JarodZR2E

I've always wanted to learn a 3D software (mainly for VFX) that is for personal projects (short movie on youtube etc.) or for maybe one day become a professional freelance artist.

So i did a lot of research before chosing the software i want to learn (starting soon, i am busy at work for now ).

I don't know if one day i could (would like) make it my job (doing VFX for movies)
I don't know if i'll succeed/could handle the amount of knowledge i'd have to acquire to start doing some nice stuffs like in movies
I don't know if i could buy myself a non apprentice licence if i become a freelance pro (7995$ it's ok for a complete package but still a bunch of money, especially nowadays.
I don't know i f i could become a professionnal (escpeially that i'm in France and everybody use cinema 4d, max or maya here…even if french cinema is not for me, it's too bad generally, i love US movies almost exclusively)

….but for me, after my research, Houdini came as an evidence.


Through my long research here's what i understood.

MAYA
Incomplete software. You can do amazing CGI and VFX (what i am interested in) but most of the time to achieve that, you need to write your own plugins and tools (!!) and/or buy new ones (like DMM for fracture) because maya sometiems is not good at X or Y sstuff or even don't have it implemented.
It's Unstable and crashes easily.
Lot of customers complaints that autodesk don't care about them and don't listen to them.
Learning curve: Steep for maya + you have to learn each plugin you buy so steep + steep + steep ….

3DS MAX
Even more incomplete software. You can do amazing CGI and VFX like in maya but for that, you'll need bunch of plugins (amzing ones like thinking particles, rayfire, fumeFX, afterburn etc.)
Lot of customers complaints that autodesk don't care about them and don't listen to them.
Learning curve: steep for max + you have to learn even more plugins than maya (again, ifyou want to reach a certain level of visuals). So steep + steep + steep + steep…

LIGHTWAVE
Quite a complete software but in my opinion, you can't come near the level of max and maya for CGI and VFX, it's look more “cheap”. It's more a “i can do all i can do it quick the quality is ok but not amazing” software. I rarely see VFX made in lightwave that impressed me (vfx from walking dead are good and well integrated but it comes quite as an exception) nor that can come near the quality of what we can do with max and maya and houdini for example.
Lot of customers complaints that newtek don't care about them and don't listen to them.
I myself been treated like shit on the offical lightwave forums by lightwave “seniors” that didn't like i ask some noobs questions. They watch you from above like if you were nothing and talk to you like if you are a nobody. The deleted my 2 threads and blocked my account (true story) because i said i didn't like the mean way they were answering to me.
Learning curve: much less steep than max and maya and houdini (but the visuals are not at the same levels in my opinion)


HOUDINI
No need of additional plugins. Everything is inside. Complete package. Even a water simulation like a mini realflow (!). Best software for VFX and CGI to what i've read. Quite good for animation if i need it too.
I've read sideffects listen its customers.
I just created an account here and asked 3 noobs questions, that people answered me very nicely, very quickly etc. I feel welcome, and that's important IMHO
Learning curve: very steep as i read, but much less since 12 (right?). BUT you learn 1 (just 1) COMPLETE software. With it you'll do anything imaginable and best VFX and CGI possible (if the talent is here obviously) over any 3D software.

So for me, after this long research, the choice for the 3D software i'll learn is simple: HOUDINI !

Very steep learning curve but just 1 single complete software to learn VS steep learning curve + plugins with same steep learning curve to learn) VS “easier” learnign curve (but “cheaper” visuals for cgi and VFX >>>> Houdini wins It seems logical

No customers care (maya, max and ligthwave) and mean community (lightwave) VS customer care and people who answer me friendly wheras i am a noob (houdini) >>> Houdini wins


A very comlpete package with all an artist could need (houdini) VS softwares with the need of plugins and/or custom tools to achieve what houdini do in a single package (maya, max and lightwave) >>> Houdini wins


My noob question now is: why Houdini is not leader of the market yet and massively use in big studios (and freelance)? Why it's “all about” “maya/max for movies and lightwave for TV”? I know houdini is used on big productions but maya is the leader and i don't understand why it's like that, it's not like if Houdini was a recent software. Maybe it's the learning curve that afraid them? It would be non logical, it's better to learn a very hard software that would do everything like Houdini than learn a hard software and tons of hard plugins like max and maya, it appears to me as more difficult to achieve, but maybe i am weird.

Anyway.
Thanks for the answers and sorry for my english, hope you can understand my post.

I got 7 ultimate and 32gb max memory motherboard.

As member of side effects, do you think that upgrading a part of my gear would make sense?

Ah ok, thanks. SO with my GTX660 it should be, like in review same perfs as a GTX580