Mac or PC

# 1 13-12-2009 , 06:36 PM

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I was wondering if someone could give me some advice. I currently have a student version of Maya 2008 on my mac. My school is requiring that I get at least Maya 8.5 so I was going to get Maya 2010.

I have had problems rendering out with Maya Vector on my Mac and have heard that using Maya on a PC is a lot better. Like different plug ins and other features.

My question is this:

What would be better getting Maya 2010 for my mac or using bootcamp on my mac and getting either windows xp or windows 7 on my mac through bootcamp and getting Maya 2010 pc for it. From what I read it would act just like a PC and I should have no problems. But my photoshop and after effects cs4 would be on my Mac side but I could get pc versions of both. Also should I get windows xp to run Maya 2010 on instead of windows 7 since on the autodesk page Maya 2010 hasnt been fully tested and approved for windows 7?

It seems like a lot of people who do 3d modeling and animation use pcs.

Any suggestions?

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# 2 13-12-2009 , 08:43 PM

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I think it all comes down to personal preference. Loads of people use maya on macs without any problems, I don't see the need to use bootcamp
If you're just going to buy a mac and use bootcamp, don't bother, it's just more expensive.

Also, this thread seems likely to start on argument, I made the same mistake when I was thinking of buying a mac

https://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/as28g11/

Last edited by elephantinc; 13-12-2009 at 08:49 PM.

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# 3 13-12-2009 , 09:49 PM

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If you're going to buy a new computer, PC's wreak less havoc on your wallet, as elephantinc suggested. However, it doesn't sound like you're in the market for a new computer, are you? You're asking whether or not to use bootcamp?

I would say, stick with your current OS since you have PS and others for it. The benefits of Maya on Windows are not enough to justify re-buying your adobe stuff, if there are any benefits. I personally haven't used Maya on OS X much, so can't say for sure.

If you do feel the need to windowsify, I would go with 7 over XP as support will be growing for 7 all the time, and drop off for XP, if you see my point.

Penultimately, since you have 2008, why do feel the need to upgrade? 2008 is more recent than 8.5 which is what is required.

Finally, I don't see why these threads need to degenerate into arguments. Of course, people are entitled to opinions, but we should all keep are preferences open to review, and logically work out the pros and cons on each side.

Hope that gives you some feedback to go on.

-stwert

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# 4 13-12-2009 , 10:11 PM

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Pc or Mac

Im not trying to start an argument at all, I hope it dosent come off like that in my thread. Im just trying to figure out what would work for me for school and I wanted to get the opinions of people who have been using Maya longer than I have. Ive only been using Maya for about a couple of months.

I was under the impression that Maya 8.5 was a newer version than 2008. The problem I have had with Maya on my Mac is that the maya vector will only work if I open it in Rosetta which causes the renderer not to work. So for anything vector I would have to save it frame by frame instead of a batch render.

Ive been reading about the trouble people are having with Maya 2010 on a Mac with compatibility issues and it working properly. I have to get the 2010 version because my license will end soon and I can no longer get 2008 at the student store. For the same price to get Maya 2010 they are offering Maya with 3ds Max 2010 for the pc student version thats another reason why I was considering it.
I also have a PC and was thinking about installing Maya on both computers so I could render scenes a lot quicker because Ive noticed scenes with a lot of detail take a very long time to render out.

I just wanted to see what other Maya users suggested.

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# 5 13-12-2009 , 11:11 PM

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Re: Mac or PC

Originally posted by joemilkweed
I currently have a student version of Maya 2008 on my mac. My school is requiring that I get at least Maya 8.5 so I was going to get Maya 2010.

Originally Posted by

whats wrong with 2008? 8.5 is the version before 2008?

Originally posted by joemilkweed
I have had problems rendering out with Maya Vector [/B]

Originally Posted by

the only reason i can think of to use maya vector is to render wireframe... i wouldn't get a pc just for this, as there are better ways to do wireframes.

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# 6 14-12-2009 , 01:04 AM

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My school is requiring that I get at least Maya 8.5 so I was going to get Maya 2010.

Originally Posted by

Maya 2008 is the version after 8.5, so you don't need to change anything.

I use Maya 2008 on my Mac and it works like a charm. Yes, not a lot of plugins are compatible with OS X, but there is always a way around it either in open source programs, or open source plugins which you can compile yourself.

We have bootcamped Mac pros running Windows with Maya at work. Lots of issues with graphics drivers, selection lag, etc.

While most studios don't use Macs because of their price point per machine, more and more studios are converting over to Linux, as some find it to be stable, and what admin likes is that it's free user added image

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Last edited by NextDesign; 14-12-2009 at 01:07 AM.

