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Alias Releases Maya PLE 6
Renderhead writes "Alias has released the free Personal Learning Edition of their Academy Award winning Maya software. This limited version of Maya Complete allows students, hobbyists, and professionals to learn and evaluate the $2,000(US) tool absolutely free. The catch: all rendered output will be imprinted with a 'Maya Personal Learning Edition' watermark. Although Maya version 6 has been out for some time now, the Personal Learning Edition was only available for version 5 until now."
"When last I contacted them they refused to believe you might want to learn their product on Linux and thus if you want Maya on Linux be prepared to shell out the $$..."
Refused to believe one would want to learn on Linux, or wasn't convinced enough people were running exclusively Linux for it to be cost effective to make PLE available?
I know it's fun to aim our pitchforks at people for not supporting Linux, but be realistic.
"Derp de derp."
"download 3D Studio Max and get the keygen from astalivista.box.sk (search for 3D Studio Max). Done and done, with full character studio too."
That's kind of like learning Java so you can be a C programmer. There's some overlap, but if it's a career you're aiming for, it's not the most direct route.
Just as a side note, if ya go about it that way and join some of the common art forums like CGTalk, don't bring up piracy. They are overy sensitive to the topic despite the fact that nearly every 3D artist out there has a cracker to thank. Bringing up keygens in those places is like saying something nice about Microsoft here.
"Derp de derp."
"Then Blender has to do, for 'US' ... I guess ...."
Blender != Maya. If you're just interested in tinkering with it, then that's a fine solution. If you're actually interested in developing a career, then you're far better off just dual booting into Windows and running Maya PLE. Frankly, the OS doesn't matter a whole hell of a lot when doing this stuff for a living. It's the wrong place to cross your arms and say "It's Linux or nothin!"
"Derp de derp."
Does this mean that a graphics/animation shop can run this for free on all their development machines, then just have a single server dedicated to the final rendering?
I wonder if this is why the watermark is in some of the work windows, it make it too annoying to do this?
Arguably, it depends on *what* you want to learn.
If you're new to 3D, then Maya PLE is actually a horrible choice. Nothing will turn you off faster than not being able to produce something you can use. You need the rewards of getting your first render and showing it off, using it for wallpaper, etc. when learning.
Maya PLE is really for *learning Maya* - not learning 3D. Once you know that 3D is for you, and you know what modeling/rendering are and the different types - then PLE is good for learning how things are done specifically in Maya so that you can have skills on the software you'll likely use in your career.
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However if someone hasn't ever done 3D and wants to learn it from the ground up, then starting with Blender isn't a bad thing as they're not out a bundle of cash if things don't work out, and while they learn, they can actually use the product to produce things.
(I find it's often easiest to learn when I have to actually produce output I need)
They're sick of hearing about it, that's why. You used to have thirty fucking posts a day from dipshits too fucking stupid to use Google looking for warez. It gets old, FAST. Nobody, even those within the industry, gives a shit about people using warez. No matter how much discreet and Alias might talk about piracy, it's all bullshit. They both sell a product that starts in the mid four-digit category. They know that people who buy their software will buy it, whatever the cost. One reason Gmax and PLE were created to defray some of the piracy, and they've been successful at that to some extent.
'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.