Modular/instanced objects from Maya

Hi guys I'm new to Unity and I'm confused about this particular workflow. Some claim you can simply instance objects in Maya and it'll be the same in Unity whilst others say you need to export seperate objects, as "modular" and place them accordingly in Unity, which then makes it a bit harder as there is a disconnect between making your scene in Maya and Unity, you are stuck in Unity.

Any suggestions for this? Thanks.,