Maya Student Edition Vs Maya Unlimited: How are they different?

Maya Unlimited 2009 is Autodesk’s latest version of the industry-leading software for visual effects artists and animators. Most 3D companies these days, large and small, use Maya software in one form or another, so as a student looking to get a job upon graduation, it makes sense to understand and begin to master this software package. .

The Maya Student Edition has dropped in price dramatically in recent years, which has meant that it is much more accessible to students, faculty, and academic institutions. Which really makes sense, after all, the more students and universities there are teaching and using Maya, the more widely the software is used. It also helps combat using a cracked version of the software that most people don’t want to use as it is unethical and often buggy and crashing regularly.

When considering purchasing the Maya Student Edition, the first question that comes to mind is: “How different is it from the normal commercial version of Maya Unlimited?”

Contains all unlimited Maya modules

Well, essentially 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 (in fact, I’ve been using Maya Hair recently for some simple animation tests and it’s blazing fast – a lot better than 2008 … for simple things, it literally plays in real time, so it’s perfect for student projects where you don’t want to get bogged down in huge rendering and simulation times). You can buy a student edition of Maya Complete, but to be honest, there is less than $ 50 difference between this and the academic version Unlimited, so it is better 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 student XSI version used to have some writing on top of your renders and playblasts (not sure if they still do). After all, your job is going to go to your showreel to try to get you a job … you don’t want “Autodesk property” splattered all over the place, do you? So the whole watermarking thing is a big change.

The 2 main differences

The only difference between the commercial version Maya Unlimited and the Maya Student Edition is that you obviously cannot use the student version to earn money, that is, you cannot use it to produce independent projects where you are paid or receive some monetary benefit.

There is also a license difference between the student and commercial versions. The basic student license lasts for about 14 months … you can buy a perpetual license for double the price so it really depends on your situation.

Discount voucher for students

Overall, I definitely think the 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 start the business for yourself.