Dear Chaosgroup,
following the curve of licensing policy with vrayscan and Vray for unreal, plus the online licensing becoming mandatory soon, it’s obvious that vray is shifting toward rental license model.
I and I believe, we, small studio and freelancer, user of Vray, are not willing to follow you on this route and It’s probably time to look ahead of what alternative we may have once you throw away your model for a juicer one.
You clearly provide a top notch technical support and vray make progress on each new version and that’s exactly what we like. But at the same time, that’s exactly what software company are suppose to do and it’s not because you are alone on this path that it’s not the good one.
You use to be Hop-o’-my-Thumb long ago, but bigger you are and more you seems tempt to act like Autodesk, wich is very bad.
I wish to be wrong, but it really sniff like we are going to be duped and better to be aware about it that to awake to late
Im also a little concerned about the pricing, unreal with 2 rendernodes is $212 per month, the difference between the workstation and rendernode, just $10. Vray next upgrade is going to be $1000 for same setup. It really is putting me off. At least have an option where you get a couple of rendernodes thrown in, for the really small setups.
I feel your concerns guys. Good luck explaining to your clients why you have to raise your rates cause they will understand right? I’m in constant battle with the clients already trying to breakdown and explain my fees and expenses (which really I shouldn’t have to do) but you factor in, max, maya, photoshop, after effects, mudbox, deadline, houdini, nuke etc etc licenses and you get a huge $ of expenses already.
I purchased some models from a website the other day and it had some text on a frozen layer. It was GFX something, I forget, but I did recognize it as a pirate share site. Someone had the balls to download stolen models and sell them. We’ll have large studios that pay and crooked people that steal. My MAX price has gone up consistently every quarter for years.
Sure, but it’ll happen more. Established freelancers would be happy about a subscription, because the low bar of entry is raised, but there is no bar with pirated software.
Will it? I’m not gonna lie, as a student I pirated almost every software I could because everything was completely out of my reach money wise. Even now I’m getting paid well I couldn’t imagine dropping 500 euros on a single license but paying 30 odd a month for a subscription doesnt bother me.
I was going to mention that like anything new the subscription license models are out of proportion right now (not talking about Chaos group) but for example you take something like nuke, and its ridiculously expensive, something like a $1000 per month. Then you take max / maya and its close to $250 per month, then you take photoshop and its $15 per month?? Why would a flagship software be that inexpensive? I surely have no issue paying $500 per month for various software if it brings me x10 that much, however the software does not just do the work, you still have to do the work your self :))) So its gotta be reasonably price imho. Its why nuke is pirated as much as it is.
I had a fella contact me earlier this week about a public garden he hand sketched and need to be modeled. This thing had custom statues and very organic shaped arches. I told him that I didn’t know his budget, but it would probably be cost prohibited for me to do it. Basically, I was turning down the project that would be a nightmare, unless it paid well, which I have a hunch wouldn’t. He told me that he’ll just contact someone in the Phillapeans to do it. I told him to please send me the final, I would love to see it. Now, he is obviously looking for the cheapest price and do you think he would care if I told him to see proof of software licenses? Not that people in the Phillapeans are always using pirated software, but I don’t think he would care whatsoever. Maybe it is up to the software developers to figure out this pirating problem and not just pass the burden onto people who actually pay for their software.
What i believe, is that The business price rate have been cut done drastically the last 15 years. Of course hardware price have been cut down too and the production pipeline is a lot faster now, but the software have not been cut down at all, it’s the opposite. On top of that, software is the only field I can think of, where you by a faulty product, that you don’t own and can’t resell. It’s like buying a car that crash, a car that you paid but that you can’t resell and a car that need monthly fees to keep running. Once google will enter into car market, I’m pretty sure that the software model will be applied to it, and we will try to keep runing our old car as long as possible to avoid being trap into the software model.
I hope vray don’t do it like autodesk, i support original, i just brought vray next few month ago, and all of my friend around laughing at me for doing that. i hope vlado heard me..please don’t, please…
Last i asked, i was told unequivocally that permanent licenses (for the core products) are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Some of the ancillary projects have more freedom about pricing and licensing, and you should make it a point to voice your opinion when you think that the pricing or model aren’t quite right.
It isn’t always easy to settle on the optimal model, so any help is surely appreciated (although i doubt it’d all go free on asking :P).
Choice is good agree. But Vray for Unreal unfortunately doesn’t have a perpetual license option.
Pretty much every software company is transitioning to the SAAS model. I expect Chaos Group will follow this path.
From their point of view it’s very profitable and provides sustainable income. Customers can benefit from the rental model too. Unfortunately the high rental prices many companies charge for their services make it less appealing.
No.
As i said, some of the ancillary projects, and project managers, have more choice in regard to the commercial side. It says nothing at all of a general trajectory for the company as a whole.
Rather, if what is bothering you is the pricing, or licensing model, of V4U, make sure you write to the sales team and let them know (ideally, with actionable data, rather than outright ranting.)
What you think of as intent to make shedloads of money may simply have been insecurity on the product market traction (ie. let’s see if anyone’s moderately interested, and let’s keep the entry point low.).
Hence the lack of a perpetual option, yet.
It’s a convo best had with those people, however, in charge of the specific products (same goes for VRScans, where there isn’t a perpetual option).
i hope vlado heard me..please don’t, please…