So I received the email offering KS 8 and 9 users to upgrade to KS10 and maintenance and they will get KS11. Also in that email was the first pricing I have seen for the new subscription based sales model of $99/month paid annually ($1188).
I have KS 10 with maintenance so the upgrade does not affect me, but the pricing for subscription alarmed me.
My question and observation;
Is the subscription sales model going to be the ONLY method of keeping up with KS from 2022 onward? or will both be available?
With a monthly rate of $99, the new subscription will be significantly more expensive. For example, using the old sales model, If I bought KS at $1995 and paid $400 per year for the next 4 years, my monthly cost over 5 years would be $59.92. If I bought KS on a Black Friday discount ($1195) the monthly price would be $46.58.
Am I seeing this right?
Quote from: aemasters on December 13, 2021, 09:12:15 AM
So I received the email offering KS 8 and 9 users to upgrade to KS10 and maintenance and they will get KS11. Also in that email was the first pricing I have seen for the new subscription based sales model of $99/month paid annually ($1188).
I have KS 10 with maintenance so the upgrade does not affect me, but the pricing for subscription alarmed me.
My question and observation;
Is the subscription sales model going to be the ONLY method of keeping up with KS from 2022 onward? or will both be available?
With a monthly rate of $99, the new subscription will be significantly more expensive. For example, using the old sales model, If I bought KS at $1995 and paid $400 per year for the next 4 years, my monthly cost over 5 years would be $59.92. If I bought KS on a Black Friday discount ($1195) the monthly price would be $46.58.
Am I seeing this right?
We won't commit to pricing past next year, but if you have maintenance you can remain on maintenance in 2022. The price of maintenance is going up next year, as we have not raised the prices for KeyShot in over 10 years. For the pricing comparison, it depends on a number of factors to "what is cheaper" (i.e. upgrades) but the Subscription price is a lower initial price point, which has often been requested.
I think the biggest change here is that people need to realize that if they are on the new subscription method, there is no need for the maintenance to get the new versions every time. The maintenance only supplies direct email and phone support. I know I've had the maintenance for about 5 years now, and I think I used it once to figure out a licensing issue, which I'm pretty sure they would have figured out anyway if I hadn't had it. So, now that you won't need the maintenance to get the new versions, do you really need the email and phone support? If not, then drop it and just pay the subscription, get the new versions as they come out.
Using your 5 year plan, yep you'd be best to stay on the permanent license model. The subscription (at this point) is just an option.
I do not understand the subscription model. Ignoring the issue of maintenance, is Keyshot now like Photoshop where you one cannot purchase a stand alone copy of the software, but is forced to make monthly payments to use it.
Quote from: Sid Hatrack on December 15, 2021, 05:10:37 AM
I do not understand the subscription model. Ignoring the issue of maintenance, is Keyshot now like Photoshop where you one cannot purchase a stand alone copy of the software, but is forced to make monthly payments to use it.
They are keeping the permanent stand alone license model for now.
I do not know what you mean by "for now", but I have this direct from a Keyshot inside sales manager "Once KeyShot 11 is released, no new permanent licenses will be available and new licenses will be annual subscription."
It is too bad it they cannot see their way to offer both subscription and and permanent license. I use SolidEdge and this is what they offer. I for one will not be upgrading to KS11 because of their inflexible policy.
I have a license for Keyshot 10 PRO. Can anyone from Keyshot them refer to the questions below? This is quite important for me:
1) Is purchasing a Maintenance right now (before the end of the year) the only option for me to get the upgrate to permanent Keyshot 11 when it's released?
2) Once I do that, the newest version of Keyshot available in permanent model will be Keyshot 11? The only option to upgrade to Keyshot 12 and other new versions in the future will be switching to subscription model?
Thank you in advance for the answers,
Kuba
I have a license for Keyshot 10 PRO. Can anyone from Keyshot them refer to the questions below? This is quite important for me:
1) Is purchasing a Maintenance right now (before the end of the year) the only option for me to get the upgrate to permanent Keyshot 11 when it's released?
Yes. You can still contact sales.
2) Once I do that, the newest version of Keyshot available in permanent model will be Keyshot 11? The only option to upgrade to Keyshot 12 and other new versions in the future will be switching to subscription model?
Correct.
$1188 paid up front for a 12 month subscription? If that is the plan for existing users who purchased the software at full price, then paid for annual maintenance plans since day 1, then it needs to ne reconsidered.
I totally get subscription models. 3/4 of our sofware is subcription based - Adobe/Microsoft/Accounts/Some rendering, some modelling etc. But here's the thing. If you are introducing subscription to your faithful, fully paid up user base you need to give us more than simply saying "$1188 - take it or leave it". At that price, it more than doubles the cost of maintaining our investment in Keyshot products, and in this environment that is simply not sustainable.
Look at the commercial competition.
Adobe Substance package is less than half that cost.
Same for Chaos with a V-ray subscription.
Then we get into add on packages like Corona or Octane - same story.
Even modellers with rendering options are lower cost.
Listen, the simple fact is this. We like Keyshot. We've used it since it was Hypershot Beta. But it is no longer the only game in town either for realtime rendering or native CAD format reading.
if we are going to be expected to fork out full subscription costs then we will start to phase it out. Simple as that.
Quote from: quigley on January 27, 2022, 08:35:36 AM
$1188 paid up front for a 12 month subscription? If that is the plan for existing users who purchased the software at full price, then paid for annual maintenance plans since day 1, then it needs to ne reconsidered.
I totally get subscription models. 3/4 of our sofware is subcription based - Adobe/Microsoft/Accounts/Some rendering, some modelling etc. But here's the thing. If you are introducing subscription to your faithful, fully paid up user base you need to give us more than simply saying "$1188 - take it or leave it". At that price, it more than doubles the cost of maintaining our investment in Keyshot products, and in this environment that is simply not sustainable.
Look at the commercial competition.
Adobe Substance package is less than half that cost.
Same for Chaos with a V-ray subscription.
Then we get into add on packages like Corona or Octane - same story.
Even modellers with rendering options are lower cost.
Listen, the simple fact is this. We like Keyshot. We've used it since it was Hypershot Beta. But it is no longer the only game in town either for realtime rendering or native CAD format reading.
if we are going to be expected to fork out full subscription costs then we will start to phase it out. Simple as that.
Very well said.
Quote from: DerekCicero on January 19, 2022, 10:03:46 AM
2) Once I do that, the newest version of Keyshot available in permanent model will be Keyshot 11? The only option to upgrade to Keyshot 12 and other new versions in the future will be switching to subscription model?
