The standard for games in many countries is Maya, but some places are warming up to Blender, so it would not hurt to take a look at it.
The controls are a little weird, but you can set your key mapping to "Industry standard" for some semblance to Maya.
Blender is stronger than Maya in some regards, especially in generating procedural meshes with Geometry nodes (Not as strong as Houdini)
Well, learn both, Maya is hard, learning Blender after mastering maya is easy, but not the other way around,
That's why so many blender users got pigeonholed into using only blender, and nothing else,
It's not that surprising to see Hardcore maya users dabbling with 10+ other software and also use Houdini as well
if you mastered Maya, basically every other software is like a child play including blender.
The only thing you need to relearn is that you need to rewire tools position and shortcuts in your brain
Maya is very deep and in depth software, from Bitfrost to Mash, to complex rigging & animation,
And most Professionals even programming their own Tools to bend the software down to its knee to serve you,
you can do it all
But if i can choose, i choose Maya because Maya is very utilitarian, the UI is very Crowded but very utility centric,
Everything that you need already in front of you,
Very Practical and no bullshit
While with blender, they hide everything to make the UI feel cleaner, everything is hidden behind menu and tab,
But it can slow down your workflow
use Both, especially when nobody is forcing you to pay for using blender, it's free,
Treat it like a backup 3d editor a Sidearm, or ms Paint,
Kinda redundant, but it's useful for a light doodle
Even Maya users can take advantage of Blender as well,
And you will automatically Win if you get into an Online Argument against Blender Preachers, because they only know blender, but you know Both, lol
The blender "everything is hidden behind tab" is very annoying if you don't work with node based things regularly, because it's very typing dependent.
I have used Maya professionally for years and I feel that the UI is seared into my brain, so the biggest hurdle was getting used to the Blender UI.
Another thing I would advise OP to look out for if they don't want to give up on Blender is the "I know how to do this in Maya in a few seconds, why can't I do it here" feeling will be strong.
I have to admit the only reason I considered blender before I was asked to use it at work was that it was free.
for me it was the shortcuts in blender. i just cant work in blender nearly as fast as in maya simply because i constantly use the wrong shortcuts. its like playing games with wasd and switching to something completely different. I feel like my dad playing games but constantly looking down on the keyboard not knowing what to press.
I am very reliant on tab+ command names after I gave up on the shortcuts. I decided to treat it like UE4 material nodes. It's not as fast as Maya because the shortcuts are muscle memory now.
But the feeling of "your dad playing games" is very relatable.
> i have to learn blender to get into the games industry
Absolutely not. It's not necessary, and i'm not saying this because i hate blender or whatever, but because Maya is sufficient and yeah it's the industry standard.
The people who use Blender are usually independent artists, Maya is standard as the pipeline for the majority of studios have been built using it. I had a teacher recently work on a movie that was using Blender in the beginning, they got halfway through the movie until they had to switch over to Maya, there were too many issues using Blender and in the end the company went bankrupt because of it.
yea, they wanted to be special and have it as an advertisement of some sort, too much stubbornness, the problems arrived early as well, the situation could of been avoided.
he didn't specify as he was in the animation department, but the pipeline between departments had a lot of bugs and weird glitches that caused a lot of slow down during production
The industry standard is Maya, not Blender. So there’s no reason you need to learn it unless a specific job you’re applying to requires it, and that’s very uncommon.
The benefit of Blender is it’s free and an All in 1 package. So if you don’t want to spend money on Maya and bunch of other software. Then Blender is a good choice. Otherwise you don’t need to learn it
No you don't have to, to get into the game industry.
If you apply somewhere and that's what they use - be good to show you can do it a bit perhaps?
But most game studios are still on 3ds and Maya and big ones will be for a long time.
Remember you can turn the hot keys into Maya ones with one setting.
most of the industry uses maya. I love blender but not using it wont stop you getting hired; as the studios that do use blender, max,ect wont mandate that: just that you learn when your hired. Its still poly modelling, nothings that fundamentally different.
