Advanced 3ds Max and Maya Integration

Integrate Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya to leverage their powers and make seamless transitions between the applications.

Maya and 3ds Max are two of the most widely used commercial software packages for 3D graphics. Artists and studios commonly leverage the strengths of both toolsets, resulting in production pipelines that use more than one package. Whether you're switching to one of these programs, using both at the same time, or simply need to move assets back and forth, this course illustrates invaluable techniques and best practices for integrating these two powerful Autodesk applications. Aaron F. Ross shows how to manage assets, harmonize the interfaces and preferences, and transfer data, materials, and scenes, making the transition between Maya and 3ds Max as seamless as possible.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

1. Managing Assets

• Creating or setting a Maya project
• Creating or setting a 3ds Max project
• Customizing Maya project directories
• Configuring 3ds Max user paths
• Asset tracking in 3ds Max
• Tracking assets with Maya File Path Editor

2. Harmonizing Preferences

• Streamlining the Maya interface
• Streamlining the 3ds Max interface
• Adopting Maya mode in 3ds Max
• Changing Maya's up axis
• Setting Maya Grid options
• Changing 3ds Max system units
• Setting 3ds Max Home Grid settings
• Setting frame rate

3. Transferring Materials

• Render to Texture in 3ds Max
• Setting ambient color in 3ds Max
• Exporting from 3ds Max to FBX
• Importing FBX in Maya
• Correcting surface normals
• Correcting materials and lighting
• Resolving file paths
• Embedding media in FBX
• Convert to File Texture in Maya

4. Transferring Models and Animation

• Using the Send To command
• Baking animation in Maya
• Saving a geometry cache
• Exporting from Maya to FBX
• Importing FBX in 3ds Max

5. Transferring Data with Alembic

• Enabling the Alembic plugins
• Exporting to Alembic
• Importing Alembic in 3ds Max

Conclusion

• Goodbye