Correct.
wait. I was lead to believe that the KS11 is going to be subscription based (as per 'Free upgrade details' newsletter from November 21). So, you're saying we can have KS11 perpetual licence?? Please tell me how.
The upshot of it all is that they aren't moving this way for no reason, I'm sure they have spent countless hours researching, consulting with their major customers (which admittedly isn't any of us, most likely companies with dozens of user licenses, not one-offs) they have factored in the attrition of loss due to pricing vs higher more stable income for the company with the subscription model from those volume customers. Its a business decision, not a "feel good lets do this because its better for the customer" decision. All businesses large and small need to make those decisions, and they aren't easy nor taken lightly. These forums I would guess represent less than 5% of the user base (most likely MUCH lower) so, humbly stating, our opinion won't matter much of a gnats a&& hair in the big picture. I do truly believe they take stuff we talk about into consideration, but the loss of a few customers from here are easily made up for on the other end of a higher yearly income from a larger user base customer going from the $400 per year maint to the $1000+ a year subscription. The bean counters have their hands in this heavily, as they do in all successful businesses, and sometimes takes turns that don't benefit everyone in the ecosystem.
All that being said, we will be sticking with KS, as the planned expenses are easy for our IT dept to swallow. We have years invested in the KS ecosystem, years and thousands of projects that would become worthless if we moved away from KS, the same pain we are still feeling from moving away from Final Render and 3DS Max going back 10+ years. We have 2 users, so small potatoes in the big picture. I will say that they should be able to get a hold of a whole platoon of new coders to take KS to the next level with the bump in yearly income. @willgibbons Will Gibbons made his list of of observations in a post a couple weeks ago, and i think he nailed it pretty dead on. The "drag and drop" ease of use is getting harder and harder to claim as a key feature, especially with pretty much every other render engine having third party packs of thousands of prebuilt materials and lighting solutions, so its ALL drag and drop to a certain extent, with other renderers dipping toes into more features for less money, and that's not even considering the network rendering that is free with some other renderers. But, I might go and plop my 2 cents on that thread as well.
Take care everyone, make the decision that's best for you, Luxion will, and we can't really blame them.
I may not make as much time to post here as I used to, but I will take a moment to chime in.
I share many of Matt's speculations. Though, I'd suspect the active users on this forum are less than 0.5% of active KeyShot users. That number falls even further when considering who's using legitimate licenses.
You know the saying, "What got you here, won't get you there?" Well, when a business takes actions to grow, they often focus on making the simplest changes that will result in the greatest results. Switching to a subscription-based model fights piracy, and creates more predictable cashflow and automates sales and license management to a degree for Luxion.
To me, the biggest potential upside to moving to a subscription model is that Luxion doesn't need to decide on what glossy features they'll put into a release each year in an effort to gain new customers. If they truly move to ongoing releases and do away with the major releases (i.e. KS11, KS12, KS13 and just the name of the year such as KS22.1, KS22.2, KS22.3) then when a feature is added becomes irrelevant. What's important is customer retention and customer satisfaction.
The risk of adding glossy features for a big annual release is rushing something and releasing it in a half-baked manner, then not continuing to develop it because users don't use it because it never worked well in the first place. Then you get a graveyard of abandoned features.
My optimism says an annual subscription gives Luxion the opportunity to grow their team of developers and other roles to allow them to focus on stability, continual improvement and hopefully more competitive features relative to the CGI landscape.
I think if you're concerned about the price, then you're in the wrong field. CGI is expensive. 3D is expensive. The hardware it takes to run this software well is expensive. Servers and render farms are expensive. Software is expensive. Engineering, production, prototyping, shipping, delivering products are all expensive endeavors.
KeyShot may seem expensive compared to some other software tools, but my electricity bill is about $165/mo ($1980/yr) for a small 3 bedroom house with low to moderate energy consumption. That's more expensive than the $1188/yr KeyShot will cost. If you're a hobbyist, sure, KeyShot may feel expensive. But anyone who uses the tool for his or her business, it's a drop in the bucket.
Anyone who's upset about the move to subscription or the price increase, I think is losing sight of the big picture. I do think there's more to be gained as a user from this move, although it may take a few years for us to feel that as Luxion adapts to this change as well.
And for those who threaten to move to another platform, that's fine too. However, I think you'll quickly find it a bit tedious at best to use another render engine with CAD data. KeyShot's ease-of-use and quick workflow from HDRI editor to studios, to working well with lots of CAD applications is not something many other tools excel at.
As Matt pointed out, hobbyists, freelancers and individuals probably don't have a big impact on Luxion's bottom line.
I've no intentions to criticize anyone here who might feel offended or singled out by this post. I just wanted to share what I think personally stands to be gained by moving to a subscription model.
As for the direction the software moves in, who it's marketed to and what features are implemented and how, that's an entirely different conversation.
Understand that those who post regularly here and often with solutions to questions are the 1%. And those users in the 1% (most competent) are going to want features and tools that the 99% of users aren't aware of or interested in. Unfortunately, a business that's trying to grow, does not focus on the 1%. They focus on the 99%. And I say this as a business owner myself. Again, no harsh feelings toward Luxion. It's just a fact that some of us have to accept. The largest user base is who will be listened to the most for better or worse.
I think this jumping ship scenario can be resolved very easily by Luxion by retaining a lower subscription cost for existing paid up users on maintenance vs new licenses at the higher rate. I do take issue with the line "CGI is expensive". Tell me about it.
It is even more expensive when as a small business we have a couple of licenses of SolidWorks/Rhino/Fusion/Adobe Team Creative Cloud/ Office 365 and others. In that scenario-which is common for many original Keyshot users-design agencies-Keyshot is one system in use, not the only system in use.
We are also trying to grow and we cannot justify using software that jumps 3x overhead cost. At that point we change.
I would honestly save paying 3x the cost would be worth it IF there was added value but the simple fact is that for design phase non specialist user (as in not a 100% of time user) rendering Keyshot has not really progressed that much in recent years.
But let's see what the deal actually is. If it's reasonable we will stick with it. If it's not, then we will just increase our use of alternatives we already use like Twinmotion, Inspire Studio or Visualise, and maybe look at bringing in VRay again.
One thing Ive learned over the last 30 years of commercial 3D design software is that software vendors don't give a damn about users once they reach a certain point (apart from McNeel), so in return we don't offer any loyalty. It's all business-both ways.
I will buy Keyshot february. Is it possible use Keyshot 12 without the subsrcption? Is there maintenance next year?