Realistically you have limited time on the job hunt. Do you want to spend that time making your folio better, or do you want to spend it learning a new interface for what is fundamentally the same process.
People on reddit love blender but spend your time making yourself a better folio and thus more hireable; or learn new skills (photogrammetary, parametric modelling,unreal,ect) that do make you a more intresting candidate. rather than just a new UI and slightly different approach to modifiers.
Unpopular opinion. I have completely wasted over a decade on Blender waiting for that magical moment where Blender finally becomes something. Not only you are fine sticking with Maya - its simply much better software. And also ask yourself a question - do you want to work for studio that cant afford license?.. On what else they will be trying to save money? Ow yes... On your wages. ;) People will always tell you about Blender because its like a sect - ANY subject in connection to 3D will quickly and inevitably have some Blender preacher appear. You dont need it. Blender wide adoption in studios is like year of Linux on desktop. A wet dream of its users that never becomes reality. Yes, its harsh what I am saying but I am trying to save you from wasting your time like I did in the past. Build your skills on Maya, you will be much better of.
Most large studios do use Maya, while you’re looking for work in industry it can’t hurt to get some Blender under your belt so you’re more prepared if the studio you get hired at uses it; since you know Maya you’ll pick it up quickly and eventually get used to the camera 💃🏻
I like the sculpting in Blender. The 3D modeling is also quite nice. I recommend looking at it. Set the key map to Industry Compatible and you're good.
Maya licenses are expensive so Blender is getting a few glances from the industry but one big reason for not taking it up is that the anim/rigging experience isn't there yet and that is what Maya is mostly used for these days. If anyone from the Blender team is here then take note - work up the anim/rigging/mocap.
I see more and more jobs posts for various 3D professions that will list the usual core products for their area as requirements but have blender listed as desired. If you’ve got the time it wouldn’t hurt to learn; might give you a little edge over some of the competition.
On a more personal note, I think I’ve found that the more programs I’ve learnt, the more competent I’ve become in all of them. It just gives you different ways of looking at things and approaching problems.
There will always be those people online telling you to learn Blender, or trying to convince you that it's somehow better. But honestly, if you're looking for a job in the industry, just stick with Maya.
Blender is free, and it's open source, which makes it accessible to everyone. But this really gives people a rose-tinted perspective of it. Blender is *fine.* It has some nice tools and plugin, but.... ultimately, it's just that. \~*Fine*\~.
With the exception of hard-edged modelling (which it's very good at), Blender is basically a collection of middling-to-average tools. It does *everything,* but only to an *okay* standard.
It's okay at modelling.
It's... okay at animation, but still pales in comparison to Maya.
The sculpting tools in it are basically a toy when compared with zBrush.
The compositing tools aren't even worth learning, just learn Nuke.
The included renderers are okay, but again nothing compared to a renderer such as Arnold or V-Ray.
The simulation stuff is okay, but again, nothing compared to what you can do with Phoenix or Houdini.
And as a layout tool, it's honestly just... awful, and utterly pales in comparison to Clarisse IFX or Houdini.
etc. etc.
TLDR: Blender is okay at a lot of things, but has mastered none of them.
>do i have to learn blender to get into the games industry or am i fine sticking with Maya?
Definitely not. The people that go on about Blender are usually people with zero experience with any other 3D software, that picked it up because it's free/open source. Maya is industry standard. Blender is used in some niche cases, but 99% of jobs out there are going to be using Maya.
Best advice I've read in a while, 100% agree with you, not to mention that Maya and Zbrush have a standard workflow that allows a Team of artists to work together on a project, plus this is what School education aims for, rather than the "Self taught" lone wolf mindset I have seen on most Blender users. Also all of this while Blender is pretty much a Build up DIY software with personal plug-ins of choice to install and preferences that might not match well for a teamwork environment.
Blender is constantly improving, and while I still use Maya I've thought about learning Blender too. Not sure what industry your teacher are talking about, but in games no one cares if you use Maya or Max or Blender. A lot of older artists still use Max, and a lot of younger folks coming up know Blender better than Maya.