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# 7 20-12-2009 , 03:54 PM

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I am alos a MAC user and i JUST got maya 2010 bundle that comes with 3dsmax, motion builder, XSI, ect. It runs great so far. I run on a standard issues 2.4 dual core imac with 4gb of ram. I am working on getting my mayatomr issue fixed but if you need or want to play with 3dsmax or XSI use bootcamp on your mac. you can pick up 64-bit version of the os for like $15 if your school is on the Microsoft academic alliance. I got Win XP Pro 64-bit and it makes life really easy. Bootcamp is as easy to use as making toast.

The reason PC are used more is because dell and xp workstation for most schools come with prosumer development video cards like FireGL and Quadro. However I have found mac to be a big help when rendering big projects. I can crank out a 4 day render and not have to worry about memory leaks and crashing that
i have experienced with windows.

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# 8 20-12-2009 , 06:43 PM

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A Maya 2010 bundle that comes with XSI and 3ds??? Never heard of that one, I thought they were sepperate products, you must have deep pockets.

PC's are more used as you can get more power for your money as well as runing 64 bit.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 9 20-12-2009 , 08:20 PM

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Pc or Mac

I just found out I need to have at least 2009 or up so I will have to upgrade. One of my main reasons why I was thinking about getting the Maya bundle for pc and running it on bootcamp is because I also have a pc and I was going to install the maya bundle on there as well for when I need to render out I can split it between the 2 computers and render faster and as well have a back up for my projects say if my Mac needs to go in the shop. I have been using Maya 2008 on my imac with no problems except for not being able to batch render with Maya vector.

Another reason why I was thinking about it is that Im also going to have to get the PC version of Houdini and Nuke- which Nuke is only available on PC. I have photoshop and after effects on my pc and I was just thinking about still using premeire or final cut to import my footage on my mac side, than go into boot camp and bring the footage into there to use in after effects with maya.

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# 10 20-12-2009 , 11:07 PM

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Legally I believe you can only install on one computer, but the package should come with satellite MR licences. Hopefully it's not too hard to set up. 2010 comes with backburner which may give you good control of sending out jobs to your other computer(s). Just a thought.

-stwert

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# 11 21-12-2009 , 04:27 AM

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You can not have a licensed product on more than one computer, unless you have a floating license, or more than one.

You can however install mental ray satellite, but it is limited to a number of machines. Maya software however can be rendered without licensing the software.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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# 12 21-12-2009 , 10:43 AM

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Sounds like your not running actually that much thats Mac only, why not just get a PC with a lot more power for the money? You could even go 64 bit on PC for maya which you cant for Mac.

And yes you would need to have more than one licence to use it no 2 comps or get a dongle.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 13 28-12-2009 , 07:08 AM

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Hi,
I think a PC would be better, because it has good applications that can help you with college. The PCs are overall for everything, but the Macs are mostly for pictures, music and videos. And about that "PCs can get viruses and Macs can't", don't worry. You just have to know how to take care of your PC. Oh, and PCs are also more durable than Macs in almost every way.
Source(s):
I've been through college with both PC and Mac. The PC was more useful for me. And about that "PCs can get viruses and Macs can't", don't worry. You just have to know how to take care of your PC.

vitamin b6

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# 14 05-01-2010 , 05:31 AM

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Originally posted by arvel
Hi,
I think a PC would be better, because it has good applications that can help you with college. The PCs are overall for everything, but the Macs are mostly for pictures, music and videos. And about that "PCs can get viruses and Macs can't", don't worry. You just have to know how to take care of your PC. Oh, and PCs are also more durable than Macs in almost every way.
Source(s):
I've been through college with both PC and Mac. The PC was more useful for me. And about that "PCs can get viruses and Macs can't", don't worry. You just have to know how to take care of your PC.

Originally Posted by

Macs can do as much as PC's, as they run on a UNIX backbone, allowing quick recompilation of open source tools, either through a native rebuild, or through some emulation environment such as X11.

I'm not sure why people come and say Macs are for this, and PCs are for that. They all run on the same hardware now, and all are capable of doing the same things, just in different ways.

All productivity software such as Microsoft Office is available, as well as free alternatives such as Open Office.

Also, stating that "PCs get viruses and Macs dont, you just need to know how" is strange. Why learn, and constantly monitor your computer, when you can just forget about it with a mac?

Don't get me wrong. I like both; and I have both. I just use them for different things. I use Windows for programming, and Mac for graphics.

Also, with Macs, you don't need to worry about hardware conflictions, which are always prevalent with Windows.

Now, lets keep this away from a Mac vs Windows thread. The way you should choose your product, is to try them out. We can tell you everything, but if you yourself don't like it, than whats the point?

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Last edited by NextDesign; 05-01-2010 at 05:35 AM.

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# 15 05-01-2010 , 07:47 AM

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Also, stating that "PCs get viruses and Macs dont, you just need to know how" is strange. Why learn, and constantly monitor your computer, when you can just forget about it with a mac?

Originally Posted by

If you connect your computer to the internet, regardless of the OS you should have some sort of anti virus software. Macs are still suceptable to viruses and malware, granted theres not as much about but its still there. There not bullet proof, nothing is.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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