Maya or 3ds Max?

[WarDad71]

Which program is preferred and why? Ease of use? Importing? etc.

Should someone concern themselves with either and just stick with the stock meshes.

Pros and cons of creating personal meshes vs. stock mesh.

[CTC-JimRimya]

I like maya but I've never used the other one. There is a free, educational version of maya that you can download legally. I like the idea of making my own meshes. I've had many ideas about the perfect mesh to go into a certain spot on a map, but just can't find it in the stock meshes. With only a couple of hours with maya, I was able to make meshes, put UV skins on them so I could skin them in the editor, and export them to unreal ed. They were very basic meshes, but worked well. I'm sure I have a lot to learn still, but I was surprised at how easy it was to get going.

[WarDad71]

The educational version is on the UT dvd - will it allow you to actually make a mesh to import? (main reason I'm asking is I have a couple of old versions of 3ds and maya around and don't have the time to put into learning both. If the educational version let's you import something made from scratch - then that's good enough.

[CTC-JimRimya]

Yes, I'm pretty sure (can anyone confirm?) it does let you export meshes into UnrealEd. I think that utility is on the DVD as well.

[MLK]

It's apples to oranges. Application decides the technology. So?

[Mr Bean]

Didn't know about it being on the DVD I'll have to check that out. Does anyone know wich is easier to use?