Quote from: JuhaL on March 18, 1975, 12:11:09 AMIs it possible use Keyshot 12 without the subsrcption?
No. See Derek's post, seven posts above your own.
A couple of points I wanted to make. I manage / budget the purchase of software as well as make it, so I understand the issue as an end user and I've been reading and listening to your feedback.
The goal of Subscription is to make a lower barrier to entry for new users, and, in addition, reflect the reality of where KeyShot is going as a tool, such that it's not so "New Feature" focused in major releases, but rather about layering features on top of delivering consistent value. If you are currently on maintenance the cost is going up $100/year for Pro with KS11. If you are a new user, the three year cost is nearly the same from the old model to the new one. I think the pricing we arrived at is fair, but if you're the one writing the check, you may have a different opinion. What will happen in 2023, 2024? I can't say, as those decisions have not been made. I think if you call a sales rep as a long time customer you won't feel like it's "Take or leave it".
I'm not going to try and convince anyone of what "value" is to them. We've tried to make KeyShot as valuable as we can with each release, and in the last few versions we've focused on how to make our tools more versatile for both creation (Physics, 3D paint) and output (GPU, AR, VR, CMF) but if you have other tools that do it better / more cost effectively, fair enough. The reality is a feature we add to KeyShot 11 may be immensely valuable to User A and not applicable for User B. All we can do is try and make a better product for as many users as we can.
Will did a great job of outlining some of the challenges that come with a software company in Year 10 versus Year 2, and while it's true that it's harder to listen to everyone as the user base grows, we do a care a great deal about what users think and try to reflect your input in the product and pricing.
Will the new subscription model at least have the possibility to work with KS on different PCs without having to previously deactivate the license? Just because of this annoyance I bought last year a second KS pro package, so I am now totally independent of where I work even though theoretically I can work from 2 PCs with one KS license (not at the same time obviously)...
Quote from: phos4 on February 11, 2022, 05:57:43 AM
Will the new subscription model at least have the possibility to work with KS on different PCs without having to previously deactivate the license? Just because of this annoyance I bought last year a second KS pro package, so I am now totally independent of where I work even though theoretically I can work from 2 PCs with one KS license (not at the same time obviously)...
I believe you will be able to activate the subscription license on multiple machines (up to 3 I think?) but can only use it on one machine at a time. I think a benefit of subscription is you will be able to activate/deactivate machines on your own without Luxion support.
I'll keep my fingers crossed and I hope the whole process is as smooth as possible, like in Rhino as an example, where you can change between PCs just by clicking once on a popup when the software is started on the new PC you want to work with.
Do you know why Luxion would limit the amount of PCs, that KS can be activated from if you can only work from one PC at a time anyway?
Flipping that on its head then, if subscription enables you to activate Keyshot on 3 machines is that only on 3 machines, or can you deactivate on one and reactivate on a 4th?
I get the perceived inconvenience about the existing license but activate/deactivate works well. Certainly not enough to switch to a subscription model for that feature alone.
The point about subscription costs meaning it is lower cost for new users, and after 3 years you have cost parity against the previous purchase model is great. But that again means existing customers forced to switch to subscription are effectively subsidising new customer during those 3 years.
I don't think it is acceptable to launch a new sales model without proper consideration for your existing customers. The ones who got you to this stage. To say "talk to a sales rep" is just so shady as to be ridiculous. So what you are saying there is "make us an offer?"
That is not the Luxion I have supported and promoted to MY customers all these years.
Hi Luxion
Its been a great ride, but now i am moving on to other software, feels like its the end of the road concidering what is offered as new features in version 11. And the new subscription model only confirms that there will be very little changes in the years to come, better lock up users with subscription if they want to use Keyshot at all. I am keeping version 10 to be used on existing files but i will phase out and use other products.
Mikael
Bad day for me. Keyshot is a product not service. It was very nice journey! I quit today with upgrade and i ll work my old K9. Have a nice time. Bunkspeeeeeed is dead!
This sort of thing happens every time a software goes to an SaS model. Every business that makes the transition accounts for the loss of x% of lost customers because of it, they are not planning on losing money on the deal. 2 odd things about this transition about KS though-
1) No monthly payment option- for the smaller fish this is much easier to swallow vs one large outlay per year. Especially when the service is advertised as a "monthly cost" but then requires annual payment. Just odd wording. Pretty much everyone else offers a monthly payment scheme, and usually charges a bit more for that to cover ongoing transaction costs.
2) Pretty sure that 99% of the people that bought the maintenance did is soley for the yearly free upgrade. This is the first time that i know of where the major release upgrade did not fall within that 12 months period, so those of us that did not use the tech support at all feel ripped off. Partly our fault for not realizing what the maintenance agreement was mainly for (support, not upgrade)
Probably the biggest incident of this happening before was Adobe CC, and while they took TONS of flak for doing it, with people threatening everything under the sun, they still did it and they have done well after 4 years of doing it. I feel that their apps have done well, improved enough to make it worth it, and have avoided the whole conundrum of how to decide when to release updates/bugfixes/feature upgrades since they don't have to be tied with a release or an upgrade payment. I do sincerly hope that this sort of thought process allows Luxion to make releases more often, with smaller options and fixes on a more regular basis. There are still so many littel quibbly things that are annoying to deal with, I hope that they can grow the software team to help start checking some of these off.
https://www.willgibbons.com/keyshot-11/?vgo_ee=z71DGR7M2A6IpO7iVsDORc%2BmlmfwsuiZXDT0jIiElG8%3D
That all being said, I agree with Will Gibbons overall view of KS 11, very narrow niche feature set, that while might be laying the foundations for future features, it would be nice if they would focus more on the base. BEtter, faster renders, more robust GPU support, better material behaviors, dealing with the stuff that is CONSTANTLY in the forums being complained about- fireflies, inconsistent render times, keyboard shortcuts not being implemented 100%, interface bugs that are super annoying (talking to you, scene tree grouping and duplicated files being dropped to the bottom of the object list, and most of all, the Make Pattern tool ONLY WORKS ON GROUPS AT THE ROOT LEVEL inconsistantly)
Anyway, we have to continue to use Keyshot, as we now have 5 years of projects in the system. Can only hope they will respond to some of the issues we mention here. Totally understand people ditching KS for other solutions, but it seems that a lot of other renderers are following the subscription model as well. From a business perspective, its the only way to garuntee a certain level of income across the year to support the development.
To be honest I'm disappointed, not by the subscription itself, but the fact it's quite expensive vs other companies and that you only have a one year option not monthly. I hoped to see fairer prices and now it's actually even more expensive then a simple update. I've been looking for other solutions (Maverick Studio is very nice) but yeah we all have tons of KS projects now on our computers so it's not that easy. I'm searching around but am definitely not happy with the price and one year only limit.
