Is Vray for Unreal already compatible with version 4.21 of UE4?
No, V-Ray is not yet compatible with the 4.21 version of Unreal, only 4.19.2 and 4.20.3 are currently supported. We will soon upload a hotfix with improvements and maybe support for 4.21. Make sure to keep an eye in the Announcement section of the forum for latest builds info.
1) Why isn’t there a permanent licensing option as there is with other V-Ray products (i.e., 3ds Max, Maya, etc.)? This is a deal breaker for me.
2) Do existing render node licenses work with V-Ray for Unreal for distributed rendering?
We are actively working in order to keep V-Ray for Unreal up to date. This includes support for the latest UE version, which is updated every few months, as well as adding new functionality. Having this in mind, we also want to give our users flexibility to use the product only for the period you need, be it a month, a few or a year. This means that you get a faster release cycle and always up to date version with the latest developments available sooner.
As for your second question, yes V-Ray for Unreal requires the standard V-Ray Next Render Node license.
Thank you for your response. As much as I would like to use V-Ray for Unreal, the pricing is way too steep for an annual rental. You are charging damn near the perpetual cost of a Maya license every year for the Unreal license. WOW! You say it is because you have to put extra effort into updating your product to keep up with the Unreal updates that occur every few months. Last I recall, Maya was rolling out updates every few months. Are you suggesting that you don’t try to keep up with Maya?
I naively was hoping that my perpetual V-Ray license could be used with Unreal. I was also hoping my license might eventually be app agnostic, at least hoping personal licenses could be treated this way.
It would make V-Ray the best value hands down!
Why would anyone interested in a personally licensed render solution chose anything other than V-Ray, knowing that their license could be used with almost any app they might use, it would be the only choice for a ton of people.