Maya too complicated for a beginner?

[Kortez]

Hi,

I'm really interested in getting some more into 3d art and I was browsing through the 3d boards and read that Maya is more difficult than 3d studio max.

So I was wondering if I should get Maya 4.5 or 3d studio max 5.

Please remember I have never touched a 3d program in my whole life and have no experience, however these 2 programs are available to me and I've heard great things about both of them. So what I'm basically saying is :

Is Maya too complicated for a beginner and should I get 3d studio max?

I know there are similar threads on these boards, but this is aimed at a n00b specifically (or better yet a person who hasn't reached n00b status ;) )

Thanks in advance,
Kortez

[WerxOne]

i work with max 5, but i dont think it really matters which one you start out with they both equally difficult to master, similar learning curve as well. depends on what you want to do with it, both are good for movies and games, but max is known more though out the gaming comunity, where maya is more movies/cinematics, maya is getting into the gaming companies more and more, but i think most game companies use 3d max. when you learn one you learn the principals of 3d and they carry over to any other program you can use, lightwave, alias, maya, softimage, or whatever. if your going in to games i would use max if you want to do movies learn maya, you can allways change your mind.

[Kortez]

Ok, thanks so much for your reply. I'm gonna ponder this through :)

[Payback]

I started with Maya, never used any other program beside that. If you have a good beginners-book it shouldn't present any real problems.

[chrislomaka]

i'd say they are about equal as far as learning the basics. maya has a lot to offer, but a lot of it you probably won't touch as you're just starting out...

but gived the large number of books out there for 3DSM, and the rather large price difference between maya and 3dSM, i'd say to get 3DSM, and then after a year or 2 start to consider expanding into other programs. My personal fav is Lightwave; but nearly all the skills you learn in one program can be transferred directly into another.

[sic1]

I'd suggest getting a free modeling program to start out with learning the basics. There are several, wings3d pops out in my mind first and foremost. www.wings3d.com

Then you can explore the free versions of Maya, Max, and Lightwave (Maya PLE, Gmax, LW Discovery respectively) before committing to a purchase. Unless of course, you've got extra cash to spend ;)