Hans
Just the FAQs, in case this has been missed:
https://luxion.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/60000708986-subscription-faqs (https://luxion.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/60000708986-subscription-faqs)
Have been testing v11 which is very nice, some features like 3D paint are very handy, still hope to see more flexible subscription options in the future and lower price but v11 works very well cheers, Hans
But that's changing a product into a service. What happens if I stop the subscription?
This means you own my right to open the Scenes I made, forever....
There's something completely broken about the subscription-only based software.
What happens if Luxion decides to develop further towards animation? or clothing? or VR? All things I don't use.
Why do I need to be forced to finance a development team doing that when it has no value to me?
Quote from: hoolito on February 24, 2022, 07:07:18 AM
But that's changing a product into a service. What happens if I stop the subscription?
This means you own my right to open the Scenes I made, forever....
There's something completely broken about the subscription-only based software.
What happens if Luxion decides to develop further towards animation? or clothing? or VR? All things I don't use.
Why do I need to be forced to finance a development team doing that when it has no value to me?
Valid points. Problem is, instead of pushing back when Adobe started all this subscription based nonsense nine years ago, people just bent over and took it. Once Adobe proved the model worked (that the suckers would keep paying and paying indefinitely, thus, "renting" the software forever), all other developers realized they could do it too. No going back now.
Quote from: TGS808 on February 24, 2022, 10:05:04 AM
Valid points. Problem is, instead of pushing back when Adobe started all this subscription based nonsense nine years ago, people just bent over and took it. Once Adobe proved the model worked (that the suckers would keep paying and paying indefinitely, thus, "renting" the software forever), all other developers realized they could do it too. No going back now.
I personally find subscriptions rather interesting, for example when I first bought the full Adobe products they were pretty expensive so for so the subscription was interesting for me price wise. For KS I find the subscription expensive, if I look what you get for a one month subscription at Maxon One that's really a great package with tons of products in it, expensive but complete, KS is one product and almost the price of Maxon One where you get quite a lot for the money. So the suscription is rather cool but the price is too expensive.
@hve
That's a really interesting point. Up to now, I've been interested in this discussion, but didn't want to chime in since I've felt stuck in my current situation (using KeyShot for client work, while also training teams in KeyShot). Given my history using the tool, I've been somewhat resigned to "whelp, I'm stuck with it now." My main frustration has been very slow development on core features, and a very cavalier attitude towards acknowledging & fixing bugs in a timely fashion. I don't want to open a complain-a-thon, just adding context for my position. KeyShot is a tool I both know extremely well and also have major issues with when using.
Putting the cost of Maxon One vs KeyShot is a really eye-opening comparison for me, since I have been used to paying maintenance to keep up-to-date in KeyShot. Now, directly compared to other subscription options, that's a tougher pill to swallow. I pay for other subscriptions (Adobe) that offer a wide number of tools, sign up for 3 year commitments for Fusion 360 since they offer updates monthly, and I regularly donate to the Blender foundation because their development work should be compensated for. On top of that, I pay for tutorials and plugins for all of those platforms. It's not about being cheap, it's about getting something in return for your money.
I definitely don't want to switch render engines, but the ROI for learning a new tool becomes like an inevitable option if the cost/benefit is considered, especially in my case where I'm not tied to a corporate workflow or specific set of 3D tools.
A lot of previous KeyShot evangelists and power users simply aren't here to add to this discussion because they've moved on to other tools. I think the increased cost may be the last nail in the coffin for a lot of independent KeyShot users.
Richard makes the main distinction of users here, corp users (myself) and indies. The indies are the ones that will be mostly concerned with this whole situation. I told my IT about the coming changes, and he said " I just dropped $300k on software licenses for our storage and network. I am trying not to laugh at you."
So, for someone who pays their own way, yeah this will be an issue. I have been there, and consolidating costs is a huge deal. Being a long time Cinema 4D user, former octane use and redshift dabbler, that sort of solution really start to looks attractive. Especially when you consider what you are getting for the price.
Now, that being said, KS is by FAR the easiest to use and get fast great results. For my workflow, that's what I need. Its more about getting my products to 80% perfect super fast, then if the project allows, I can use more time to get it closer to perfect.
I do know that Luxion does listen to its users, morso than Maxon does :) So there is that.
Ha, that's pretty funny. I had a similar experience at a previous employer who was creating the software budget for the next fiscal year. When he came to ask about my KS enterprise license costs, he basically shrugged them off as a rounding error compared to everything else within our group. Bigger companies will definitely not blink at a change like this, and it may simplify the licensing process to batch them all.
I also agree that KeyShot is the absolute clear winner for most corporate CAD users, and casual users who want to get great results quickly. I simply feel that, as someone who pays for licenses through my own income, there will be fewer reasons to pay for upgrades in the future. Will I ever quit KeyShot cold turkey? Probably not. But I may not be willing to pay for new versions after KS11 without some convincing.
Matt, you're absolutely right that Luxion has historically been good about listening to customers. Hell, one of my favorite things while working for Luxion was to bring lists of ideas & requests to the dev team in Aarhus. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel deflated that this most recent release didn't even come close to addressing issues that have been raised over the past few years. I'd love to have my pessimism proven wrong in the 11.xx releases.
That's interesting Richard and Matt,
I also use Fusion 360 in combo with Keyshot and a few other software packages like Adobe Cloud, Blender etc and for now KS is still the best and fastest to use for me. There are indeed bugs you need to work around but it's extremely easy to get nice results. I really hope they can make the subscription a little more affordable in the future especially for us freelance artists. Have a great eve, Hans
Quote from: Will Gibbons on January 28, 2022, 08:46:33 AM
I may not make as much time to post here as I used to, but I will take a moment to chime in.
I share many of Matt's speculations. Though, I'd suspect the active users on this forum are less than 0.5% of active KeyShot users. That number falls even further when considering who's using legitimate licenses.
You know the saying, "What got you here, won't get you there?" Well, when a business takes actions to grow, they often focus on making the simplest changes that will result in the greatest results. Switching to a subscription-based model fights piracy, and creates more predictable cashflow and automates sales and license management to a degree for Luxion.
To me, the biggest potential upside to moving to a subscription model is that Luxion doesn't need to decide on what glossy features they'll put into a release each year in an effort to gain new customers. If they truly move to ongoing releases and do away with the major releases (i.e. KS11, KS12, KS13 and just the name of the year such as KS22.1, KS22.2, KS22.3) then when a feature is added becomes irrelevant. What's important is customer retention and customer satisfaction.
