3D Modelling Programs.....

[musicman888]

I am just wondering which modeling program/s would be better to use for creating stuff for Halo Custom Edition and for creating things for games beyond HCE. I have heard of 3ds Max, Maya, and various others but im not sure which is better for what I have said above.

I am new to all this so if you could give detailed answers it would be nice. Thanks!

[Con]

For Halo CE you'll need 3ds Max, but you can easily use any other program for the modeling as long as you do the skinning and export from Max. For games beyond CE, it really depends. I would think that a majority use Max, but you can still use something else to model in. I learned Maya before I learned 3ds Max, so I use Maya to model it. If I were you, I would start learning Max now since it's the most commonly used.

[Zeph]

Max is pretty much the most common around here. It was what Halo Custom Edition used, so most of the people here learned it first. I use both Maya and Max, but prefer Max. I feel like I have more control over what I'm doing in that program.

[musicman888]

Alright. Thanks Conscars and Zeph for your input. It will help in the decision definitely.

Note: I am still open to input from other people from the community.

[Inferno]

I also prefer max but ive never used Maya so my opinion is probably more biased. But still i would definitely suggest 3ds 8 because it has the original plug in support. And most people use it so if you have problems then more people will be able to help you.

[Llama Juice]

General modeling stuff? I prefer Maya, the interface feels less clunky to me and it just flows well...

Max gets the job done for me for Halo related stuff... but I haven't really done much since I learned Maya

[klange]

I can't say this from experience, but I've heard Maya is just plain better for modeling. However, for general compatibility for the good ol' Halo series, 3ds Max is hard to beat.

[Zeph]

I can't say this from experience, but I've heard Maya is just plain better for modeling. However, for general compatibility for the good ol' Halo series, 3ds Max is hard to beat.
You can model equally well with both applications. Max is oriented more for a geometrical modeling style while Maya is oriented towards making things organically. It's just the way the tools are presented before you. The benefits behind Max lay in its ability for a user to define a vertex/edge/face/object's absolute location easily as well as having the vast majority of its productivity buttons being labeled in English. I haven't spent nearly as much time in Maya as I have in Max, but it has an amazing UV mapping system. Animation and object smoothing (not smoothing groups) are the only other things I've seen work better in Maya than Max.

[Corndogman]

Well as for beyond halo CE, I know that most gaming company's require you to know both Maya and 3ds max, as well as other modeling programs. I use 3ds max 8 right now but plan on learning Maya too at some point.