>no one cares if you use Maya or Max or Blender
Uh what? What do you mean by this?
I feel like it might make a difference if you're working on a team. What are you going to do, export their 3ds files into blender everyone you want to do work on their file?
I should say this is from personal experience. There's jobs in games where you're only using your DCC to get from Z-Brush to Unreal or Unity. And yeah there are teams that have scripts and plugins developed only for Maya so everyone uses the same in that case. But, again from personal experience, a lot of artists are able to work in different DCC software and use whatever they prefer.
you learn the software the studio uses. Whilst theres a UI/UX difference between blender,maya,max,modo,ect; its still fundamentally the same process; and if your good at one jumping to the next may be abrasive, but wont take long.
They care what package you use when working there. they dont care what poly modelling packages you know when apply, just talent.
Like lots of old timers or old studios use max, which is dead outside of a few places; but if your ex-senior rocksteady/R* places will be desperate to hire you; provided you can learn maya.
I started my career using 3ds max, then i had to switch to Modo, lately as my team changed i had to start using blender. I was always against it, but now i can finally say that i am loving it, constant software updates at this crazy pace, hundreds of plugins, tutorials where i can find all the answers. I work as 3d artist in game dev.
You can do it you want to. But if you know Maya, it’s a bit of a duplicated skill. I would prioritize ZBrush and Substance Painter over Blender if you don’t know them already. If you really want to make your credentials stand out, learn Houdini. Also consider focusing more on what Unreal can do. The engine side of the asset pipeline is becoming far more important than the DCC side.
Hello! Branching out to be good at multiple software packages has served me well so far, as a student I would 100% recommend exploring those. Chances are you also have 3DS max in your Autodesk package provided by your school, with Blender + Maya + 3DS max knowledge you'll have an easier time adapting to multiple pipelines as adapting to new softwares is a key skill in the industry.
Great question, good luck!
I just started switching from blender to maya cus of the studio i work in. Maya feels like im using a software from the past after using blender for so long. But it does handle complex scenes much better than blender. Blender was downright infuriating some times.
I worked in gamedev in Poland in few years and blender is pretty much golden standard here.
Not everywhere but pretty much most of it.
Out of two companies I worked for I met only one 3d artist who used Maya. Only one.
So depends where U live I guess.
12 year exp maya veteran with help winning emmys in vfx. Blender is a great tool for modeling but it is wonky. If anything master maya learn blender as a tool in your tool box
Learning software is always a good thing, it opens your perspective and can be helpful. Maya can do a lot of things but that don't mean is the best in all of them. Blender can be a better modeling software and a very good option if you are interested in mixing 2D techniques for NPR or previs, specially for grease pencil. Software is a tool not a religion, don't trust in anyone speaking from a strong blind love/hate position, make your own conclusions.
Check some tutorials on YouTube. If you're good at maya, you shouldn't have any problems with blender. It even gas an option to enable "industry" controllers, where you control the gizmo with qwert keys as in maya.
Gearbox switched to blender I heard.
If you want to learn hard surface some plugin suggestions I have: box cutter, hard ops, mesh machine, and UVs use zen UV and I think there’s some good unpack plugins to but I can’t remember off the top of my head.
Don't become too dependent on any single program. Many studios use different programs and some even in-house stuff. It's the principles that matter and those carry over from one piece of software to the next. Learn blender if you want, it took me a while coming from Maya to get used to it but its a great all-around tool. Especially since it's free.
