bobc4d

It is good to see Blender doing well, gaining a strong following and seeing Toby moving away because of subs should send shivers down Maxons back. Houdini latest release has a ton of features, they are improving their modeling tools, they release bug fixes, some times on a weekly basis and do release a .5 version (remember those?) about 5 months later. I am really starting to get hang of procedural modeling, it really makes sense and logical. SideFX support is amazing, I emailed an issue I was having Saturday night at 1900 hrs Central US, and within 20 minutes had a response. C4D is still a really strong package, but with weak release, costly subscription plan and people trying out other packages, MAXON had best up its game to stay in the game. to quote Dave: At the pace that Blender is moving, there may be no "long term" horizon that allows MAXON to recoup whatever losses they incur from moving to a subscription plan. That is a real possibility that MAXON cannot ignore.

they could be waiting for next years release to hit it out of the park to get people excited and hooked on C4D, they you have to do SUBSCRIPTION to keep using it, then they can go back to lackluster releases like R21 because they know they have you with their subscription plan.

Houdini drops a full version every fall and a half about 4 to 5 months after that and smaller updates/bug fixes throughout the year. so, yes MAXON can do it if they wish.

I don't drink beer, but free beer with MAXON CEO I would try some.

well said Dave. Yes it is earth shattering Mr McGarvan posted on the Cafe, this has to be a first for a head of MAXON .. or at least that we know of. MAXON could be deluding themselves if they think someone just coming into 3D or has been poking around the 3D arena for a while trying out different software would pay for "monthly" subscription when they can get Blender for free or Houdini Apprentice for free (not sure of others). Once the newbie gets fully into Blender, for example, they won't see the need to move on to something else, especially something they have to pay for. Freelancers would probably start with C4D if it were actually month to month. They could use it for a job or jobs then in lean times not pay for subscription. You have not entirely painted yourself into a corner but you are rapidly running out of exit space. this is all I will comment on about MAXON subscription path/plan. As Dave said they have invested a lot of time, energy and hardware to change because of some disgruntled users. I do not want MAXON to fail but I fear this path might not end well for them and C4D. **SIGH**

me too. I made my decision, I did not renew MSA and won't pay subscription so I am out. edit: an ignominious ending or beginning to a once leading 3D software.

for Houdini Indie I pay $269 for one year or $400 for two years.

after stewing it over for several days, even with the thought of getting R21 studio for cost of my Prime MSA, I came to the conclusion that in the long run it just is not viable for me to stick with C4D. I will not renew my MSA, keep R20 prime loaded on my PC and continue my journey in Houdini. One of the big factors with sticking with Houdini is it has a water/sand simulator as well as really good particles and pyro without the need of $$ plugins. Modeling tools are coming along but Houdinis bread and butter is FX and thus their focus but they do see people are clambering for modeling tools and they are working on them. Their support is terrific, even on weekends you can get email answers. I wish MAXON well and hope this works out for them, truly I do. Peace

when R21 rolls out you'll need to change things a bit on what version one is running: you just need R21 (no studio needed cuz R21 is all there is) and add Sub (subscription)

@Raischub thank you for the well reasoned reply. I have been playing with Houdini for about two years and really learning it over the last 8 months, I am coming along but there is SO much to that program I feel like I did when first starting out in C4D. I have made decent progress and would hate to give up/in that progress. I may keep learning it and dust the cobwebs off C4D and use both but then that'll probably put my brain in complete meltdown. @Icecaveman I don't really see it as bending over more like being given an ice cream cone when it is 10°F outside. It left me with a cold feeling. I was pissed off at first because when the announcement that "that guy" from Adobe was coming on board a couple of years ago there was much teeth gnashing that C4D would go subscription. If I recall our fears were allayed not "officially" but in general terms that it most likely would not happen. well it did and after cooling my feeling now is: Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Subscription.

I've been on the fence about coming back into the fold and renewing my MSA. While the thought of getting R21 Studio for the price of my MSA has many perks this whole subscription nonsense has me questioning that choice. too many unknowns. Just how perpetual is perpetual; 2, 3 , 5 years? also the phone home every two weeks scheme doesn't sit well with me, what happens if I forget to fire it up for a month? I would imagine it shuts down until it contacts MAXON? is there a penalty or does it just press on like before? I have two weeks, hopefully some more information will be forthcoming before then.

I'm in the same place. the power of Houdini is incredible BUT if you need to bang out a quick detailed model it ain't gonna happen in Houdini or at least from my meager perspective I do love the node aspect. for instance you don't like the bevel you applied you just go up to the node, make your change and it cascades down. Sometime Houdini does through a curve ball, sometimes you don't get expected results, try again and it works, you didn't make any changes yet the second go it works.

I have been coming to the Cafe for a very long time and it has always been a great place to learn and ask questions. the people here are the best, a great group.

Rick, another question. in the past, if I recall correctly, we could install C4D on a thumb drive. can that still be done with R21?

Thank you for clearing that up Rick. there is much disinformation going around.

even though I don't stop by as much as I used to I like the new look of the Cafe. it looks clean, crisp and uptown. well done.

I paid $400 for a two year license for Houdini Indie. if I decide not to renew in two years it reverts back to Apprentice, still fully functional but can't use third party render, export FBX and a size limitation in animation/visual. Also, and this was big for me, SideFX doesn't hammer you if you skip a few upgrades, still same price if you renew year to year or skip a few. Also they listen to their users. I found a bug, submitted it and two months later they pushed an update with the fix and a few other fixes. Houdini isn't all unicorns and rainbows it has quirks but they are working on it. My worry with C4D would be will increase in subscription cost. would MAXON guarantee no price increases to subscriptions for several years? doubtful. I'd hate to have all my eggs in the subscription basket for $60 a month then a few years down the road it goes up to 70 or 80 or 100 and you get priced out. if it were truly month to month, which my understanding it isn't, you could pay for a couple months to get your work in and export it then let subscription lapse and move on.

not to bash but thats what they said couple of years ago and nothing came of it.

overall really good, the only thing is left side of desk where it turns and heads back to wall. there is something about it that just feels "off", I dunno what, can't put my finger on it, just something that seems not right about it. what you need now is background noise of the whining, buzz of the drill as the dentist tortures . . . I mean works on the patient.

yes on needing an Indie license or some such. Houdini Indie (which I now use) is only restricted if you make less than $100K with it. its cost is annual fee of $269 a year or $400 for two years. if you lapse, the software reverts back to Apprentice (free) and you are restricted in exporting to FBX, render resolution and I believe watermark. if you go two years then renew you don't get screwed, it is still $269 to get back into Indie. I feel this is where MAXON should really change its policy by not punishing so expensively if you skip two or three years of MSA.

I agree Dave and the clean version is good. regardless of which version they are needed, we don't have a planet B to go to.

nicely done. would you show the wire frames?

Houdini's UV tools are superb, easy to use and do a great job. I mean I was able to use them after a 5 minute tutorial . . . LOL

Houdini just had presentation for what is in 17.5 has some really great things for a .5 update. PDG - Procedural Dependency Graph which in a nutshell parallels, among other things simulations and physics, into one CPU cycle - work flow and pipeline efficiency. MAXON better start stepping up its game to keep in the eye of FX houses.

well done. I really like the ghostly image of Lenore and the Raven. pace is good and story telling as always spot on. oh side note: did people really speak that way in mid 1800's? I know some of the Raven is prose, still there would have to be a similarity to speech patterns of the time, or I would believe so.