The risk of adding glossy features for a big annual release is rushing something and releasing it in a half-baked manner, then not continuing to develop it because users don't use it because it never worked well in the first place. Then you get a graveyard of abandoned features.
My optimism says an annual subscription gives Luxion the opportunity to grow their team of developers and other roles to allow them to focus on stability, continual improvement and hopefully more competitive features relative to the CGI landscape.
I think if you're concerned about the price, then you're in the wrong field. CGI is expensive. 3D is expensive. The hardware it takes to run this software well is expensive. Servers and render farms are expensive. Software is expensive. Engineering, production, prototyping, shipping, delivering products are all expensive endeavors.
KeyShot may seem expensive compared to some other software tools, but my electricity bill is about $165/mo ($1980/yr) for a small 3 bedroom house with low to moderate energy consumption. That's more expensive than the $1188/yr KeyShot will cost. If you're a hobbyist, sure, KeyShot may feel expensive. But anyone who uses the tool for his or her business, it's a drop in the bucket.
Anyone who's upset about the move to subscription or the price increase, I think is losing sight of the big picture. I do think there's more to be gained as a user from this move, although it may take a few years for us to feel that as Luxion adapts to this change as well.
And for those who threaten to move to another platform, that's fine too. However, I think you'll quickly find it a bit tedious at best to use another render engine with CAD data. KeyShot's ease-of-use and quick workflow from HDRI editor to studios, to working well with lots of CAD applications is not something many other tools excel at.
As Matt pointed out, hobbyists, freelancers and individuals probably don't have a big impact on Luxion's bottom line.
I've no intentions to criticize anyone here who might feel offended or singled out by this post. I just wanted to share what I think personally stands to be gained by moving to a subscription model.
As for the direction the software moves in, who it's marketed to and what features are implemented and how, that's an entirely different conversation.
Understand that those who post regularly here and often with solutions to questions are the 1%. And those users in the 1% (most competent) are going to want features and tools that the 99% of users aren't aware of or interested in. Unfortunately, a business that's trying to grow, does not focus on the 1%. They focus on the 99%. And I say this as a business owner myself. Again, no harsh feelings toward Luxion. It's just a fact that some of us have to accept. The largest user base is who will be listened to the most for better or worse.
So let me summarize. If you're poor or are having trouble making ends meet, you don't belong in 3d. You're insignificant, only corporate accounts matter. Make more money peasant. This may suck for you, but it'll be awesome for those of us who can afford it. Decent tl;dr?
Quote from: TGS808 on February 24, 2022, 10:05:04 AM
Quote from: hoolito on February 24, 2022, 07:07:18 AM
But that's changing a product into a service. What happens if I stop the subscription?
This means you own my right to open the Scenes I made, forever....
There's something completely broken about the subscription-only based software.
What happens if Luxion decides to develop further towards animation? or clothing? or VR? All things I don't use.
Why do I need to be forced to finance a development team doing that when it has no value to me?
Valid points. Problem is, instead of pushing back when Adobe started all this subscription based nonsense nine years ago, people just bent over and took it. Once Adobe proved the model worked (that the suckers would keep paying and paying indefinitely, thus, "renting" the software forever), all other developers realized they could do it too. No going back now.
Considering the vast array of programs you get with Adobe suite, I think their prices are extremely reasonable.
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:33:57 PM
Considering the vast array of programs you get with Adobe suite, I think their prices are extremely reasonable.
That's exactly what Adobe wants you to believe.
Quote from: TGS808 on February 28, 2022, 08:49:45 PM
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:33:57 PM
Considering the vast array of programs you get with Adobe suite, I think their prices are extremely reasonable.
That's exactly what Adobe wants you to believe.
What steps would one take to determine whether my belief is true or false?
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:28:24 PM
So let me summarize. If you're poor or are having trouble making ends meet, you don't belong in 3d. You're insignificant, only corporate accounts matter. Make more money peasant. This may suck for you, but it'll be awesome for those of us who can afford it. Decent tl;dr?
If I'm poor (which I have been) and having trouble making ends meet (which I have done) I'm not going to attempt to be a Porsche mechanic either. I'm going to work on cars I can afford the tools for.
When I first went freelance, I had $0. I took out my loan for a crap computer so that I could afford software. I used the built in renderers for C4D until I worked enough to afford Octane and a GPU card. I built my way up. So, cruelly, yes. If you can't afford the cost of doing business, you shouldn't be trying to be in the business.
That super mean thing being realized as "reality sucks sometimes" is followed up with this-
Blender.
100% all inclusive 3d Package. For Free. With Free Support. With Free Tutorials. There are even free render farms to use if you are a student. If you are struggling, guys are always offering their vast systems for rendering. Everything you need to be a successful 3D artist is there. FOR FREE.
Problem is that the UI sucks. And its a steep learning curve. But I can't think of any other industry that supports its userbase better than 3D. Fer crying out loud, Unity, one of the top gaming engines in the world with some of the most advanced real time rendering tech is (guess what)
FREE!!!!!
My kid downloaded it for fun and made a VR game for his Oculus. So, it can be done. I'm a shadetree mechanic. I love wrenching on stuff. If its got a motor, let me have it. But, I have Harbor Freight tools, not SnapOn or Mac. I buy tools at garage sales. On Clearance. I use what I can afford. Now, if I for some reason started to make a living off it, you bet I would upgrade those tools when I could afford to. But no one is going to hand them to me for nothing. Not like the 3D industry does.
So, stop looking at the lack of tools as the limitation. If you can't afford KS, that's great! There is a path for you out there, focus on the path and refining your talents and knowledge, in the end that's what makes the difference. The software is just a tool to get the end result.
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 01, 2022, 05:48:01 AM
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:28:24 PM
So let me summarize. If you're poor or are having trouble making ends meet, you don't belong in 3d. You're insignificant, only corporate accounts matter. Make more money peasant. This may suck for you, but it'll be awesome for those of us who can afford it. Decent tl;dr?
If I'm poor (which I have been) and having trouble making ends meet (which I have done) I'm not going to attempt to be a Porsche mechanic either. I'm going to work on cars I can afford the tools for.
When I first went freelance, I had $0. I took out my loan for a crap computer so that I could afford software. I used the built in renderers for C4D until I worked enough to afford Octane and a GPU card. I built my way up. So, cruelly, yes. If you can't afford the cost of doing business, you shouldn't be trying to be in the business.
That super mean thing being realized as "reality sucks sometimes" is followed up with this-
Blender.