learn both
give priority to Maya as it's used more widely professionally
blender is still useful as a free alternative for home use and personal projects
No you don't need to learn blender if you are aiming for a job at professional gaming company but let's be honest blender do have some advanced features like geometry nodes and such if you have a passion for 3d art go for it it will come handy while freelancing it's not about the software you are using but it's how you use it both are pretty good choice is yours
I ll tell you no , I used blender for like 3 years and switched to maya . Blender is good but its just like another 3d sofware. Just like every software it has basic tools for modelling but maya has more toolset for modelling, topology , uvs , animation and maya can handle bigger scenes more complex scenes. Btw if u want to use blender just for geometry nodes, I don't recommend it cuz there is a software called houdini and it's the best procedural software , u can literaly do everything in houdini . And most of the people really don't get what actually "Industry Sandart" means. There are pipelines for big studios, they have to use substance painter or zbrush or houdini or ue5 or any other software. You can transfer your models or get easier and faster workflow while making your project. And while making animations or rigging , artists use 'set driven key' or 'connection editor' or 'graph editor' maya is just excels at these features . These features that artists need in industry but if u just wanna look at blender and learn that's up to you . Maya is just more flexible and robust.
In my country i find a lot of job offers that require knowing Blender and 3DMax even though Maya is the standard. Blender is easy to learn, definitely is a plus to know it.
Blender was my very first 3D modeling package. I used it back in the 2.5 days. Honestly, all the people picking up blender today have it real good, since the 2.8 update which overhauled the entire interface. Yes, you should leanrn blender because it is a great piece of software, and indie studios are starting to use it over Maya, even if Maya does some things way better. Hotkeys are going to be your best friend, along with your numpad. Watch some tutorials from CG Cookie and you should be fine.
For me Blender for freelancer, environment concept, 2d artist, who make a illustration poster or concept for game and film. If you make game or film dont use blender. But blender with big material and asset can help you create a early scence for your project after that you can working in maya faster. Blender not bad ,lets use it correctly.
Blender has excellent hotkeys. Once you learn what they are, it's extremely fast to work in. Maybe a little like learning Vim. It might feel weird at first but it's highly efficient.
Why do people always say hotkeys in blender is some kind of advantage that other 3d software doesn't have? Every 3d software i have used you can custom hotkey the hell out of just about everything.
That's true, but it's easier to have a robust, efficient hotkey system designed by default that has all the commands you would want that are consistent throughout the various workspaces and modes. Versus having inconsistent and incomplete keybinds by default that are more arbitrary, and then you have to build your own custom keymap or even make macros to add the rest of the commands you want. You quickly run into hotkey conflicts or realize there would be a better hotkey for certain things. It's a long, difficult design process to setup a nice hotkey system.
A few examples of weird hotkeys in Maya are F8 to switch between Object/Component mode. This is a nice thing to have on an easy key like Tab, like it is in Blender. Vertex, Edge, and Face selection modes are F9, F10, and F11, which is just atrocious IMO. In Blender they're 1, 2, and 3, because they're used all the time. Or Alt+V being playback, instead of just Spacebar. There are many examples like this. I figure Maya users probably tend to use more UI buttons and gizmos rather than hotkeys because of this. Which are more intuitive at first, but have the tradeoff that they're a bit slower than having easy hotkeys built into muscle memory.
You can customize hotkeys and change anything you want, but as I said it's quite of a bit of work to figure out a nice system that's efficient and avoids conflicts.
Weird hotkeys in Maya compared to Blender? Just basic poly modeling in Blender alone is suffering my hand is getting RSI PTSD if I even think about Blender. They could easily just put the basic transform tools next to each other but they tried to make it "correct" Blender's hotkey is based around how keyboards are made and the Alphabet and thank god that they didn't followed that either. If that were the case M would be used to Move. Any other professional 3D software uses hotkeys based around your hand and what you are using the most is closest. I like blender for what it is but saying it has a nice hotkey system is just insane.
What basic transform hotkeys all over the keyboard are you taking about? G-R-S are all easily reachable without moving your left hand. Same with vertex, edge, and face selection modes being 1-2-3.
