3dsMax vs Lighwave 3D
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- drzoom
I had a bit of of a go in 3DMax during my degree course ... now I'm doing a MA and they are teaching Lightwave - which one should I go with?
PS: I'll probably not use it for high-end animations, but more for Web and CD-ROM.
- drzoom0
...sorry to start another /(&/(& vs §$%§§ thread
- drzoom0
... and "Lightwave" I meant, not "Lighwave"!
- CyBrainX0
Don't rule out Maya. It's easier to learn than Lightwave, has a ton of good books by Alias and others and tutorials. I had a go at Lightwave too, but never Studio Max. I'm on a Mac.
- illroot0
Max will have a lot of plugins that you can use that can help you make web content. check out their site http://www.discreet.com
check out the Max section, also the lottle program by Discreet called "Plasma" for making 3D for the web.
- yarsrevenge0
bottom line... you're gonna have to dive right in and find out for yourself which one is easiest. I know several artists that prefer lightwave over any other 3d app... and some that prefer Maya... not everyone will find a app's interface as intuitive as the next to learn. Lightwave is a good overall program... always had a great renderer, control is alright... Max is slowing starting to turn heads but is still the strongest in the gaming industry (now in version 6.0). Maya is still the high end giant with my credibility under it's high priced belt.
- drzoom0
thanks for your advice...
I quite like Lightwave from what I've tried sofar, but I was just a bit worried that it is not actually as popular and as often used in the "real world" as maybe Max is.
- cinder0
If you want a job, learn Maya.
- sauerbraten0
Mac !!
- chach0
XSI is excellent
- unfittoprint0
MAX. It's tight connection with AutoCAD for precise modelling, export/import possibilities, characther creation, advanced dynamics, vector/director output makes it a winner.
I would like to give Maya a try, tough...
- unknown0
I'm a hardcore 3ds-maxer, all the way from DOS versions. I can tell you that 3ds max is the best tool for advanced visualizations, web 3d stuff (works flawlessly with Plasma) and it's not too hard to master for novices. Of course when I say not too hard, take that with reserve because for a beginner it's never easy. imho 3ds max and Maya are at the top of the 3d chain, but keep this in mind:
As someone mentioned above if you are going for video fx & animations, Maya is a non-negotiable choice. 3ds max doesn't have animation tools as good as Maya (especially with physics and flexibility). On the other hand, if you want to do professional visuals, web stuff there's no other choice then 3ds max. Lightwave, Cinema4D etc are all inferior programs (that doesn't mean you can't make nice things). If you want to do something on a truly professional level and you are more into web, static visuals and so on, go for 3ds max without thinking about it. If you are in animation/video fx field, Maya is the only choice. You might wanna look at Houdini but I found it very confusing and not even close to Maya.
- adamfinger0
Again, don't rule out XSI. I just started using it at work (coming from Max and some Maya) and it has the best renderer in my opinion and the render tree can't be beat.
If it was between Max and Lightwave, I'd go with Max...true, its preference but it has a ton of great plugins and people are constantly developing for it.
-adam
- JazX0
you better reduce that sucker way down if you are gonna' be using it for Web. I just rendered a 10 second piece using Bryce 5. Not bad as it exports to .mov but it was 20 MB. I need Squeeze, but not sure if it will damage the 3D look on the motion.