100% all inclusive 3d Package. For Free. With Free Support. With Free Tutorials. There are even free render farms to use if you are a student. If you are struggling, guys are always offering their vast systems for rendering. Everything you need to be a successful 3D artist is there. FOR FREE.
Problem is that the UI sucks. And its a steep learning curve. But I can't think of any other industry that supports its userbase better than 3D. Fer crying out loud, Unity, one of the top gaming engines in the world with some of the most advanced real time rendering tech is (guess what)
FREE!!!!!
My kid downloaded it for fun and made a VR game for his Oculus. So, it can be done. I'm a shadetree mechanic. I love wrenching on stuff. If its got a motor, let me have it. But, I have Harbor Freight tools, not SnapOn or Mac. I buy tools at garage sales. On Clearance. I use what I can afford. Now, if I for some reason started to make a living off it, you bet I would upgrade those tools when I could afford to. But no one is going to hand them to me for nothing. Not like the 3D industry does.
So, stop looking at the lack of tools as the limitation. If you can't afford KS, that's great! There is a path for you out there, focus on the path and refining your talents and knowledge, in the end that's what makes the difference. The software is just a tool to get the end result.
I admire your patience... :-X
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 09:32:01 PM
What steps would one take to determine whether my belief is true or false?
It has nothing to do with being true or false. You said you think Adobe's pricing is "extremely reasonable". That is exactly what Adobe wants you to think. You've bought into it.
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 01, 2022, 05:48:01 AM
...
Problem is that the UI sucks. And its a steep learning curve.
...
Both of these points are really not the case anymore since 2.8. I stepped in at that moment and did some basic tutorials, was surprised at how well thought out most of the UI was. In comparison to packages like 3DS MAX or Maya, I think things are done quite well. Definitely well enough to consider picking it up and giving it a go if paid software isn't an option.
Quote from: RRIS on March 01, 2022, 07:04:52 AM
I admire your patience... :-X
Its not really patience, its dealing with what I had to work with. Had to learn patience if I wanted to feed my family.
And to be honest, I haven't tried blender in years, so it would probably do me good to download it again and give it a go. I know if I ever stopped working corporate marketing and went on my own again, it would be the first software I would download. I have lived in Cinema 4d's environment for over 10 years now, but no Id be able to afford it if I was on my own.
In the end, if you can't afford KS, then there are options out there that are cheaper. some free, some not. Luxion made a decision with this new model, and we as consumers get to decide to live with it or move on. Honestly for the Adobe stuff, everything I need photoshop for I could get done with GIMP or Pixelmator, or Photoshop 5, the version I first started on in 1999. I don't need Creative Cloud, and if I was on my own I certainly would not be paying for CC monthly.
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 02, 2022, 06:20:51 AM
Quote from: RRIS on March 01, 2022, 07:04:52 AM
I admire your patience... :-X
Its not really patience, its dealing with what I had to work with. Had to learn patience if I wanted to feed my family.
And to be honest, I haven't tried blender in years, so it would probably do me good to download it again and give it a go. I know if I ever stopped working corporate marketing and went on my own again, it would be the first software I would download. I have lived in Cinema 4d's environment for over 10 years now, but no Id be able to afford it if I was on my own.
In the end, if you can't afford KS, then there are options out there that are cheaper. some free, some not. Luxion made a decision with this new model, and we as consumers get to decide to live with it or move on. Honestly for the Adobe stuff, everything I need photoshop for I could get done with GIMP or Pixelmator, or Photoshop 5, the version I first started on in 1999. I don't need Creative Cloud, and if I was on my own I certainly would not be paying for CC monthly.
I could be wrong, but I think 'patience' was referring to you taking the time to reply to Penteon's post, haha. I've nothing to add. What you said is a sentiment I share. I've also been there.
Quote from: Will Gibbons on March 02, 2022, 08:49:03 AM
I could be wrong, but I think 'patience' was referring to you taking the time to reply to Penteon's post, haha.
You're not wrong. That's exactly what RRIS meant.
Hahah, sorry guys! took it wrong. Its all good. Yeah, i get a little long winded when I'm waiting for a render to finish :)
Quote from: TGS808 on February 28, 2022, 08:49:45 PM
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:33:57 PM
Considering the vast array of programs you get with Adobe suite, I think their prices are extremely reasonable.
That's exactly what Adobe wants you to believe.
I use their apps and several of them and sincerely don't have to complain, it's actually one of the packages I use most so for 49€ without VAT it's a productive package
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 01, 2022, 05:48:01 AM
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:28:24 PM
So let me summarize. If you're poor or are having trouble making ends meet, you don't belong in 3d. You're insignificant, only corporate accounts matter. Make more money peasant. This may suck for you, but it'll be awesome for those of us who can afford it. Decent tl;dr?
If I'm poor (which I have been) and having trouble making ends meet (which I have done) I'm not going to attempt to be a Porsche mechanic either. I'm going to work on cars I can afford the tools for.
When I first went freelance, I had $0. I took out my loan for a crap computer so that I could afford software. I used the built in renderers for C4D until I worked enough to afford Octane and a GPU card. I built my way up. So, cruelly, yes. If you can't afford the cost of doing business, you shouldn't be trying to be in the business.
That super mean thing being realized as "reality sucks sometimes" is followed up with this-
Blender.
100% all inclusive 3d Package. For Free. With Free Support. With Free Tutorials. There are even free render farms to use if you are a student. If you are struggling, guys are always offering their vast systems for rendering. Everything you need to be a successful 3D artist is there. FOR FREE.
Problem is that the UI sucks. And its a steep learning curve. But I can't think of any other industry that supports its userbase better than 3D. Fer crying out loud, Unity, one of the top gaming engines in the world with some of the most advanced real time rendering tech is (guess what)
FREE!!!!!
My kid downloaded it for fun and made a VR game for his Oculus. So, it can be done. I'm a shadetree mechanic. I love wrenching on stuff. If its got a motor, let me have it. But, I have Harbor Freight tools, not SnapOn or Mac. I buy tools at garage sales. On Clearance. I use what I can afford. Now, if I for some reason started to make a living off it, you bet I would upgrade those tools when I could afford to. But no one is going to hand them to me for nothing. Not like the 3D industry does.
So, stop looking at the lack of tools as the limitation. If you can't afford KS, that's great! There is a path for you out there, focus on the path and refining your talents and knowledge, in the end that's what makes the difference. The software is just a tool to get the end result.