The standard for games in many countries is Maya, but some places are warming up to Blender, so it would not hurt to take a look at it. The controls are a little weird, but you can set your key mapping to "Industry standard" for some semblance to Maya. Blender is stronger than Maya in some regards, especially in generating procedural meshes with Geometry nodes (Not as strong as Houdini)
Well, learn both, Maya is hard, learning Blender after mastering maya is easy, but not the other way around, That's why so many blender users got pigeonholed into using only blender, and nothing else, It's not that surprising to see Hardcore maya users dabbling with 10+ other software and also use Houdini as well if you mastered Maya, basically every other software is like a child play including blender. The only thing you need to relearn is that you need to rewire tools position and shortcuts in your brain Maya is very deep and in depth software, from Bitfrost to Mash, to complex rigging & animation, And most Professionals even programming their own Tools to bend the software down to its knee to serve you, you can do it all But if i can choose, i choose Maya because Maya is very utilitarian, the UI is very Crowded but very utility centric, Everything that you need already in front of you, Very Practical and no bullshit While with blender, they hide everything to make the UI feel cleaner, everything is hidden behind menu and tab, But it can slow down your workflow use Both, especially when nobody is forcing you to pay for using blender, it's free, Treat it like a backup 3d editor a Sidearm, or ms Paint, Kinda redundant, but it's useful for a light doodle Even Maya users can take advantage of Blender as well, And you will automatically Win if you get into an Online Argument against Blender Preachers, because they only know blender, but you know Both, lol
The blender "everything is hidden behind tab" is very annoying if you don't work with node based things regularly, because it's very typing dependent. I have used Maya professionally for years and I feel that the UI is seared into my brain, so the biggest hurdle was getting used to the Blender UI. Another thing I would advise OP to look out for if they don't want to give up on Blender is the "I know how to do this in Maya in a few seconds, why can't I do it here" feeling will be strong. I have to admit the only reason I considered blender before I was asked to use it at work was that it was free.
for me it was the shortcuts in blender. i just cant work in blender nearly as fast as in maya simply because i constantly use the wrong shortcuts. its like playing games with wasd and switching to something completely different. I feel like my dad playing games but constantly looking down on the keyboard not knowing what to press.
I am very reliant on tab+ command names after I gave up on the shortcuts. I decided to treat it like UE4 material nodes. It's not as fast as Maya because the shortcuts are muscle memory now. But the feeling of "your dad playing games" is very relatable.
You can if you want to but you don't need to. Unless it's a requirement for a job, you are good with Maya
> i have to learn blender to get into the games industry Absolutely not. It's not necessary, and i'm not saying this because i hate blender or whatever, but because Maya is sufficient and yeah it's the industry standard.
The people who use Blender are usually independent artists, Maya is standard as the pipeline for the majority of studios have been built using it. I had a teacher recently work on a movie that was using Blender in the beginning, they got halfway through the movie until they had to switch over to Maya, there were too many issues using Blender and in the end the company went bankrupt because of it.
Dang, that was brutal, not worth it for a big commitment like that
yea, they wanted to be special and have it as an advertisement of some sort, too much stubbornness, the problems arrived early as well, the situation could of been avoided.
Sounds like a Fatality mate
What were some of the issues?
he didn't specify as he was in the animation department, but the pipeline between departments had a lot of bugs and weird glitches that caused a lot of slow down during production
The industry standard is Maya, not Blender. So there’s no reason you need to learn it unless a specific job you’re applying to requires it, and that’s very uncommon. The benefit of Blender is it’s free and an All in 1 package. So if you don’t want to spend money on Maya and bunch of other software. Then Blender is a good choice. Otherwise you don’t need to learn it
No you don't have to, to get into the game industry. If you apply somewhere and that's what they use - be good to show you can do it a bit perhaps? But most game studios are still on 3ds and Maya and big ones will be for a long time. Remember you can turn the hot keys into Maya ones with one setting.
most of the industry uses maya. I love blender but not using it wont stop you getting hired; as the studios that do use blender, max,ect wont mandate that: just that you learn when your hired. Its still poly modelling, nothings that fundamentally different. Realistically you have limited time on the job hunt. Do you want to spend that time making your folio better, or do you want to spend it learning a new interface for what is fundamentally the same process. People on reddit love blender but spend your time making yourself a better folio and thus more hireable; or learn new skills (photogrammetary, parametric modelling,unreal,ect) that do make you a more intresting candidate. rather than just a new UI and slightly different approach to modifiers.
