3DS Max, $125 a month, one year

[lionheart]

Hey all,

I know some of you want Max and the monthly bill is too high. But, I just saw this and thought I would share it. If you buy the 1 year program, (pay all at once), you can get it for $125.00 a month. Mind you, you are paying it all at once, so that isnt a month, but what it would cost you if were. Its $185 a month as a month to month basis. $1470.00 total, plus tax. At $1470, it came out to 122. a month, so I am guessing the tax brings it up.

Not bad... Mine cost me something like $3500. I upgraded it once, its now Max 2014. Its now 3 years behind, but I am ok with that for now. Perhaps when I am a SUCCESSFUL business owner, I can get the newest one... I just hate to lease it. I would rather purchase. Make payments towards purchase, or buy it outright if I have the funds.

 

[lionheart]

Link at Autodesk. Supposedly the just lowered their prices.

http://www.autodesk.com/store/products/3ds-max?term=1year&support=basic

 

[bob5568]

For business reasons, I maintain a maintenance subscription for max. It was expensive at first, but maintaining it costs me a little over $1K annually for maintenance of AutoCad, Max, Revitt along with a few other baubles. Been doing it for years. I normally only use the latest version, but sometimes I can't (or can't stand the bugs until they release the service packs). I used max 2015 until 2017 because of major projects ongoing that I didn't want to interrupt for a version increment. I still use 2015 on my laptop, as most of the "improvements" have also driven a need for more hardware power.

2016 proved a down year for Autodesk, financially. Their 4th quarter filing with the SEC shows a negative EPS, and the top management is scrambling. They've assured investors that they'll boost earnings by converting maintenance contract users of "perpetual licenses" over to the subscription model. The prices they offer are a bad deal for folks like me. If I just said "ok" and surrendered my perpetual license for all these products, and began to pay monthly for each one, I'd nearly triple my annual spend. And, of course, that's the point...they've taken action designed to put more of my wealth into their pocket. Its very controversial on the autodesk forums, if you believe the forum members represent all Autodesk users, then there is a bit of a users rebellion ongoing. Many of us are claiming that we're done, and our last version will be our "forever" version. I suspect that will be my position, I paid already for 2018, but it looks like that will be my last.

The official email we all got stated that when we transition to subscription model (month to month rental), we must "surrender" our perpetual license. No "surrendering" here without a fight.

For hobby work, max is certainly expensive, and as Bill found out, its also awesome. If you haven't already forked out the up-front cash for a perpetual license, then this deal may work out for you. I'm just responding to Bill's posting the ridiculous marketing rip-off, or perhaps pure marketing spin. Notice in the "3 year special trade in offer", they claim they'll give me 30% off a subscription price for 3 years if I "trade in" (think surrender) my perpetual license. What they haven't made clear is that this "special" rate is MUCH HIGHER than I pay maintaining the perpetual license!!! In addition, they make no claims for what I'll pay after the three years. What a kind offer, if I just decide I'm willing to pay three times MORE money, I can use the software just as I do now, except by paying MORE I can enjoy being limited to ONLY the latest version. hmmmmmmmm........

These guys are playing hardball, so buyer beware.

 

[hairyspin]

If you have an old version, keep it. 2014 is not old, not really: 2008 here and it's still wondrous if a little dusty. No surrender!

 

[bob5568]

I think it depends on your usage, but if design for flight sim is your primary use, then I totally agree with Tom. There is a few "nice to haves", but most people who spend a lot of time using a tool have developed work-arounds for a lot of the "nice to haves" that get added later. Remember, the sim is the primary renderer for developing for flight sim. So all the improvements in max within the rendering area have little value to sim developers. If you have gotten good at using mental ray for rendering to texture, then look out...early data on max 2018 says that mental ray is not going to be included! Replacing it will be a renderer called "Arnold". I'm looking forward to Arnold, but if all you need is "render to texture", and you've got your process working great with mental ray, your learning curve for Arnold would be a total waste of time.