You're missing the point entirely, and I just don't agree with you, and that's fine. We don't have to agree. This isn't about choosing to be a Porsche mechanic, it's about a tool -- currently being used -- undergoing a massive price increase. Whether you or anyone else thinks that's justified or not is your business. It's an open forum and if others are opposed to the price increase, they have as much right as anyone else to speak their minds about it. Or is your post here essentially a vote for the idea that people opposed to this price hike should A) be happy about it and B) remain silent?
If you don't like me speaking out about Gibbon's "shut up and take the price increase" rant, I guess that's a sad day for you. Everything in my post was taken from the sentiments HE expressed, I just chose to sidestep the euphemistic language. If the sentiments in my tl;dr are ones you find offensive or disagreeable, take it up with Will -- they're his implications and his statements. I challenge you to find an idea he didn't express or imply which I included in my tl;dr.
Gibbon is established (maybe? to whatever extent he actually is established in this industry, I don't know whether he's scraping by or what) but clearly he weighs in on this change on the side of a well-to-do corporation. Fine, good for him. There are other people, however, trying to make it in the 3d space, who aren't rich, and who aren't established, and I speak on the side of those people. If you don't like that, I honestly don't care. You'll excuse me if I don't buy into the idea that there's one objectively correct perspective on this price hike.
Quote from: RRIS on March 01, 2022, 07:04:52 AM
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 01, 2022, 05:48:01 AM
Quote from: Penteon on February 28, 2022, 07:28:24 PM
So let me summarize. If you're poor or are having trouble making ends meet, you don't belong in 3d. You're insignificant, only corporate accounts matter. Make more money peasant. This may suck for you, but it'll be awesome for those of us who can afford it. Decent tl;dr?
If I'm poor (which I have been) and having trouble making ends meet (which I have done) I'm not going to attempt to be a Porsche mechanic either. I'm going to work on cars I can afford the tools for.
When I first went freelance, I had $0. I took out my loan for a crap computer so that I could afford software. I used the built in renderers for C4D until I worked enough to afford Octane and a GPU card. I built my way up. So, cruelly, yes. If you can't afford the cost of doing business, you shouldn't be trying to be in the business.
That super mean thing being realized as "reality sucks sometimes" is followed up with this-
Blender.
100% all inclusive 3d Package. For Free. With Free Support. With Free Tutorials. There are even free render farms to use if you are a student. If you are struggling, guys are always offering their vast systems for rendering. Everything you need to be a successful 3D artist is there. FOR FREE.
Problem is that the UI sucks. And its a steep learning curve. But I can't think of any other industry that supports its userbase better than 3D. Fer crying out loud, Unity, one of the top gaming engines in the world with some of the most advanced real time rendering tech is (guess what)
FREE!!!!!
My kid downloaded it for fun and made a VR game for his Oculus. So, it can be done. I'm a shadetree mechanic. I love wrenching on stuff. If its got a motor, let me have it. But, I have Harbor Freight tools, not SnapOn or Mac. I buy tools at garage sales. On Clearance. I use what I can afford. Now, if I for some reason started to make a living off it, you bet I would upgrade those tools when I could afford to. But no one is going to hand them to me for nothing. Not like the 3D industry does.
So, stop looking at the lack of tools as the limitation. If you can't afford KS, that's great! There is a path for you out there, focus on the path and refining your talents and knowledge, in the end that's what makes the difference. The software is just a tool to get the end result.
I admire your patience... :-X
Someone glomming on to an exchange they're in no way required to participate in doesn't require any more patience than anyone else who decided to participate. I think you're confused.
Quote from: JuhaL on January 30, 2022, 03:51:35 PM
I will buy Keyshot february. Is it possible use Keyshot 12 without the subsrcption? Is there maintenance next year?
No. Subscriptions are required going forward on all new purchases. Those who have the current non-subscription version can get one more year at a discounted price. After that year elapses, they'll be moved over into the subscription model.
I'm really sorry you are getting so wound up about this, Penteon. Its not whether I agree with anyone or not, I was posting my own opinion (as you did) with real life experieince to back it up. If I'm using a software, and they increase the price, I can either accept it and figure out how to deal with it (raise my rates, cut other expenses) and continue doing business as is, or I can figure out how to do business a different way, and I gave many examples on how that could be done. While it may not seem "fair" it is the way Luxion is choosing to move forward and there really isn't anything to do about it. There are members that used to be on here that aren't anymore because they found better cheaper faster solutions for what they were trying to do, and I wish them all the best. If I was to go freelance again, I know for sure that I would NOT be able afford KS, and so rather than complain and shake my fist at the world, I'd get on with trying to figure out how I was going to keep doing business. They have zero obligation to price their products at what you (we) think they should. We have an obligation to keep our eyes open to other options to make sure we are getting the best value for our dollar. If KS stopped fulfilling the needs of my work, you can be sure I'd be looking elsewhere for a solution. Its that simple, and nothing to get emotional over. Its business.
You seem to be looking for an argument in making petulent comments about a subjective subject, and insulting anyone that you don't feel is contributing to what you view is appropriate to the conversation, which in my view is the sad part. If you are so pissed at Luxion for the subscription model, then write to them directly. Better yet, call them. Have a conversation. They value constructive feedback. They do respond and consider things we the customers bring up. Maybe they just need one more (reasonable) voice telling them to have some sort of independent artist pricing model, or some other way.
When adobe went subscription, I had a full CS license that I paid for myself, and was paying for updates. I didn't want the ongoing cost just to maybe use the features that they were releasing, and so I dropped it. I went with other software packages that in the end fit my needs better. And cheaper.
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 17, 2022, 05:58:39 AM
I'm really sorry you are getting so wound up about this, Penteon. Its not whether I agree with anyone or not, I was posting my own opinion (as you did) with real life experieince to back it up. If I'm using a software, and they increase the price, I can either accept it and figure out how to deal with it (raise my rates, cut other expenses) and continue doing business as is, or I can figure out how to do business a different way, and I gave many examples on how that could be done. While it may not seem "fair" it is the way Luxion is choosing to move forward and there really isn't anything to do about it. There are members that used to be on here that aren't anymore because they found better cheaper faster solutions for what they were trying to do, and I wish them all the best. If I was to go freelance again, I know for sure that I would NOT be able afford KS, and so rather than complain and shake my fist at the world, I'd get on with trying to figure out how I was going to keep doing business. They have zero obligation to price their products at what you (we) think they should. We have an obligation to keep our eyes open to other options to make sure we are getting the best value for our dollar. If KS stopped fulfilling the needs of my work, you can be sure I'd be looking elsewhere for a solution. Its that simple, and nothing to get emotional over. Its business.