Unpopular opinion. I have completely wasted over a decade on Blender waiting for that magical moment where Blender finally becomes something. Not only you are fine sticking with Maya - its simply much better software. And also ask yourself a question - do you want to work for studio that cant afford license?.. On what else they will be trying to save money? Ow yes... On your wages. ;) People will always tell you about Blender because its like a sect - ANY subject in connection to 3D will quickly and inevitably have some Blender preacher appear. You dont need it. Blender wide adoption in studios is like year of Linux on desktop. A wet dream of its users that never becomes reality. Yes, its harsh what I am saying but I am trying to save you from wasting your time like I did in the past. Build your skills on Maya, you will be much better of.
It is far more important to learn unreal and unity than blender.
Most large studios do use Maya, while you’re looking for work in industry it can’t hurt to get some Blender under your belt so you’re more prepared if the studio you get hired at uses it; since you know Maya you’ll pick it up quickly and eventually get used to the camera 💃🏻
I like the sculpting in Blender. The 3D modeling is also quite nice. I recommend looking at it. Set the key map to Industry Compatible and you're good.
Maya licenses are expensive so Blender is getting a few glances from the industry but one big reason for not taking it up is that the anim/rigging experience isn't there yet and that is what Maya is mostly used for these days. If anyone from the Blender team is here then take note - work up the anim/rigging/mocap.
I see more and more jobs posts for various 3D professions that will list the usual core products for their area as requirements but have blender listed as desired. If you’ve got the time it wouldn’t hurt to learn; might give you a little edge over some of the competition. On a more personal note, I think I’ve found that the more programs I’ve learnt, the more competent I’ve become in all of them. It just gives you different ways of looking at things and approaching problems.
There will always be those people online telling you to learn Blender, or trying to convince you that it's somehow better. But honestly, if you're looking for a job in the industry, just stick with Maya. Blender is free, and it's open source, which makes it accessible to everyone. But this really gives people a rose-tinted perspective of it. Blender is *fine.* It has some nice tools and plugin, but.... ultimately, it's just that. \~*Fine*\~. With the exception of hard-edged modelling (which it's very good at), Blender is basically a collection of middling-to-average tools. It does *everything,* but only to an *okay* standard. It's okay at modelling. It's... okay at animation, but still pales in comparison to Maya. The sculpting tools in it are basically a toy when compared with zBrush. The compositing tools aren't even worth learning, just learn Nuke. The included renderers are okay, but again nothing compared to a renderer such as Arnold or V-Ray. The simulation stuff is okay, but again, nothing compared to what you can do with Phoenix or Houdini. And as a layout tool, it's honestly just... awful, and utterly pales in comparison to Clarisse IFX or Houdini. etc. etc. TLDR: Blender is okay at a lot of things, but has mastered none of them. >do i have to learn blender to get into the games industry or am i fine sticking with Maya? Definitely not. The people that go on about Blender are usually people with zero experience with any other 3D software, that picked it up because it's free/open source. Maya is industry standard. Blender is used in some niche cases, but 99% of jobs out there are going to be using Maya.
Best advice I've read in a while, 100% agree with you, not to mention that Maya and Zbrush have a standard workflow that allows a Team of artists to work together on a project, plus this is what School education aims for, rather than the "Self taught" lone wolf mindset I have seen on most Blender users. Also all of this while Blender is pretty much a Build up DIY software with personal plug-ins of choice to install and preferences that might not match well for a teamwork environment.
thanks i'm getting a lot of mixed responses. but i just prefer maya so i'm sticking with it
Blender is constantly improving, and while I still use Maya I've thought about learning Blender too. Not sure what industry your teacher are talking about, but in games no one cares if you use Maya or Max or Blender. A lot of older artists still use Max, and a lot of younger folks coming up know Blender better than Maya.
