similar) 4.blender (and i'm talking about blender 2.8)