Hey, I am sorry if this is already answered somewhere else but after searching through the forums, I am unable to find an answer to this.

It has been a few years since I have been active here, I decided I want to start making models, I realize the halo engine is older and most tutorials are based on 3ds max 8 or so, but with being a college student I have the ability to download the 2010 through 2013 versions of 3dsmax. Is this a good idea or bad idea, and what 3ds max would be best to start off with?

If I get the 2013 version will I have compatibility issues with exporting and with trying to watch tutorials?

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

As far as i know the older, the better it is for halo. Id say pick 2010 one.

yes, 3ds max 2010 is certainly the best for compatibility and functionnalities

I have 3ds max 8, 3ds max 2010, and 3ds max 2013. As far as I know, 8 is the last one that blitzkrieg works with, (which is the most stable exporter). I use the others for more up-to-par engines.

May i ask how much they all costed together?

For the record, if you are a student, Autodesk offers free software for the period of your schooling.

I used 2012 often for Halo stuff. It really doesn't matter what version you use. If you're exporting to Halo, just use Bluestreak.

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

No
Edited by Ki11erFTW on Nov 3, 2012 at 11:23 PM

2012 is the latest compatible version of max for halo. 2013 doesn't work properly with bluestreak and animation exporter scripts.
If I were you, I would use 2010 or 2011.
Edited by XlzQwerty1 on Nov 4, 2012 at 01:57 PM

I tried 2012. It didn't like Halo Maxscripts, so I went back to 2010.

2010 imo had the best interface and easiest access to tools, plus 2010 has all the tools you need without the complex layout of 2012 and easier viewport settings, as opposed to 2012's "realistic"(ambient occlusion, anti aliasing, HD shading) which looks hideous. plus the extrude and other tools have a popup that can be moved around or closed, while 2012 has this transparent grey thing that does not use decimals to the thousandth (unless manually adjusted) and is obtrusive, sitting above whatever you are extruding or beveling or etc.

I use 2013 myself since my 3ds max 2010 student licence ran out. had to renew on 2013 with my other school email. Since I am going to on the Job market for technical positions sometime in the near future hopefully, I have not been doing anything that involves the need for seeders unless it is freeware, expansions, or trials. Can't be doing that crap anymore.

But I must say, I very much love 3ds max 2013

Well 3ds Max8 works with Blitzkrieg so personally I'd say it's the best. Bluestreak "works" but is nowhere as fast and reliable as blitzkrieg can be

Blitzkreig doesn't even work for me. Every time I start up 3ds Max 8, an error pops up before the program opens saying something like blitzkreig couldn not be opened or loaded properly, something like that.