I think Max is a good option for people new to 3d who want a professional tool with a fast workflow.

I have been using max for many years and I've been learning maya recently. Ive found that where Maya has a very strong set of tools with an amazing amount of flexibilty for scripting and an advanced non linear workflow 3ds max is still what I would use for most basic 3d tasks like modelling, texturing etc.. I think max has a better polygon modelling toolset but maya may have better rigging and animation tools. Max has a very easy to use material creation tool but maya has a more non linear approach.


I know that there are some things that present themselves when you try to do very complex things with any software that become a roadblock and I believe Maya is more flexible in that way.

Max seems to have things set up to work out of the box and has tools that appeal to smaller studios. Thats one reason why its being used alot in the fields of architectural visualisation and design where maya is used alot more in film effects and animation.

Once you know 3d other 3d software is alot easier to pick up but be aware that learning Maya isnt that easy when you already know max there are many things that require a totally different approach.

I'm biased towards max because I know it so well, but I would have to say that It is a very good option for beginners compared with some of the other leading sofware.

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I tried both max and maya at the when I was starting out and found max to be the easier to pick up. I'm not sure if it's the layout, the tools or perhaps the awesome help file but it just seemed easier. If you're into creature creation you might want to also look at zbrush. I wouldn't start there though, maybe get to know max first.

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