Lightwave Vs 3dsMax

Ok folks I just have one question, which is better for a AAA games?

Don't worry about the Cost, or how easy it is to use. I want to know which is better for Unity Pro.

for example:
Overall process to switch items back and forth?
How the models transfer and look?
And any other info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance....

 

Blender.

It doesn't matter what modelling tool you use, as long you know how to use it.

 

I second that.

 

Thanks for the quick response guys, I notice you put Blender, and I have downloaded it and been playing around with it, and even bought some books (I like books over videos) but it's not easy to learn. I know how to use LW and 3ds. I just wanted some input from you guys....

Once again thanks...

 

Max is the easily most suitable of the two. It has more in common with games development, from pipelines (FBX, say no more) to middleware support, in particular plugins for game engines, and has one of the leanest workflows out there.

It's not really the sort of question you should be asking if you have a AAA budget though, as that suggests you'll have a more than a few experienced artists - in which case you'd get an experienced Lead and let him sort it out

 

I doesn't matter that much what you use.

But forget the idea with the AAA game, unless you have a million dollar budget and dozens of artists and coders.

Edit: Pix10 beat me here

 

Bear in mind, AAA art rarely sits with just one art package/discipline -- sculpting (Zbrush, Mudbox, other), painting (Algrmc Painter, Subtances, Mari, etc) and so on. Lots of data to exchange, and little particulars such as vector displacement map support etc etc can come into play. Figure out the things you want to achieve and do some due diligence on how well you can do them with particular software suites.

 

Thank you Pix10, nipoco, your information is greatly appreciated, The Lead programmer is having an issue with the Lead artist, so I figured I would ask you guys just out of curiosity, like I said before I used LW and 3ds back in college it's all the same to me, Now I am a security network admin (LOL).... BUT if you had to choose which one? --now I am just curios....

Oh something about one uses C and the other used C++

 

Well, programmers and artists are like cats and dogs, they'll always disagree over something out of principle. It's a question of Pride.

I'd choose Max myself - easy answer as I've made that decision many times. As it happens I worked in a studio with mixed Max/Maya/Lightwave artists and it was fine for static geometry (scenery), but when it came to animation Lightwave didn't resolve well...too many ifs and buts in terms of moving data around.

 

It's not really so much in the actual software package itself, but in the users understanding of that software and how that application goes along with the users thought process. An experienced user will use an assortment of tools for each of their strengths.
Personally, I like Max for it's polygonal tools, but it's pretty weak in the UV mapping.
I haven't used lightwave since 1996, so I can't say much about that.
Blender, I tried, but I just can't get into it, I feel really clumsy in it.
Maya, It's really good, I just haven't used it.
I have recently taken an interest in 3DCoat, it's great for organic modeling, and it has powerful UV mapping & optimization tools.
I've also discovered Wings 3D, it seems pretty cool, though I haven't gotten enough into it yet to make a decision.

 

Well obviously there's some disagreement at the team level, so I'd try and get to the bottom of that first. You want everyone on best form after all, and it's not going to be very productive if your guys can't agree on the basics.

Ultimately though, the artists should be using what they're most comfortable with. You're paying them to make a game, and learning new software on the job can be difficult for a team that isn't already battle-hardened, so to speak. If the programmer has issues, examine them and resolve the 'why' of it into sensible terms.

 

Nice myth. Now try to sculpt in Max instead of ZBrush ...

 

Did you bother to read the sentence that came after that?

Also, Max, lightwave, maya & blender are quite similar, my statement was based on the comparison of those, of course there are other things that have different uses, that's why I wrote the 2nd sentence. I forgot that I need to be excessively specific about everything said on the internet.

 

Yep. And did you bother to understand my answer then?

My point is that the tool matters pretty well. That's why there is different software at all.

 

Yes, the tool does matter pretty well when you are speaking about different tools like max & zbrush.
But when you are talking about similar tools like lightwave, blender, max & maya. It's a matter of preference & how well you know the specific application. You can do pretty much the same things in those 4 applications. So, when choosing between those 4, choose the one you are most comfortable with and know the best. All 4 of those are very powerful and to argue which of those 4 are better is splitting hairs.

zbrush is a different type of 3D application more focused on modeling, the 4 listed above are complete 3D suites covering all aspects of 3D content creation.

Of course, no one application can do everything.

That's enough out of me, I'm not in the mood for yet another pointless internet argument.

 

Being not in the mood for pointless discussions but making pointless statements doesn''t really fit. Becoming agressive just because of disagreement neither fits. I would suggest to take a deep breath.

That the tool does matter is not splitting hairs, but simply the complete opposite of what you say. And it even matters between what you call similar software.

You even name a few points why the software matters. It's about workflow, knowledge, and being comfortable with. It's about personal preferences. People are different. That's one big reason why software matters.

But it is also about the pipeline. About all this small things that one software can do but the other can't. It's about what is common. Maya for example is well known for movie stuff, and Max for game needs by tradition. (curious enough that there is a maya lt, and not a max lt)

It's also about what is required for the job. When your company where you have a job has a Maya license but you know only Modo, then you have a problem. Because they surely don't pay you for learning Maya. They pay you for doing the job.

It's also about budget. Maya costs quite a bit more than Blender.

When the software would really not matter then there would just be one software for one task.

 

I concur with Tiles that the software does matter. I see so many people here recommending Blender, which is great idea if you're an indie studio with no budget for expensive software- but because of Blender's current fbx pipeline issues, you're going to run into a brick wall if your project calls for blendshapes or to import an fbx file for whatever reason. The support just isn't there.

Always evaluate the software and pick what is best for your project's needs.

 

Do you mean lightwave or max has no fbx issue? How about modo's fbx?

 

None of them, Blender!