You seem to be looking for an argument in making petulent comments about a subjective subject, and insulting anyone that you don't feel is contributing to what you view is appropriate to the conversation, which in my view is the sad part. If you are so pissed at Luxion for the subscription model, then write to them directly. Better yet, call them. Have a conversation. They value constructive feedback. They do respond and consider things we the customers bring up. Maybe they just need one more (reasonable) voice telling them to have some sort of independent artist pricing model, or some other way.
When adobe went subscription, I had a full CS license that I paid for myself, and was paying for updates. I didn't want the ongoing cost just to maybe use the features that they were releasing, and so I dropped it. I went with other software packages that in the end fit my needs better. And cheaper.
Nice try Sigmund Freud, but you can stop with the arm chair psychoanalysis. I'm not wound up, I was replying to Gibbons' statements in which he was rabidly cheerleading while at the same time putting down people who can't afford this price hike. Now, he can cheerlead for them all he wants, it's his life, but as for the rest of his statements they were reprehensible in my opinion and so I summed up his statements without all the euphemism to shine a light on the essence of what he was saying.
And no you weren't really posting your opinion on this price hike, you were inserting yourself into a reply I made about Gibbons' choice of words, so it seems you're confused. Once again, and it seems like I need to state this more than once for you, I didn't insult anyone, I summed up Gibbons' own words. If you have a problem with those ideas, take it up with Gibbons. And I challenge you to find one statement in my td;lr that has no relationship to Gibbons' statements or implications.
Just to be clear, I don't have a dog in this fight. I'm a hobbyist, so moving to the new subscription model is not a must for me. I simply won't do it. But I have friends who are artists, and they're talented and trying to make it in this meatgrinder of an industry, and they're already paying an arm and a leg for a bunch of other subscriptions. And slowly but surely company after company is moving to a subscription model, principally because they've got the necessary leverage over their customer base to pull it off. I'm not one of those among you who's jumping up and down cheering these changes, and myself and others don't have to be. You do you.
You can argue all day long on behalf of multi-million/billion dollar companies, that's your right. I'm offering my opinion on the side of artists and people trying to make it in this industry. Pro-tip: you can stop trying to convince me to see things your way. In case you haven't noticed, we disagree.
I don't really care if we disagree, and I'm not trying to convince anyone that going subscription is right. I fought against adobe when they did it, I signed many petitions, wrote to the company many times to voice my thoughts on why it would be a bad idea. I don't like subscriptions. I hate the idea that right now I have hundreds if not thousands of files that I can't open at home because I don't have a CC subscription. Thankfully I can use my work account, but there might be a time I won't have it. Then I'm screwed.
What I'm trying to say, and you keep ignoring, is that the situation is what it is, you complaining about it on a forum isn't going to change anything other than virtue signalling that you are standing up for the little guy. Well, guess what? The little guys are just fine, they don't need you cheerleading for them. If your friends are in this meatgrinder of an industry, then they already know how cutthroat it can be, and if they want to stay in it, they will find a way. Many others have an are super successful.
I'm not defending anyone for going subscription, or for being mad about it. I'm just saying getting all emotionally pissed about it doesn't fix the problem. Your language isn't too professional either, so you might want to watch that. I'm empathetic to those out there struggling, we have all been there, we have all had to start over. Will Gibbons has been a very valuable resource in this community, and is now and has been freelance for a while. I don't know him personally, but he has always been most professional and helpful to those that are here to learn, including me. He has been rightfully critical of Luxion when it has been warranted as well. So, take it for what its worth. No one is being disparaging about being financially strapped, but the reality is that if you can't afford it, you have to either find something else to do or a different way to do it. There are fortune 500 companies and huge production houses that use blender regularly.
I hope your day goes well, and I urge you to contact Luxion directly with your thoughts, they do actually listen and log customer complaints and praises.
Quote from: mattjgerard on March 17, 2022, 12:48:31 PM
I don't really care if we disagree, and I'm not trying to convince anyone that going subscription is right. I fought against adobe when they did it, I signed many petitions, wrote to the company many times to voice my thoughts on why it would be a bad idea. I don't like subscriptions. I hate the idea that right now I have hundreds if not thousands of files that I can't open at home because I don't have a CC subscription. Thankfully I can use my work account, but there might be a time I won't have it. Then I'm screwed.
What I'm trying to say, and you keep ignoring, is that the situation is what it is, you complaining about it on a forum isn't going to change anything other than virtue signalling that you are standing up for the little guy. Well, guess what? The little guys are just fine, they don't need you cheerleading for them. If your friends are in this meatgrinder of an industry, then they already know how cutthroat it can be, and if they want to stay in it, they will find a way. Many others have an are super successful.
I'm not defending anyone for going subscription, or for being mad about it. I'm just saying getting all emotionally pissed about it doesn't fix the problem. Your language isn't too professional either, so you might want to watch that. I'm empathetic to those out there struggling, we have all been there, we have all had to start over. Will Gibbons has been a very valuable resource in this community, and is now and has been freelance for a while. I don't know him personally, but he has always been most professional and helpful to those that are here to learn, including me. He has been rightfully critical of Luxion when it has been warranted as well. So, take it for what its worth. No one is being disparaging about being financially strapped, but the reality is that if you can't afford it, you have to either find something else to do or a different way to do it. There are fortune 500 companies and huge production houses that use blender regularly.
I hope your day goes well, and I urge you to contact Luxion directly with your thoughts, they do actually listen and log customer complaints and praises.
Well I appreciate the well wishes, and let's end this on a pleasant note. We obviously have some points of disagreement, but I am generally much more amenable to your views on this than Gibbons'. His statements came across as very elitist and condescending to me, and I don't know the guy from Adam and have no past history with him. I do know that he's likely to be better off and more established than many of the people facing this price hike, which would partially explain his views.
You see a continuing consolidation of power and products and influence, that in general is very troubling to me, and it always strikes me as odd and wrongheaded when this consolidation is applauded. I just can't get my head around it. There are fewer and fewer alternatives because the cost and sophistication of getting into any tech sphere dominated by huge existing companies gets more and more difficult, and you're just going to see companies being able to do and charge whatever they want.
Before there was Google, there were two kids in a college dorm who were able to write its code. Hell, now even Microsoft can't compete with them. And you see this same thing happening in every sector of every industry, where the barriers to entry are just so high that the leverage that existing players have is insurmountable. For me, this is more than just virtue signaling, I see it as a real threat, and as part of a trend that will only worsen over time.
Anyway, like I said, let's end this on a positive note. Message received. Take care.