Anyone who has had experience with both these program can explain the difference between the two or maybe even the pros and cons..it would be much appriciated!!

There isn't really very much difference (capability wise) between the two. They can both produce inredibly amazing results and be applied to a wide breadth of applications.

Maya has a better built in scripting system, Max has a wider multitude of plugins and addons. They both have their own individual interfaces and this is where preference comes into play. They simply feel different. Max is older than Maya and was built for polygonal modeling, whereas Maya's interface and design better takes into account NURBS modeling. Both applications are fully capable of working with polygons, NURBS, and subdivision surfaces.

To me personally, Maya has a slightly more organic feel to it whereas Max is a bit more CAD-like. Again though, this is simply a personal observation and that is it. I prefer Maya, but I still think Max is an awesome app. Both apps are used in developing videogames and films.

Thanx man i have 3ds max and i noticed that mayas price compared to max is a huge jump and i was only wondering why the big jump!! max is 2k and a maya is 7k!!

Maya has two separate commercial editions - Complete and Unlimited. Complete is 2k and Unlimited is 7k. The big difference between the two is that Unlimited includes Maya Fluid Effects, Maya Cloth, Maya Hair, Maya Fur, and Maya Live. Max also has a variety of similiar plugins that when added up, can surpass that price.

Geez, I'll stick with Blender for now, thank you!

Just remember one thing, it's not the tool that makes the artist, it's you. I've seen amazing things modeled in programs that people have never heard of, and believe me if you put the time into what your making and have a lot of skill it doesn't matter what you use within reason.

I agree, have used the Maya Personal Learning Edition and have found it simply amazing compared to other programs(but time and effort is key). It was a definite step up from the program I was originally using called Anim8or, a shareware download. The control of Maya was a little awkward for me though. I think it just was my transition from the two programs. But if I had to suggest Max or Maya, I'd say Maya was the better of the two.

Wow, what really bugs me is that no one EVER mentions Softimage XSI. It is just as good as Maya and Max and is definately better for animation. It also has a pretty intuitive and simple UI. No one seems to ever give credit to XSI as it is also a pretty powerful tool. You can even use their XSI Modtool for free to test it out.

From a programmer's point of view:

I've recently been attempting to make the move to 3D modeling. After having tried both Maya and Max, and going through several tutorials and video trainings on quickstarts and the UI, I've found Max is much more easier for me to pick up on and get something done with. Like everyone else has said, it is all personal preference, and there are many other tools out there. But for me, Max was much easier to work with.

They are both very powerful tools, and I would suggest you download the trials/learning editions of both and play around with them. Go through some tutorials on each. See which one feels more natural to you. You want to have a program that lets you get something done, not one that is a headache for you to learn and work with. Once you are able to concentrate on one program, then learn how to model. If you go professional you will undoubtedly know how to work with several programs in the future.

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Original post by eloadrin Wow, what really bugs me is that no one EVER mentions Softimage XSI. It is just as good as Maya and Max and is definately better for animation. It also has a pretty intuitive and simple UI. No one seems to ever give credit to XSI as it is also a pretty powerful tool. You can even use their XSI Modtool for free to test it out.

I bought XSI Foundation 4.2 almost 2 years ago, you just can't beat the price ($499) and quality it has, I think its an amazing program, and I am very glad Avis is sort of shifting their focus to game development. However I DO have some grievances about it.

In General (meaning non Version Specific issues) I find that the availability of tutorials and learning materials is lacking, what is out is sometimes too basic, or not very gamedev specific, I am not saying there is absolutely nothing, but when you browse places like The gnomon Workshop or just search amazon for a book with non software specific phases "character modeling", "modeling for games" and so, you will find yourself buried under Maya or 3DS Max books, with maybe one or two outdated non-game specific XSI books. Hopefully this will change, at least there are a couple of DVDs by Noesis Interactive.

Now specifically about Foundation, To make a story short, it seems that either they remove features without documenting them or they just don't fix Foundation specific issues (I am referring here to the fact that in 4.2 if you remove a reference from a rig guide and then try to create a skeleton based on the rig, it will not work, giving an obscure error, after googling for a while I found out that the rig guide on Foundation was an older one, the solution to the problem: "just don't delete references").

Also, there is no "Upgrade Price" for Foundation, so if you miss the $100 off upgrade pre-order price, be expected to pay full price again.

Cheers, and sorry for the OT ranting [smile].