That's another reason people are upset, imagine 20 years of mental ray work with Clients who may request updates, and you get stuck without having mental ray, unless you're ready to fork out EVEN MORE money for a monthly rental of mental ray from Nvidia.

 

[hairyspin]

Makes no sense chasing upgrades to Max even if you're baking your FS textures from the renderer. Quixel Suite is way cheaper.

 

[Ronald]

With these 3DS increasing prices, the free, open-source and completely self-extenable and self-customizable Blender package (www.blender.org) + its initial learning curve soon become a very cheap alternative

 

[hairyspin]

Ronald, Max has always been very expensive. For those of us lucky enough to have it it's a terrific tool but when we started Blender just wasn't an option. FSX exporting from Blender is a recent innovation.

 

[ozzman1997]

In the more grand scheme of things, I really despise how so much software is moving to a subscription based business model. Gone are the days when we could simply buy a hard copy of something like Max, for one fixed price, and keep using it for as long as we wish. As if proprietary software could be any less "owned and controlled by the user", we're essentially just adding a new way for the company to manipulate us. Sure it may cost less on a short month-to-month basis, but knowing that "my" software is on a string and can be yanked away at any time just tears a gaping hole in my sense of ownership.

 

[pinkjr]

you think Max is expensive, try CATIA V6..................

 

[lionheart]

Its just too expensive... and subscription is like piracy. We could have used a payment system to purchase Max in the old days, but now you just pay payments eternally and that is just not right. I am very greatful for my Max 2014. No payments. Same for my car. Paid off. Could you imagine getting a phone and you never pay it off? Eternal debt. Same for cars and homes. Eternal debt. No hope.

 

[lionheart]

But............. That said... If someone needs Max, if you can do the one year thing, it comes out to $125 a month. So for one year, you can get max, at that price. Then it goes poof... its gone. But for now, its there. Thats an option if you do not like Blender. I am glad I saved up for over a year to get Max. It was well worth it.

Now thats not payments, thats a big $1400.00 payment. One payment and you get Max for a year.

 

[Ronald]

In the more grand scheme of things, I really despise how so much software is moving to a subscription based business model. Gone are the days when we could simply buy a hard copy of something like Max, for one fixed price, and keep using it for as long as we wish.

I fully agree with you ozzman1997. That is why I love Blender so much. Open source, extendable through with Phython scripts and fully customisable to my own needs:
This "draw-everything-away-from-user-control-into-somebody-elses-cloud-movement" reminds me to the book "Cathedral and the Bazaar - Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary."
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar

As if proprietary software could be any less "owned and controlled by the user", we're essentially just adding a new way for the company to manipulate us.

Exactly, the "move-everything-into-somebody-elses-cloud" revolves all about
- systematically kill everyone's digital creative abilities (take away the power and possibilities to design and create their own owned applications)
- making more and more people, increasingly more and artificially dependable on fewer and fewer manufacturers, that can manipulate the **** of of their end-users (budget and creative possibilities)
- gaining full control over the entire planets digital creativity
in essence, every since "the cloud" started to hang over the ICT_Landscape, there is forcefully and deliberately a big digital rift being created, and massive consolidation of ICT-knowledge, processing-power and creative abilities.

Sure it may cost less on a short month-to-month basis, but knowing that "my" software is on a string and can be yanked away at any time just tears a gaping hole in my sense of ownership.

OR, this "cloud based software as a service" could become a great impulse for the rest of the open-source world to create something far better based on a truly peer-2-peer software architecture.

Thinking about this sick cloud-movement:
I can not help wondering how long it will take, until our (now still open and adaptable) beloved flightsimulation modeling and software business will sucked into the flight-sim-computer-clouds?
How can we collectively counteract this movement?

 

[hairyspin]

I can not help wondering how long it will take, until our (now still open and adaptable) beloved flightsimulation modeling and software business will sucked into the flight-sim-computer-clouds?

If you think corporate minds are intent on taking control of this niche, I suggest you do a little profitability study.

 

[Ronald]

If you think corporate minds are intent on taking control of this niche, I suggest you do a little profitability study.

I think that is principally NOT about "profitability" and "making money", but everything about gaining full control over every digital aspect of our lives.

