Hi!
I’m learning a GameDev with Unreal Engine 4. And I would like to know what is the best 3d modelling tool among: blender, maya and 3ds max for gamedev.
Thanks.
You can use any of those, but 3ds Max and Maya have better support for the FBX format which makes exporting to UE4 easier
If you want to get a job in the industry though, you should use 3ds Max or Maya since most studios use those programs as a part of their pipeline.
I learnt on 3dsMax last century, and now i’m so used with the UI that it’s hard to get used with other.
If I’d start from scratch it’d definnetly be with Blender, because its liscense is fully open and that’s the future.
Darth is totally right, though…
For Blender you might want to check the Bforartists fork which has a way better UI than the default one : https://www.bforartists.de/
The Maya Config Addon for Blender 2.8 is another good UI that mimics the Maya one: Maya Config Addon For Blender 3.4
Although the Blender 2.8 UI is a huge improvement over the previous version it still is not as productive as it could be and those two alternate UIs can improve productivity a lot.
Then on the Blender Market marketplace there are many useful commercial plugins that can make it way better although some are a bit too expensive.
Then for PBR painting there is the cheap ArmorPaint https://armorpaint.org/
And another good software is Rocket3F Basic which is free while the Pro is not that expensive: https://www.rocket3f.com/
Anyway don’t expect a single software package to be perfect and that’s it, not even the very expensive ones really are. Some have better tools than others and buying additional plugins available can be very useful.
I think that is what Autodesk wants you to believe, although in reality the only thing that matters is the end result and not how you got there. Either you get to chose whatever you like or they will pay for an introduction to 3dsMax or Maya if that is a requirement. One area that Blender is still not so great at is rigging though so if rigging and animation is what you do then I would probably pick Maya instead (not Maya LT).
I prefer Blender, you should try them all though and pick the one you like so you know what to expect if you have to switch.
You can learn 3DS Max and Maya on a student license (which is free) but you can’t do any promotional or monetary work with it; You CAN fill a portfolio, though. It’s a good idea to learn multiple modeling softwares in any case. You’ll definitely find more efficient ways to do certain things between each software.
Of course Autodesk wants everyone to use their software, but the choice of program that you can use is up to the studio. They need to be able to open your files which is why a specific program would be mandated, and some studios will have custom tools programmed for the software. You can’t just use whatever you want when you go to work for a studio.
I never said you could always use what you want but that people that don’t pick Blender because they worry that they need to always use Maya or Max is missing out on an opportunity. While you are searching for a job spend the time to learn Maya and 3dsMax so you can add it to your CV. I tried them all and find that Blender is the best at making hard surface models. For digital sculpting ZBrush is the best although it has a very weird interface.
You said all that matters is the end result, which isn’t the case. If you’re not working for a studio then you can do your own work in whatever program you like, but be prepared if you want to find a job for a studio that they may want you to work in 3ds Max or Maya.
This part is really important and I completely agree with DarthViper on. Yes, the end result matters the most and that’s usually program agnostic.
However, internal pipelines/workflows are built around specific software packages and assets must work within that pipeline. So yes, you can learn Blender and do most of your work in that program. Along the way, though, you’ll probably need a working knowledge of Max or Maya for getting the asset through the pipeline and into the engine.
This is why so many production artists recommend having a familiarity with Max or Maya. If I run a dev studio that uses Maya in-house, I’m looking for applicants who can onboard as seamlessly as possible into the pipeline without having to make special considerations or exceptions.