Moving from Windows to Mac. Advice needed

Hi.

I'm very interested in moving from Windows to Mac and want some advice regarding software
I have a set of tools that I use in Windows and want to check if got it right on how to make the transition.

iMac spec

• iMac 27" screen
• 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
• 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
• 1TB Serial ATA Drive
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive
• ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB GDDR5 SDRAM

Unity 3.2 Pro

Should work on Mac​

Cinema 4D R12

Good on Mac​

No transition cost​

Modo 501

Good on Mac​

No transition costs​

3DCoat

Good on Mac​

Transition cost 40$​

Genetica

Windows only. What to use on Mac?​

FL-Studio

Windows only. What to use on Mac?​

Messiah Studio

Good on Mac​

Are there any other things to consider when making the transition to Mac.
Advices from you Mac Guys out there is most appreciated.

Thanks
Roland

 

Cinema 4D - Multiplattform (check) - tested on both and working

 

Thanks. Updated the first post.

 

Modo seems to have a fairly large Mac user community from what I can tell. Personal experience only goes as far as trying it during a trial period but there were no strange kinks there. Works fine.

For FL Studio replacements there's a pretty wide variety of apps available although I am unsure if there is anything that has the same "niche". Logic Studio is what I use, and it takes lots of time to master, but gives back in spades. Garageband should be able to take care of the most simple tasks and is, as you know, included with your Mac. For something less traditional than Logic Studio, Ableton Live might be worth taking a peek at.

More general switching tips: make sure to look at replacement apps for other professional (and non-professional) tasks you do. Lots of stuff is multiplatform these days but still, make sure to have a heads-up so it doesn't disturb your normal workflow too much.
Oh, and another thing. Mac OS is not Windows - don't compare them head-to-head. Lots of switchers try to recreate Windows-specific quirks or use those kinds of mindsets. Be prepared to start a-fresh. This will come quite naturally so don't be discouraged in any way. It's still a personal computer after all.

Hope some of this helps/helped you.

 

Nice post.

I will have a look at the suggested music software. Thanks for that.
Great to hear that Modo is OK as that is the one I like most.

Regarding the transition from Windows to Mac in general I'm doing that because I feel that I really need a fresh restart to get some new inspiration and motivate. So that will suite me just fine. Thanks for the comments.

First post updated.

 

I have Modo and 3D Coat on my Mac here (although I don't use that machine for development much any more), no major problems.

 

Messiah Studio 5 is working on my home and work iMac
Also i use parallels with Win7 64bit in my home and parallels Win Vista 32 bit on my work Macs and can use i.e. Genetica too there.

 

Thanks ... Messiah goes green on first post then

 

C4d

 

My advice is to stay on Windows. Mac's are overpriced and the direction those computers go is just ridiculous (OSX Lion a.k.a Mac iOS)
Especially for 3D game development I would never choose a Mac, because you need a power machine. And for the same price tag, you will get at least a 2x times faster PC. Not to forget the ugly glare screens, which make working with Macs a pain.
i.E. A HP Elite from the 590t series with 3,2 Ghz i7-970 six core, 9GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1,5 TB SATA HD, 1GB DDR3 AMD Radeon HD 6570 and BlueRay costs you $1849. Plus monitor it will be the same price of your considered Mac. Thats way more power. And you can upgrade easily.
Besides that, in a few months Apple will release a new line of iMacs and I would not recommend you to buy now, because for the same money you will get a Mac with better specs if you wait a while. http://guides.macrumors.com/iMac_Buyer's_Guide

Just my two cents. And I'm a Mac guy yet (unfortunately)

 

Sure, here is some advice:

Don't do it.

Unless you NEED something Mac specific there is zero reason to make this move. I am typing this from my 2010 Mac Pro, which also runs W7 64, because I get more done in that OS unfortunately. I've been using Macs since the G5 days. They aren't better. The hardware isn't better, and the software isn't better. Of course that is all a matter of opinion, and there are some nice things about Macs, but IMO, switching is in almost no ones best interest these days. Grass ain't greener.

 

Melonsoda Jared

I have got the same recommendations from other sources that really are no hobby developers
and will follow your's and theirs advice. However I want to thanks all of you for the inputs.

Thanks all
Roland

 

Hey Roland. I'm sure you're going to want to play with the latest shiny LE3 features as well. Unless Apple pulls their heads out and releases some decent OpenGL drivers you'll want to stick w/ Windows for that.

 

FruitLoops should run on MacOS using CrossOver...