Maya or Cinema 4D

[Sam Young]

cinema 4d!
1. it integrates w/ AE better than maya. c4d can do multi-pass renders and export light and camera data with an AE project file.
2. it’s easy to learn and use (for a 3d program, that is)
3. the objects look real enough. but then, i dunno how real you need them to look.
4. you can do a lot with the core app. of course, if you want more bells and whistles, there are modules you can add on.

[Clyde Villegas]

About how real it looks, I want the object to be placed on my live action video and it will not look fake. Like if I put a CGI dog side by side a real walking person that I shot on DV.

Is Maya incapable of multi-pass renders?

[Sam Young]

dunno if maya can do multi-pass rendering; doubt it.

but i know that maya cannot export an AE project file with all its camera and light data. C4D can. that alone ought to be a big selling point for you.

as for C4D’s photo-realistic rendering, check out maxon’s reel on their website.

https://www.maxon.net/pages/dyn_files/dyn_htx/htx/sol_home_e.html

[Clyde Villegas]

Yeah, i think Cinema 4D is awesome! Makes me wonder why some people here brag that they know Maya. It’s like if you wanna get serious with 3D, better learn Maya.

[Shawn Miller]

I think it’s easier to decide which application is best for you by downloading them all and trying them all. That said, C4D sounds like it will probably fit your needs. You might also want to think about exacxtly what you want to do in 3D, every aspect of 3D production can be a career on it’s own (modelling, texturing/painting, rigging, animating, lighting, rendering, effects, simulations, etc.).

Anyway, I really think it’s best to try before you buy in any case. 🙂

BTW, Sam…. Maya does indeed do multipass rendering. 🙂

Thanks,

Shawn

[Shawn Miller]

“It’s like if you wanna get serious with 3D, better learn Maya.”

I think it’s because Maya is a lot more popular in video and film production. Not that you can’t do great work in C4D… you obviously can. But if you want to work for a post-production facility, you’ll probably need to know Maya, XSI, Lightwave or 3DS Max (depending on what you do and who you want to work for).

Shawn

[Barend Onneweer]

Well, it doesn’t make any sense to comment about Maya if you don’t know what it does.

Personally – after a lot of deliberation I chose Cinema 4D. I came from a 3DSMax background, and tried Maya before finally ending up with C4D.

Cinema 4D is easier to get into than Maya. It’s also more affordable than Maya. I’m very happy with the Advanced Renderer module – I get excellent quality output.

Maya IS more high-end in the sense that it allows for tweaking an customizing on an insane level. The amount of parameters available and flexibility offered is extreme. The power of the scripting language is equally impressive. And if you look at the Unlimited package: the fur and fluid tools are way out there. But also the shader tree and animation tools offer more subtle control than C4D

So for bigger studios and 3D specialists it may offer benefits to go with a tool like Maya.

For smaller companies and allround professionals I’d advise going with Cinema 4D. You’ll be up to speed making money quicker with C4D than with Maya.

Note that I’m not saying you can’t do excellent work in C4D – otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen it.

Barend

Raamw3rk – digital storytelling and visual effects

[Sam Young]

BTW, Sam…. Maya does indeed do multipass rendering. 🙂

thanks. good to know that.

[Mike Zimbard]

I think both programs are very different animals. For the solo motion graphics artist who’s looking to add a little more to their arsenal, I think C4D is an excellent choice. It’s quick to learn, has a lot of powerful features, and you can get half decent looking stuff without having to invest too much time. Also, it has very nice integration with AE for bringing in 3D cameras from C4D.

A program like Maya is more designed for a collaborative team environment and higher end 3D work that requires a deeper toolset and features that require real fine tuning. I have just a working knowledge of Maya, but our 3D department blows me away with how they utilize the program right down to its nuts and bolts. From pipeline setup, to shaders, to dynamics, to scripting there is almost nothing you can’t accomplish. Because of this complexity I would say it should probably not be the program of choice for someone just looking to beef up their AE work a bit. However, for someone who really has a passion for 3D modelling, animation, rendering, etc its tough to beat. And multi-pass rendering has been in there for a while 🙂

[Mike Zimbard]

I think both programs are very different animals. For the solo motion graphics artist who’s looking to add a little more to their arsenal, I think C4D is an excellent choice. It’s quick to learn, has a lot of powerful features, and you can get half decent looking stuff without having to invest too much time. Also, it has very nice integration with AE for bringing in 3D cameras from C4D.

A program like Maya is more designed for a collaborative team environment and higher end 3D work that requires a deeper toolset and features that require real fine tuning. I have just a working knowledge of Maya, but our 3D department blows me away with how they utilize the program right down to its nuts and bolts. From pipeline setup, to shaders, to dynamics, to scripting there is almost nothing you can’t accomplish. Because of this complexity I would say it should probably not be the program of choice for someone just looking to beef up their AE work a bit. However, for someone who really has a passion for 3D modelling, animation, rendering, etc its tough to beat. And multi-pass rendering has been in there for a while 🙂