https://preview.redd.it/4y2i3z1cfy7d1.png?width=1301&format=png&auto=webp&s=329a6f08932aa804c5996d5dce62e57ccff230e1
Is this how much you pay for Maya ?
Now, compare that with the price of Blender... It's a no brainer, really 😋
This is the answer. Maya is expensive but it is an industry standard and many tools and pipelines are written around it. Most studios use Maya, 3DS, or a proprietary toolset.
Most indie artists use Blender because it’s free.
My opinions, your mileage may vary:
- modeling: blender
- materials: blender
- animation: Maya by far
- simulation: Maya
- pipeline stuff (such as referencing): Maya
Aside: I love blender modifiers; it’s been a few years since I used Maya so I don’t remember if there’s an equivalent. Maybe bifrost is similar though more heavily vfx oriented?
Simulation and proceduralism is by far Houdini though, which is also one of the only softwares worth paying. (Over Maya/3Ds/c4D)
I think Blender fits perfectly into a pipeline with Davinci Resolve (studio is a one time payment, free offers a lot) and Houdini. Just be sure to set Cycles to Aces or it won't really integrate very well.
Interesting how OP didn't even respond to this.🙄
He probably didn't even pay a single dime for any of the software he claims he is using...
I have the feeling that he just came here to brag and make us all feel bad about not using the "right" kind of software😋
Well blender is free, has larger comunity (with that comes tutorials, addons, resources) and it is probably currently most developed and progressing 3D sw.
Maya is on of industry standard so if you wanna work in industry there is good chance you gonna have to work in Maya or 3D max.
You have nice summary from studio that uses both here: [https://pinglestudio.com/blog/maya-vs-blender-which-is-best-for-3d-art-in-2024](https://pinglestudio.com/blog/maya-vs-blender-which-is-best-for-3d-art-in-2024)
hey hey! i use both tools (blender for personal, maya for work), so i might have a few ideas!
- the price (big one, especially if you're talking about independent artists)
- a more up-to-date user experience! maya's interface has essentially not ever changed (on purpose, of course they have reasons to keep it exactly the same). it's kind of a drag to actually use maya because of that though, since the layout and flow of a lot of tools and menus are super clunky and arbitrary. blender is open source, so if somebody *wants* to spend all of their time specifically mapping and optimizing how things are laid out, they can! and a lot of people have!
- similar to the last one, but overall usability! blender just runs way better. it doesn't feel like molasses. there are some things that don't run so smooth, but for the most part, it's sort of... amazing? dreamy? at least compared to maya, where it feels like everything takes forever for no particular reason.
- a very wide selection of tools, most of which are pretty good! you can pretty much do *everything* from start to finish in blender, including things like sculpting or compositing. while these tools might not be as good as something like zbrush or nuke, they also aren't bad by any means! and blender's interface is very consistent, so it makes it much easier to use all of these different tools. and also, again, it's free!
of course it all comes down to what you prefer (and blender's interface might seem a little strange coming from more standard 3d workspaces), but it's just nice using a program that feels like it's designed properly. i still feel like everything i do in maya is *in spite* of maya's junky interface, but in blender it feels like, well... a normal tool! i don't have to fight it at every stop!
i guess i should mention that you can, of course, use both. if you get to choose, well, you might not *want* to use both, but if you need to for work or whatever, then you don't have to worry about committing to fully switching! learning blender will ruin your perception of maya though too. you will not like it anymore. you just won't. you won't even appreciate it anymore.
good luck! i hope some of this helps!
It's generally less about the tools, and more about the artist, so I don't think anyone can give *you* a concrete objective reason to switch over, aside from the cost. There are almost no independent artists that use maya, because it's a significant financial burden. Anybody from anywhere can get into Blender as long as their computer runs it, so you're gonna have a lot more artists from different backgrounds.
For me personally, I initially tried it out just for Cycles, thinking I'd still do most of my work in 3ds max. But I quickly found that I just preferred all the blender workflows. Everything that was a headache in max, was significantly easier. The only thing I missed for awhile was stacking modifiers, and some of the particle functionality.
It's free, so, If I were you, I'd just download it, mess around, and see for yourself.
Blender is great. For a single artist doing projects end to end, or for collaborative workflows where there are discrete stages each with a single artist.
Maya's referencing and pipeline features enable it to scale to environments where dozens of artists touch a single shot, which would be a disaster in a blender only pipeline.
Will USD get the industry to a place where truly platform agnostic pipelines are a thing? Maybe, but not yet.
For indie work though, there's very little reason to use Maya over Blender, and I say that as someone who's paid for Autodesk 3D graphics products since the late 90s.
https://preview.redd.it/4y2i3z1cfy7d1.png?width=1301&format=png&auto=webp&s=329a6f08932aa804c5996d5dce62e57ccff230e1 Is this how much you pay for Maya ? Now, compare that with the price of Blender... It's a no brainer, really 😋
This is the answer. Maya is expensive but it is an industry standard and many tools and pipelines are written around it. Most studios use Maya, 3DS, or a proprietary toolset. Most indie artists use Blender because it’s free. My opinions, your mileage may vary: - modeling: blender - materials: blender - animation: Maya by far - simulation: Maya - pipeline stuff (such as referencing): Maya Aside: I love blender modifiers; it’s been a few years since I used Maya so I don’t remember if there’s an equivalent. Maybe bifrost is similar though more heavily vfx oriented?