I've been autodidactic learning everything by myself behind the keyboard for about 38 years and I have noticed some severe worrying digital trends on the horizon Tom.
Here are a few examples to get the picture clear:
- Mandatory "pushed to the Internet" services (for governments, electronic banks, almost everything that can be done online is being FORCED online via websites and Apps).
- Mandatory ONLINE registration - and authorization processes, even for OFFLINE services (for example the gaming industry)
- Mandatory Always On internet (for example Xbox-one and Kinect)
- Online tracking of your whereabouts (via cookies) piercing deep into your offline life (for example Facebook, Google)
- "Internet" continues to creep in to every aspect of our lives
- More and more forced knowledge and dependability from fewer and fewer closed (payware) sources. (like 3Ds)
>>
- Drastic decline in good and in-depth ICT training, courses, documentation
>>
And closer to our own flightsim home:
- The Microsoft "Visual Studio" brand now requires online logging in (before you can use it offline) and is slowly turning into a 100% browser-based cloud controlled development platform
>>
- FSX Steam Edition is not standalone (cdrom / dvd-based) anymore but already LOCKED-DOWN and fully EMBEDDED into the fully online STEAM platform (just wait for the next version of FSX-SE ;-)
- Prepar3d is "download only" and subsciption based (just like Autodesk 3Ds) and fully centralized controlled by Lockheed Martin
>>
- "Documentation" is getting worse and worse ( it feels like gradually being locked-down) by every new release of the flightsim software.

If one looks at the global bigger entire ICT_landscape picture, our digital creative abilities and tools (and neccessary knowlegde) are systematically being ripped away from us.

 

[bob5568]

Interesting read, Ronald. Thanks

After I thought for a moment, it occurred how much has changed in such a short time. The internet had zero impact on my life until 1995. I'd say the changes you've described is partly the result of how investors value the companies they support financially. I remember how excited I'd get when a new "scenery disk" would become available at the old Egghead Software Store.

During the early days, Microsoft was still able to grow. Just using Microsoft as an example, but the logic holds for any gigantic company. Eventually MS is SO big that seeing a suitable growth is harder and harder. Investors feel punished when this happens. This keeps the heat on the "next thing", and technology has been such a boom/bust industry that stability is practically a dirty word. Eventually, these companies will thrash until they determine the best way to keep growing, regardless of its impact on the world.

 

[n4gix]

I think that is principally NOT about "profitability" and "making money", but everything about gaining full control over every digital aspect of our lives.

And here in the Untied Status of Amerika our Glorious Leader signed a Congressional Bill that will allow our internet providers legal right to sell all of our personal information to anyone with the bucks to buy it. That's just not right. It's just the first nail in the coffin for Net Neutrality.

In the meantime though, I'm perfectly happy with Max 2012, Visual Studio 2005, and Photoshop v8 CS. I see absolutely no reason to "upgrade" any of them!

 

[n4gix]

I think that is principally NOT about "profitability" and "making money", but everything about gaining full control over every digital aspect of our lives.

And here in the Untied Status of Amerika our Glorious Leader signed a Congressional Bill yesterday that will allow our internet providers legal right to sell all of our personal information to anyone with the bucks to buy it. That's just not right. It's just the first nail in the coffin for Net Neutrality.

In the meantime though, I'm perfectly happy with Max 2012, Visual Studio 2005, and Photoshop v8 CS. I see absolutely no reason to "upgrade" any of them!

 

[hairyspin]

Um. Nobody thought the move to the net for most services has nothing to do with cost reductions for companies? Why pay staff to take your order if you're prepared to do it for them online? Maybe I've just too cynical a business sense and don't see the bids for total control. On with the tinfoil trilby!

 

[ErickC]

I've often wondered how long humanity is going to be in denial about the impossibility of the perpetual growth of profits and market share. Even if you had a starship, you'd hit some kind of universal limit eventually... it's just a matter of time. The idea of the magical corporation that continuously delivers more profit every quarter for its investors is starting to outlive its usefulness. Oh, well.