3D Max / Maya / Lightwave

[MaoFlores]

which is the best software for 3D animation???

[ZonE]

Further back CG animations in movies were mostly made with Maya and Max was used by game industry, but now both are distibuted by Autodesk and nowadays all the three program you mentioned is used in different movies.
Basically it's up to you wich UI you like more or find easier to use.

Or you can try Blender aswell, wich is totally free.

[MartinsM]

I use 3D max. why, because i'm pretty good at 3D studio max. Nothing to tell about Maya or Lightwave. anyway - they all are pretty the same, so you cannot miss the shot.

[gallouises]

i use softimage xsi...i think it have much better render than 3d max, maya or lightwave...it's canadian software i think...coca cola, citroen, gorillaz, bjork and a lot of other stuff are made in it...plus i found it much easier for use...

YouTube - ‪Softimage XSI 2008 Demo Reel‬‎

[invincibletiger]

I use 3d max

[sniggitysnags]

get Cinema 4D

[arkane]

I use Lightwave but have done quite a bit in Maya, I personally prefer the UI and workflow of Lightwave when it comes to the actual modeling process. As it moves into rendering and scene setup, my preference goes to Maya.

[theli7s]

On the college I had a seminar about Maya VS 3ds Max. After week of research I found out that there are no big differences for beginners. Maybe only for advanced users, for example 3ds max is better for rigging(out of the box character rigging).For organic modelling, animation, skinning, texturing, lighting, MAYA is slighty better but there are much more tutorials on internet for 3dsMAX

This facts are interesting:
usage of 3d programs:
arhitecture/visual industry: maya(20%) 3dsMAX(80%)
games,tv : maya(50%) 3dsMAX(50%)
Movies: maya(80%) 3dsMAX(20%)

[gdatta]

both 3D MAX and MAYA are good...