AD Maintenance plans look like being phased out.......

[leotchest]

A few years ago I did cancel my 3dsmax maintenance plan. Eventually I regretted it as I was unable to successfully aquire the necessary skills in an alternative program (Modo). So this time around I'm going to take it easy and not jump until I've actually got an alternative successfully up & running. I am sick & tired of AD not delivering anything of value to me despite the fees. It would be a good start I'd they stopped immediately making annual new releases and instead just made regular improvements and fixes to a stable release. Anyhow I do not like the sound of being forced onto subscription and losing the perpetual. AD are terrible.

[samuel_bubat]

I´m not a lawyer but as far as know we once bought the software. I wonder, if we drop out of the subscription model and don´t go with the rental model, we can still still use the last version we paid for ? The "good" part about Autodesk is the exremly slow development. One could easily use an old max version without missing to much. While I do have 2017 installed we´re still using 2014 in production. We probabely could use it for another 3-4 years. So if we update to 2018 this year (presuming it´s not completly messed up once again) then we stop our subscription we could save the subscription and rental costs for several years. After that maybe in 5 or 6 years when we want to update again. We just get additional licenses trough the standard rental model, but keep our old licences as they are. At that point all the people who switched to rental from the subscription model probabely pay the same price as a new customer. Like this we could save a lot of money and in the end still have our old licenses intact. I wonder if this would be possible.

[m_hinks]

I´m not a lawyer but as far as know we once bought the software. I wonder, if we drop out of the subscription model and don´t go with the rental model, we can still still use the last version we paid for ? The "good" part about Autodesk is the exremly slow development. One could easily use an old max version without missing to much. While I do have 2017 installed we´re still using 2014 in production. We probabely could use it for another 3-4 years. So if we update to 2018 this year (presuming it´s not completly messed up once again) then we stop our subscription we could save the subscription and rental costs for several years. After that maybe in 5 or 6 years when we want to update again. We just get additional licenses trough the standard rental model, but keep our old licences as they are. At that point all the people who switched to rental from the subscription model probabely pay the same price as a new customer. Like this we could save a lot of money and in the end still have our old licenses intact. I wonder if this would be possible.

This is exactly what I think we should all do, and what I think we'll be doing - provided there are no obvious reasons not too! Cut them loose, live a little, and just get back on subs as ans when needed. We own the software so they cant stop us using that, until possibly you get a new subs lic, don't know.

[rikou]

I can't understand how can we pay and continue to pay for shit... come on, 3ds max 2017 ?? You paid for something you don't really have ! That is called theft no ? How many people said that they could live without upgrading... How many people works with old versions today ?
This is a fact. AD sucks and I hope they will end to understand it

[zeronove]

As a freelance I obviously agree with most of the posts above but, to me, the main problem will be medium/long time frame (after 5 years or more) ...it's true that for most of us probably even an old max version will be good enough but after some years, new release of other plugins will not be compatible anymore with very old max releases.

Even more, the most unbelievable thing is that all kinds of "subscription only" models in the sw field are in some way similar to a sort of "ransomware" ...I mean "do you want to access your own files and data, then give us the money first".

Is anyone able to explain to me the differences between the above business models?

[rogerteddy]

Does anyone know if it´s possible to switch 3ds Max / Vray Licence to Blender, if so how much is it?

I too think Adsk is making a bad decisson here. Adsk FIRST is not going to work with all these good competitors out here.

Best
Long time user 3ds max

[rikou]

Totally agree with that !!
Very interesting too

[vlado]

Does anyone know if it´s possible to switch 3ds Max / Vray Licence to Blender, if so how much is it?

There's no need to switch anything, you already have the render node license that is needed. A bit further down the road you might need a license for the App SDK as well, but we generally provide this for free.

Best regards,
Vlado

[rogerteddy]

Ok maybe I am not getting you, but how can I do this. I don´t have any blender downloads in my download section...!?

best
Roger

[vlado]

Ok maybe I am not getting you, but how can I do this. I don´t have any blender downloads in my download section...!?

It would be best to email our support guys at support@chaosgroup.com - they will help you with that.

Best regards,
Vlado

[rogerteddy]

Oh I see Vray for blender is open source...cool!

[raymarcher]

But if we have Vray for 3ds Max we need to switch this to Vray for Blender?
Switching the GUI licences?

[vlado]

But isf we have Vray for 3ds Max we need to switch this to Vray for Blender? Switching the GUI licences?

We don't have a GUI license for V-Ray for Blender. You just need a render node license, which you already have. Further down the road, you will need an App SDK license too, but we generally provide it free of charge.

Best regards,
Vlado

[raymarcher]

We don't have a GUI license for V-Ray for Blender. You just need a render node license, which you already have. Further down the road, you will need an App SDK license too, but we generally provide it free of charge.

Best regards,
Vlado

Cool, then it is worthwhile for marketing to make this clearer.
I was always under the impression that I would have to trade my 3ds Max licence.
I guess I am not alone.

Since you have experience with plugins for Blender.
How doable would it be for Itoo Software to port their plugins.

Tnx for the info.

[vlado]

Since you have experience with plugins for Blender. How doable would it be for Itoo Software to port their plugins.

It is somewhat complicated due to the GPL license used by Blender. At least some part of those plugins will need to be open-sourced and it depends on how willing Itoo is to do that. V-Ray works by making the translator itself open source, and it communicates with the actual renderer (which runs in another process) through .vrscene files or through the network. This works for a renderer, but I'm not sure how it could work for something like ForestPro.

Best regards,
Vlado