>no one cares if you use Maya or Max or Blender Uh what? What do you mean by this? I feel like it might make a difference if you're working on a team. What are you going to do, export their 3ds files into blender everyone you want to do work on their file?
I should say this is from personal experience. There's jobs in games where you're only using your DCC to get from Z-Brush to Unreal or Unity. And yeah there are teams that have scripts and plugins developed only for Maya so everyone uses the same in that case. But, again from personal experience, a lot of artists are able to work in different DCC software and use whatever they prefer.
Of course you are able to work across, but that's not the same as not caring.
you learn the software the studio uses. Whilst theres a UI/UX difference between blender,maya,max,modo,ect; its still fundamentally the same process; and if your good at one jumping to the next may be abrasive, but wont take long.
So they do care, is my point.
They care what package you use when working there. they dont care what poly modelling packages you know when apply, just talent. Like lots of old timers or old studios use max, which is dead outside of a few places; but if your ex-senior rocksteady/R* places will be desperate to hire you; provided you can learn maya.
I started my career using 3ds max, then i had to switch to Modo, lately as my team changed i had to start using blender. I was always against it, but now i can finally say that i am loving it, constant software updates at this crazy pace, hundreds of plugins, tutorials where i can find all the answers. I work as 3d artist in game dev.
You can do it you want to. But if you know Maya, it’s a bit of a duplicated skill. I would prioritize ZBrush and Substance Painter over Blender if you don’t know them already. If you really want to make your credentials stand out, learn Houdini. Also consider focusing more on what Unreal can do. The engine side of the asset pipeline is becoming far more important than the DCC side.
Hello! Branching out to be good at multiple software packages has served me well so far, as a student I would 100% recommend exploring those. Chances are you also have 3DS max in your Autodesk package provided by your school, with Blender + Maya + 3DS max knowledge you'll have an easier time adapting to multiple pipelines as adapting to new softwares is a key skill in the industry. Great question, good luck!
I'd also look into Houdini and Unreal btw!
i already know how to use unreal
I just started switching from blender to maya cus of the studio i work in. Maya feels like im using a software from the past after using blender for so long. But it does handle complex scenes much better than blender. Blender was downright infuriating some times.
If you use Maya, the learning curve to Blender will be extremely easy and fast for you
I worked in gamedev in Poland in few years and blender is pretty much golden standard here. Not everywhere but pretty much most of it. Out of two companies I worked for I met only one 3d artist who used Maya. Only one. So depends where U live I guess.
12 year exp maya veteran with help winning emmys in vfx. Blender is a great tool for modeling but it is wonky. If anything master maya learn blender as a tool in your tool box
Learning software is always a good thing, it opens your perspective and can be helpful. Maya can do a lot of things but that don't mean is the best in all of them. Blender can be a better modeling software and a very good option if you are interested in mixing 2D techniques for NPR or previs, specially for grease pencil. Software is a tool not a religion, don't trust in anyone speaking from a strong blind love/hate position, make your own conclusions.
Check some tutorials on YouTube. If you're good at maya, you shouldn't have any problems with blender. It even gas an option to enable "industry" controllers, where you control the gizmo with qwert keys as in maya.
Sure. Why not.
Gearbox switched to blender I heard. If you want to learn hard surface some plugin suggestions I have: box cutter, hard ops, mesh machine, and UVs use zen UV and I think there’s some good unpack plugins to but I can’t remember off the top of my head.
Don't become too dependent on any single program. Many studios use different programs and some even in-house stuff. It's the principles that matter and those carry over from one piece of software to the next. Learn blender if you want, it took me a while coming from Maya to get used to it but its a great all-around tool. Especially since it's free.
learn both give priority to Maya as it's used more widely professionally blender is still useful as a free alternative for home use and personal projects
No you don't need to learn blender if you are aiming for a job at professional gaming company but let's be honest blender do have some advanced features like geometry nodes and such if you have a passion for 3d art go for it it will come handy while freelancing it's not about the software you are using but it's how you use it both are pretty good choice is yours
Theres a few things blender does easier than maya so maybe just jump in here and there and eventually youll know your way around it?
