Maya - First Impressions

Lets face it, it’s unlikely that you’re going to get a real job as a CG Artist that requires Blender knowledge as a prerequisite. Most of the big companies today use either 3DS Max or Maya. Since my dream is to be a CG Artist at a prominent visual effects company (like pixar for example) I decided that I need to start learning Maya before I actually start taking some courses for it. This way, the classes will fly by and i’ll have a degree before i know it = )

So I went tutorial hunting and found a really nice screwdriver tutorial. (I’ll dig up the link later) To my delight, I found TONS of useful features and attributes to play with. Believe it or not, Maya and Blender have some shortcuts in common. For example Shift-D (duplicate), and Alt+LMB (rotate persp. view) have the same function in both apps. I found the workflow came very naturally to me after I got used to some of the shortcuts (mainly QWERTY).

Anyway, here’s a screenshot:

And here’s my final render:

Took me about 30 mins from start to finish, not including rendertime (which was 8 mins). Not bad for a first render eh? :wink:

Edit:
Here’s the link to the tutorial: http://www.highend3d.com/maya/tutorials/modeling/polygon/239.html

Also, if anyone would like to see the maya binary file (.mb) i’ll be happy to post it here, just ask = )

Not bad indeed

When i visited the BBC 3D design studio in bristol and If i recall correctly, they all used maya but some of them originally learnt 3DS max.

…So my point is, alot of companies don’t ask for “maya” but rather “Maya or similar 3D package” and you usally have a month or so to settle in, giving you time to switch applications if need be, which for any professional 3D app user is more than enough time.

For the most part, depending on the type of job, some companies wouldnt care two dimes if you even used blender in-house as long as your portfolio showed you can create the type of files needed and could exchange files without any problems.

Most post-production houses don’t have the time or money to train people, its generally assumed you can use the software from day one. Only a few places do training, and its usually because they use custom software (eg pixar).

For the most part, depending on the type of job, some companies wouldnt care two dimes if you even used blender in-house as long as your portfolio showed you can create the type of files needed and could exchange files without any problems.

What about the assets? Say a company get a 3D guy in based on his portfolio, then they find the guy uses blender. Say the projects a ongoing one over 3 years after 18 months of paying a blender guy to model, texture and render in blender he leaves the company for a better job, what happens to the models, the ‘blends’ he’s produced and been paid for, assets the company now own but can’t do anything with without learning blender or some basic blender skills to make a stab at converting the textured models to another format to then import into Max for example or do they find another blender guy.

Many companies not only consider the value of the assets they pay 3D guys to produce but also there accessibility in the years to follow, they’ll hire staff that use leading packages Max, Maya, XSI so their assets, software maintenance and support are covered, they won’t invest in software licenses like Max, VRay, Brazil or Maya and Mental Ray in house to then have them lie fallow while a guy uses blender instead.

They wouldnt “just” find out the guy uses blender at the last minute. This is something that is found out durring the interview, they are going to assess your computer knowledge and experience in what programs aswell as your portfolio…

Im sure over that 18 month period he would have saved the files in other formats unless he was a one man show, and they dont usally just walk out half way through a major project…

and i did say “and could exchange files without any problems”. This implys a level of “open standard” between the two programs or more. so file conversion wouldnt be a problem as this would ahve already been addreessed.

Many companies not only consider the value of the assets they pay 3D guys to produce but also there accessibility in the years to follow, they’ll hire staff that use leading packages Max, Maya, XSI so their assets, software maintenance and support are covered, they won’t invest in software licenses like Max, VRay, Brazil or Maya and Mental Ray in house to then have them lie fallow while a guy uses blender instead.
I remember reading blender was used in visualising the spiderman 3 (or 2) film.

Oh nose! blender used by a big company? as if their really scared about blender… Seriously, your making it sound as if these multi million pound companies are idiots.

I wouldnt expect blender to be used instead of photoshop, but depending on your role, I can. Some people here use blender over “leading software” at work. Blender isnt a full replacement for anything 3D, and it’s hard to see a blender user that only has experience in game design applying for a job as a product designer, expecting blender to be used as a subsitute for proper CAD software.

