3D Studio Max on Virtual PC? (was My tools...)

[daxdigital]

Does running Virtual PC for Mac to run 3D Studio MAX same with running a Mac-specific Max? Are there any pitfalls?

[PatrickGaerlan]

I don't know if 3DS Max will run under Virtual PC, but even if it does, it will be SLOOOW. That's because Virtual PC relies on software emulation. Is there a Mac version of 3DS Max? If not, you should use other 3D software that have native Mac OS X versions, like Maya 7 (you can even download the free Maya 7 Personal Learning Edition).

[polar_bear]

ain't no mac specific 3DSMax. sincere recommendation - use what the pros use (and it's not 3DSMax) - Maya. And yes there's a personal learning edition. And yes the PLE is free. other 3D software are vectorworks, etc. There's even the open source Blender.

[Gomi]

virtual pc does not have 3d acceleration, opengl acceleration... something that most 3d software suites require. i would recommend cinema 4d and 3d toolkit ($99) from dvgarage.com

[Maccess]

ain't no mac specific 3DSMax. sincere recommendation - use what the pros use (and it's not 3DSMax) - Maya. And yes there's a personal learning edition. And yes the PLE is free. other 3D software are vectorworks, etc. There's even the open source Blender.

Blender Rocks! Great Open Source software 3D creation package! and it has versions for the Mac, Windows and Unix.

[daxdigital]

Main reason I can't go Maya: 5 years of knowledge of 3D Studio MAx shouldn't go to waste.

[Dave_D]

5 years of knowledge of 3D Studio MAx shouldn't go to waste.

I wholeheartedly agree. If one's livelihood is going to be affected by switching, I'd rather you not abandon the PC platform. I'd risk it only if the company (making 3D Studio Max) goes belly up so you have to migrate out of it anyway.

But the question begs to be asked... which is the best 3D package to learn on for the Mac platform?

[Kenneth]

Like everyone else, 3D Studio Max on the mac is just not possible. Stick with your PC for 3D rendering, for everything else... there's Masterca... the mac!

Aside from Blender and Maya, there's Lightwave, Cinema 4D, and Vectorworks for architects.

> But the question begs to be asked... which is the best 3D package to learn on for the Mac platform?

Dave, your question is the same as asking "which camera can take the best pictures". In this case, its up to the talent of the 3D artist to render beautiful images. I believe 3D Studio Max and Maya are on the same level, so if you've got the right mac hardware and choose to be a 3D artist as a career, then Maya would be the way to go. Then again I've seen beautiful renders by Lightwave and others. But there's a reason why Lightwave costs about $500, and Maya Unlimited about $10,000!

[daxdigital]

There's so much power in a G5 that a 3D artist can use, that's why i'm looking towards the Mac.

Going to Maya with 3D Studio MAX knowledge is like an architect who went abroad and is now told he should be a nurse because all people in this country are nurses?

There has to be a way without compromising for speed, compatibility or quality.

Lightwave looks good, but I have HUGE reservations going with that program.

I've been told there are file incompatibilities between MAX and Maya even using their respective Export commands, and nobody want their vast library of files rendered useless because you used a 3D program "that the pros use."

OK, no Studio MAX for Mac? Then could I use a G5 as the rendering engine? Could anybody find a way to do this?

[Gomi]

There's so much power in a G5 that a 3D artist can use, that's why i'm looking towards the Mac.

Going to Maya with 3D Studio MAX knowledge is like an architect who went abroad and is now told he should be a nurse because all people in this country are nurses?

There has to be a way without compromising for speed, compatibility or quality.

Lightwave looks good, but I have HUGE reservations going with that program.

I've been told there are file incompatibilities between MAX and Maya even using their respective Export commands, and nobody want their vast library of files rendered useless because you used a 3D program "that the pros use."

OK, no Studio MAX for Mac? Then could I use a G5 as the rendering engine? Could anybody find a way to do this?

3DS' distributed rendering engine requires all machines to run 3ds...

3D Studio Max Network Rendering requires you to install 3DSMAX on every computer that will be used.

therefore, no mac. ditto on lightwave, super buggy and crashes a lot.

3ds is the defacto standard for game developers, film+tv (the good ones) use mostly maya... trust me though, your knowledge wont go to waste when you move to a mac-specific 3d app, everything is still there; ik, bones, splines, etc. its just the ui that needs getting used to. lightwave users will probably feel right at home with blender (which i believe is not optimized for the g5). if you want something thats easy to learn, cinema is the way to go, the most mac-like app out there and beats the crap out of maya/lightwave when it comes to rendering performance.