Modeling/Deformations:
1- Multiple component transformations : scaling / rotation
In XSI, in local mode you can transform multiple polygon islands as if they were separate objects... Each island rotates or scales according its own center while editing... This cannot be done by Maya's transform tool.
2- Open edges, double edges and normal display
The unshared edges can be displayed thick green in Maya. The problem is that you can't change their color. In XSI, the unshared edges display always blue. You can clearly see the double edges as well. In Maya, you can't recognize double edges.
3- Component selection memory
Sometimes I lose my selection memory sets. For instance when you extrude something and exit the edit mode with the edit handle enabled and then you go back, the last component selection is lost. This happens many times in various occasions. In XSI I have never lost my component selection memory.
4- Good old subdivision surfaces
Why did Autodesk cut out the old subdivision surfaces from Maya? There still is an option to convert objects to subdivision-surfaces, but you can hardly edit them afterwards...All the editing tools are gone. This type of surface was unique and was one of my favorite. In my perspective this was one of Maya's very few advantages over XSI.
5- Construction History
Maya's construction history is very painful yet. You can hardly manage some construction nodes in the node graph and changing the order of deformers is also a little strange. In Attribute editor, you can hardly realize the order of your operators. In XSI, all the construction history could be easily editable in the explorer (outliner). Houdini is all based on construction history. It would be fine to make some clear workflow for this. Maybe putting the operators to outliner would help.
6- Unclear modeling workflow.
In Maya, you can select unwanted object components in the edit mode. In my perspective this is not a very good workflow, because sometimes users accidentally select unwanted components.
In XSI afterwards you enter the edit mode, you are safe only in entered objects and cannot select components of unwanted objects. I personally also have problem with the edit mode switching. In XSI it is very straightforward.
Transformations, Animation, Rigging:
1- Matching transforms workflow
Matching transformations workflow is a little painful in Maya. There is a button for all that in XSI.
2- Active pivot
It would be fine to have something like an active pivot in Maya (the tool from XSI).
3 - Global and local space coordinates
XSI's transform type in toolbar gives us access to either local and global transformation values. We can either edit them without changes in hierarchy structures. Yes you can switch the handle in global and local space, but you have no overview about the numbers...
4 - Object center
There are multiple tools to handle object pivot. But there are not very much options to handle it's center. I would claim that XSI transformation tools are more straightforward…
Rendering, materials, viewport:
1 - Render Region
There is not a render region tool in Maya. This tool is very handy in XSI.
2 - Rotoscope workflow
You cannot bring in a background image into render view in Maya, of course you can bring in an image plane, but it will be rendered with the alpha channel as well. This workflow is really painful. In XSI you just bring in a rotoscope than alpha-blend your render with the viewport and see the result...
3 - Render Bundles
In XSI you can return to your render saved images and all the scene returns to the checkpoint...
4- Skip Rendered frames
There is no skip rendered frames option in Maya
5 - Render set of frames
In XSI you could have set your rendering candidate frames by the set like 5, 10, 22 etc...
6 - Partitions
It would be really fine to have partitions in Maya. The render layer workflow is kind of obsolete.
Miscellaneous:
1 - In XSI you may select multiple objects and edit their multiple properties at once... In Maya, this is little tricky
2 - In XSI when you have a selection you can click on poly and back to object and your selection reduces only to polygon meshes... In Maya you have to zoom out select the filter and hope that your rectangle will cover all the desired objects...
3 - There was a great tool local reassign in skinning options in XSI. It would be fine to have something similar in Maya as well.
4 - Node Graph is something really horrible in Maya. The connections flow in all directions and I can hardly imagine building something from scratch there. In XSI - ICE the nodes are very clear and flow from one side to another. In Houdini the nodes are clear as well…
5- It would be fine to have an option to set object colors and see those colors in outliner.
6- ICE
Maya doesn't have ICE. This reality splits old XSI users to artist(modelers, animators and lighters) and to technically oriented artists (with abilities of procedural approaches). The first group might get satisfied with Maya after some improvements…
The second group will never be satisfied until the ICE-like system is implemented to Maya as well…
The only tool on the market that can fully replace all of ICE features is actually just Houdini…
These all were just my personal opinions…
Thank you
