Is there any reason I couldn’t start my base mesh in Zbrush and then bring the .obj into Maya? I’ve noticed most tutorials start by building their base mesh in Maya, and then exporting for sub-d work in Zbrush.
You can start in Zbrush. A lot of people do, It all depends on what you’re most comfortable in.
I start in Zbrush mainly because of the freedom you can get from zbrush. If you don’t really know what you’re sculpting…just letting your imagination run, then by all means start in Zbrush. If you already have a clear idea and Maya or another package will get you there faster, then start there.
i personally find it way faster to start with a box and extrude a few faces to get a base mesh rather that fudging around with zspheres, resolution, membranes, etc. If you’re going to start with a abstract base mesh, you’re going to ultimately end up doing retopology anyway.
Whatever is more convenient for you though 