Forgive me if there was a FAQ somewhere on this site that already answered my question. I did some searching prior but did not come across anything that could help me. I really want to get into 3D modelling but I can't seem to make up my mind to use either 3D Studio Max or Maya Unlimited. Both programs are very powerful, and I have access to both. But I was wondering which would be more useful in the long run. Or would it be best to just switch back and forth between them for different functions. Thanks in advance.

I suggest learning both to a decent degree and then sticking with whichever one makes it easiest to do what you want to do. For myself, Maya's controls were easier to learn and use and made more sense than 3DS Max. However a lot of people claim that 3DS Max is more popular in AAA game development.

Learn with one, stick to it, get really good with it. Then learn the other, it won't be difficult at all once you know how to model well. If you can model in Maya, you can model in 3ds.

I personally prefer Maya for modelling. Its really easy to transfer meshes between the two programs (.obj format), so its not a problem if you model in Maya and do everything else/other stuff in 3ds.

Both programs have their ups and downs, it shouldn't matter which one you choose, because the skills you learn carry over to the other program.

I use both one for starting character modelling and one for finishing up

Thanks for the replies guys. I decided to learn Maya first since a lot of people are telling me it's a lot easier for beginners. And the interface and options do make a lot more sense to me right now lol. Maybe later I'll make a transition to move over to 3D Studio Max once I'm able to model well enough.

Thanks again.