How do you expect big design firms cope when they have 20 different programs? Irobot used CAD software (ashlar vellum (SP?) to make the robot, and then they used maya to animate… How is that differernt to blender and maya interaction?

I’m doing the exact same thing right now, I hope to work for ILM. How did you get your hands on a copy of full Maya? My renders are from PLE, therefore covered with unsightly watermarks…:frowning: I’m trying to work my way through the Mastering Maya 7 book, and my first reaction to the Maya interface is a positive one.

Hmm, well I learned a couple of new things with that tutorial.

Unfortuneatly I ran into the “disappearing handle” problem that the author of the tutorial didn’t have a very good explanation of how to fix.

I was more interested in seeing the render settings,but Maya PLE apparently doesn’t support the settings / shaders / Mental ray combination of that tutorial, as it spewed a bunch of errors.

Very interesting . I tried basically the same modelling methods of that tutorial in Blender, and experienced the same “disapearing handle” problem when I tried to boolean-difference the handle and “spheres”.

Mike

LOTRJ:
I obtained a copy (rot13). Of course, my methods may be frowned upon by some people here, and usually I support software developers of applications I enjoy. However I find Maya is very expensive . Check your pm’s in a few minutes.

Mike_S:
I had the same problem. Here’s how to fix it:

After duplicating the spheres, dont group them. Select the handle first, then a single sphere and then use the difference boolean feature. You’ll have to repeat this for each sphere.

This post has been modified by a moderator, this is not my original post

Umm,
I think this is a legal free version:

Except it has this:
* The Autodesk Maya PLE restricts users to non-commercial applications through the display of a watermark on images as well as through the use of a special non-commercial file format. If you are a business, school, academic institution, training center or any similar type establishment you should not use the Software or Materials, or any Personal Use Files in, or as part of, any business activity or educational or training program.

Which could be a nuisance.
But if you just want to toy around, it is still and option.

azecraze: yep, LOTRJ already has that version, the PLE. It doesn’t render, basically, hence the “watermarks” comment above.
Venom…etc (sheesh, long screen names!): not that there’s anything wrong with your approach…I applaud your perseverence and self-motivation, but check out the 2 threads by joongle on this forum. He got jobs with a portfolio of Blender work, then had the opportunity to crash-course on Maya (I think…). Anyway, if you haven’t seen those threads, they’re very illuminating. (Nice renders, btw!)

Eku: Looks useless then. I guess I wont try it out after all… although just to get a feel of the workspace, it might be ok.

shame… you show no respect for the very discpline you show an interest in

don’t you know that’s kinda like a backhand way of screwing yourself up the butt? If you don’t hold firm and refuse to compromise your highest morals in regard to the realm of 3d then you become a part of a culture that’s hurting the very people that you want to add cool new features to their programs.

I suggest you wait until you can actually afford it before you ever start using it, even this post is probably giving some people ideas…

I knew someone was going to say something like that…

(There is text missing here that was deleted, I will PM the original message to MagicMyshu)

Despite my opposing viewpoint I understand where you’re coming from and would agree with you if it were say… winrar or something. (yes, i have purchased my copy of winrar) Besides, I didnt begin this thread to talk about how I obtained the software, I started it to share with you my transition from Blender to Maya and discuss the transitions of others. So lets please stay on topic here = )

***This post has been modified by a moderator, this is not my original post***

Please just stick to first impressions and do the rest in PM’s if you really have to do it.

%<

GRR! I went to start the main tutorial in the book, only to figure out that none of the files on the included CD work!:mad: At least it’s a library book… Looks like I’ll be searching for some online tuts, I know of a site that might have some good ones.

LOTRJ:
www.highend3d.com has a lot of tutorials i found very useful = )

Thanks for the link. ! Maya 8.5 supports Python scripting! ! link

Fine, then YOU give me the £2300 for a LEGAL copy of 3DS Max 9 so I can do my university course. And the £1000 for a LEGAL copy of Adobe Create Suite 2, AND the £3000 for the latest version of Maya (LEGAL of course).:ba:

an educational license of maya is only £260. i suggest its not wise publicly admitting you’re using cracked software.