When comparing AutoCAD vs Autodesk Maya, the Slant community recommends Autodesk Maya for most people. In the question“What is the best 3D modeling software?” Autodesk Maya is ranked 8th while AutoCAD is ranked 26th. The most important reason people chose Autodesk Maya is:
Has an extensive list of tools for modelling, look development, rigging, animation, rendering and exporting.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Great for engineers
AutoCAD helps make engineering drafts quickly. It's designed to help with things like plumbing diagrams and electrical wiring diagrams.
Pro Free trial available
AutoCAD is available for free for 30 days.
Pro Myriad of features
Has an extensive list of tools for modelling, look development, rigging, animation, rendering and exporting.
Pro Industry standard
Maya has been the industry standard for 3d modelling and animation for years.
Pro Combining powerful, realistic rendering with ease of use
Arnold is now the default interactive renderer, which can be found in the render settings. Solid Angle's global illumination ray tracer is used by many Hollywood studios.
Pro Expensive
Pro Extensible
The MEL language allows one to either write custom scripts or to download them.
Pro Support
Extensive support from Autodesk and users around the world.
Cons
Con Interface is difficult to customize
Con Can be glitchy
The software can sometimes be laggy, glitchy and unstable to the point of crashing.
Con Mac version is weaker than the Windows version
Con Pricey
Don't expect to get Maya cheap. It is considerably more expensive than lesser 3D programs.
Con Difficult to learn
Expect to look at tons of tutorials.
Con Poorly organized interface
The menu organization doesn't make sense, and leaves you searching all over the place for functions that should fall under one category. For example, the option to bake your animation isn't under the Animation menu.
Con Unstable
The system can just crash unexpectedly.
Con Expensive
Real expensive in the long run.
Con Boolean bugs
A lot of polygon issues making boolean operations.