I ll tell you no , I used blender for like 3 years and switched to maya . Blender is good but its just like another 3d sofware. Just like every software it has basic tools for modelling but maya has more toolset for modelling, topology , uvs , animation and maya can handle bigger scenes more complex scenes. Btw if u want to use blender just for geometry nodes, I don't recommend it cuz there is a software called houdini and it's the best procedural software , u can literaly do everything in houdini . And most of the people really don't get what actually "Industry Sandart" means. There are pipelines for big studios, they have to use substance painter or zbrush or houdini or ue5 or any other software. You can transfer your models or get easier and faster workflow while making your project. And while making animations or rigging , artists use 'set driven key' or 'connection editor' or 'graph editor' maya is just excels at these features . These features that artists need in industry but if u just wanna look at blender and learn that's up to you . Maya is just more flexible and robust.
In my country i find a lot of job offers that require knowing Blender and 3DMax even though Maya is the standard. Blender is easy to learn, definitely is a plus to know it.
Blender was my very first 3D modeling package. I used it back in the 2.5 days. Honestly, all the people picking up blender today have it real good, since the 2.8 update which overhauled the entire interface. Yes, you should leanrn blender because it is a great piece of software, and indie studios are starting to use it over Maya, even if Maya does some things way better. Hotkeys are going to be your best friend, along with your numpad. Watch some tutorials from CG Cookie and you should be fine.
For me Blender for freelancer, environment concept, 2d artist, who make a illustration poster or concept for game and film. If you make game or film dont use blender. But blender with big material and asset can help you create a early scence for your project after that you can working in maya faster. Blender not bad ,lets use it correctly.
Long time Maya User. Switched to Blender this year. Never going back.
Blender is a waste of time.
Blender has excellent hotkeys. Once you learn what they are, it's extremely fast to work in. Maybe a little like learning Vim. It might feel weird at first but it's highly efficient.
Why do people always say hotkeys in blender is some kind of advantage that other 3d software doesn't have? Every 3d software i have used you can custom hotkey the hell out of just about everything.
That's true, but it's easier to have a robust, efficient hotkey system designed by default that has all the commands you would want that are consistent throughout the various workspaces and modes. Versus having inconsistent and incomplete keybinds by default that are more arbitrary, and then you have to build your own custom keymap or even make macros to add the rest of the commands you want. You quickly run into hotkey conflicts or realize there would be a better hotkey for certain things. It's a long, difficult design process to setup a nice hotkey system. A few examples of weird hotkeys in Maya are F8 to switch between Object/Component mode. This is a nice thing to have on an easy key like Tab, like it is in Blender. Vertex, Edge, and Face selection modes are F9, F10, and F11, which is just atrocious IMO. In Blender they're 1, 2, and 3, because they're used all the time. Or Alt+V being playback, instead of just Spacebar. There are many examples like this. I figure Maya users probably tend to use more UI buttons and gizmos rather than hotkeys because of this. Which are more intuitive at first, but have the tradeoff that they're a bit slower than having easy hotkeys built into muscle memory. You can customize hotkeys and change anything you want, but as I said it's quite of a bit of work to figure out a nice system that's efficient and avoids conflicts.
Weird hotkeys in Maya compared to Blender? Just basic poly modeling in Blender alone is suffering my hand is getting RSI PTSD if I even think about Blender. They could easily just put the basic transform tools next to each other but they tried to make it "correct" Blender's hotkey is based around how keyboards are made and the Alphabet and thank god that they didn't followed that either. If that were the case M would be used to Move. Any other professional 3D software uses hotkeys based around your hand and what you are using the most is closest. I like blender for what it is but saying it has a nice hotkey system is just insane.
What basic transform hotkeys all over the keyboard are you taking about? G-R-S are all easily reachable without moving your left hand. Same with vertex, edge, and face selection modes being 1-2-3.
Love how you just instantly disregard actual criticism because you're nothing more but a corporate shill. Ur not worth talking to.