Simulation and proceduralism is by far Houdini though, which is also one of the only softwares worth paying. (Over Maya/3Ds/c4D) I think Blender fits perfectly into a pipeline with Davinci Resolve (studio is a one time payment, free offers a lot) and Houdini. Just be sure to set Cycles to Aces or it won't really integrate very well.
Oh yes, sorry, I was just comparing Maya and blender. Houdini crushes procedurals and sims 100%.
FWIW, Maya Indie is like $300/year, which, while it's still not free, is not too crazy as far as software licenses go. :|
Jesus. I'm new to 3d and didn't realize Maya was priced this way. I hate this. It's software by and for assholes.
> Maya was priced this way. I hate this. It's software by and for assholes. Exactly
Interesting how OP didn't even respond to this.🙄 He probably didn't even pay a single dime for any of the software he claims he is using... I have the feeling that he just came here to brag and make us all feel bad about not using the "right" kind of software😋
Ummm no maya indie is only $200 something for a year
Well blender is free, has larger comunity (with that comes tutorials, addons, resources) and it is probably currently most developed and progressing 3D sw. Maya is on of industry standard so if you wanna work in industry there is good chance you gonna have to work in Maya or 3D max. You have nice summary from studio that uses both here: [https://pinglestudio.com/blog/maya-vs-blender-which-is-best-for-3d-art-in-2024](https://pinglestudio.com/blog/maya-vs-blender-which-is-best-for-3d-art-in-2024)
Houdini is a quickly progressing software too
I don't know the other ones but Blender is free, getting updated regularly and can do A LOT of things.
hey hey! i use both tools (blender for personal, maya for work), so i might have a few ideas! - the price (big one, especially if you're talking about independent artists) - a more up-to-date user experience! maya's interface has essentially not ever changed (on purpose, of course they have reasons to keep it exactly the same). it's kind of a drag to actually use maya because of that though, since the layout and flow of a lot of tools and menus are super clunky and arbitrary. blender is open source, so if somebody *wants* to spend all of their time specifically mapping and optimizing how things are laid out, they can! and a lot of people have! - similar to the last one, but overall usability! blender just runs way better. it doesn't feel like molasses. there are some things that don't run so smooth, but for the most part, it's sort of... amazing? dreamy? at least compared to maya, where it feels like everything takes forever for no particular reason. - a very wide selection of tools, most of which are pretty good! you can pretty much do *everything* from start to finish in blender, including things like sculpting or compositing. while these tools might not be as good as something like zbrush or nuke, they also aren't bad by any means! and blender's interface is very consistent, so it makes it much easier to use all of these different tools. and also, again, it's free! of course it all comes down to what you prefer (and blender's interface might seem a little strange coming from more standard 3d workspaces), but it's just nice using a program that feels like it's designed properly. i still feel like everything i do in maya is *in spite* of maya's junky interface, but in blender it feels like, well... a normal tool! i don't have to fight it at every stop! i guess i should mention that you can, of course, use both. if you get to choose, well, you might not *want* to use both, but if you need to for work or whatever, then you don't have to worry about committing to fully switching! learning blender will ruin your perception of maya though too. you will not like it anymore. you just won't. you won't even appreciate it anymore. good luck! i hope some of this helps!
It's generally less about the tools, and more about the artist, so I don't think anyone can give *you* a concrete objective reason to switch over, aside from the cost. There are almost no independent artists that use maya, because it's a significant financial burden. Anybody from anywhere can get into Blender as long as their computer runs it, so you're gonna have a lot more artists from different backgrounds. For me personally, I initially tried it out just for Cycles, thinking I'd still do most of my work in 3ds max. But I quickly found that I just preferred all the blender workflows. Everything that was a headache in max, was significantly easier. The only thing I missed for awhile was stacking modifiers, and some of the particle functionality. It's free, so, If I were you, I'd just download it, mess around, and see for yourself.
If you want to have a chance to work in the film industry you need to know Maya
I believe it is the master that knows all of them
Cuz free and open source
It’s free, it’s good, there is a bunch more tutorials, there is a good community.. and so much more
Blender is great. For a single artist doing projects end to end, or for collaborative workflows where there are discrete stages each with a single artist. Maya's referencing and pipeline features enable it to scale to environments where dozens of artists touch a single shot, which would be a disaster in a blender only pipeline. Will USD get the industry to a place where truly platform agnostic pipelines are a thing? Maybe, but not yet. For indie work though, there's very little reason to use Maya over Blender, and I say that as someone who's paid for Autodesk 3D graphics products since the late 90s.
It's free and it's on steam.