Maya Unlimited 2009 is Autodesk’s latest version of the industry’s leading software for animators and visual effects artists. Most 3D companies today, large and small, use Maya software in one form or another, so as a student looking to land a job upon graduation, it makes sense to understand and start mastering this software package. .
The Maya Student Edition has drastically dropped in price in recent years, meaning it is much more accessible to students, teachers, and academic institutions. Which really makes sense, after all, the more students and universities teach and use Maya, the more the software is used. It also helps combat using a cracked version of software that most people don’t want to use as it’s unethical and often full of bugs and crashes regularly.
When considering buying the Mayan Student EditionThe first question that often comes to mind is, “how is it different from the normal commercial version of Maya Unlimited?”
Contains all Maya unlimited modules
Well, in essence it is exactly the same. It comes with all the normal modules in Maya Unlimited like Maya Fluid Effects, Maya nCloth, Maya nParticles, Maya Live, Maya Fur, and Maya Hair (I’ve actually been using Maya Hair recently for some simple animation tests and it’s blazingly fast – a lot better than 2008…for simple stuff, it literally plays in real time, so it’s perfect for student projects where you don’t want to get bogged down in huge render and simulation times). You can buy a student edition of Maya Complete, but to be honest, there’s less than $50 difference between it and the unlimited academic version, so you’re better off with Unlimited in my opinion.
Maya Student Edition allows you to save files and images without a watermark, which is great because the old PLE version used to be pretty awful for that, and I know the XSI student version used to have something written on top of your renders and playblasts (not sure if they still do). After all, your work is going to go on your showreel to try to get you a job… you don’t want “owned by Autodesk” all over the place, do you? So the whole watermark thing is a big change.
The 2 main differences
The only difference between the commercial version of Maya Unlimited and the Maya Student Edition is that obviously you cannot use the student version to earn money, i.e. you cannot use it to produce independent projects where you get paid or receive any profit. monetary.
There is also a license difference between the commercial and student versions. The basic student license lasts about 14 months… a perpetual license can be purchased for double the price, so it really depends on your situation.
Student discount vouchers
Overall, I definitely think Maya Student Edition is worth buying, as it also qualifies you for a significant discount on the business upgrade later on (50% off), should you decide to buy it and go into business for yourself.