R.I.P. Autodesk VIZ
Posted by
Bruce Harfield on Thursday 14th February 2008 at 12:33pm
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Hot on the heels of Autodesk’s announcement of 3ds Max Design, Autodesk has today confirmed the end of development for Autodesk VIZ. There will be no Autodesk VIZ 2009.
As part of this announcment, Autodesk has confirmed the launch of a highly attractive one-off crossgrade promotion to enable current Autodesk VIZ users to crossgrade to 3ds Max Design for a negligible fee. This is an excellent “once in a lifetime” opportunity to convert your Autodesk VIZ licences into 3ds Max licences, but the offer only applies for customers who purchased Autodesk VIZ prior to 12th February 2008, and only applies for a limited period.
This news obviously has important implications for Autodesk VIZ users, and we will shortly be contacting customers who purchased Autodesk VIZ from 3am Solutions in order to outline what this means for you.
In basic terms, if you are currently an Autodesk VIZ user you will fall into one of three categories:
- Autodesk VIZ 2008 user with Autodesk Subscription: For these customers, a highly attractive crossgrade promotion will be offered by Autodesk from 31st March 2008 allowing users to easily crossgrade to 3ds Max Design 2009. The crossgrade is expected to cost in the region of EUR300. Autodesk VIZ subscription will automatically be converted to 3ds Max Design subscription - there will be no further subscription fees to pay until your next normal renewal date.
- Autodesk VIZ 2008 user without Autodesk Subscription: These customers may also make use of the above mentioned crossgrade promotion, but must also purchase subscription for 3ds Max Design at the time of ordering the crossgrade. The combined cost of the crossgrade and subscription for 3ds Max Design is expected to cost in the region of EUR1100.
- Autodesk VIZ 2007 user without Autodesk Subscription: Please contact us for further details if you are in this situation.
This crossgrade promotion will run from 31st March 2008 to 17th July 2008
In many ways, this is great news for Autodesk VIZ users as this opportunity provides the chance to benefit from the more advanced features of 3ds Max without the normal cost of crossgrading. Two valuable features in 3ds Max that immediately spring to mind are sub-object animation capabilities and full network rendering with Mental Ray.
From our point of view, this is also fantastic news as it means all Dynamite VSP users will be using the same host application, which allows us re-double our efforts on supporting the full benefits of 3ds Max Design from this point on.
Here is the full text of today’s press release from Autodesk:
Dear valued Autodesk® VIZ Customer:
We continuously work to deliver high-quality solutions and award-winning technologies that exceed your expectations. Integrating visualization into your workflow is about more than just buying software – it is also about investing in the right people with the right skills.
With the increasing demands for trained staff and richer toolsets, we noticed a significant movement of Autodesk® VIZ software customers to Autodesk® 3ds Max® software. We also learned that approximately 90% of VIZ customers would prefer to use 3ds Max. In surveying our customers, we learned they want:
- New features and capabilities to ease the creation of stunning imagery and cinema-quality visualizations
- The ability of 3ds Max to handle even the most complex projects
- Access to a much larger community of peers and talent pool
- Easy transfer of knowledge and data from VIZ to 3ds Max
To satisfy these desires, we intend to introduce Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2009 software, a new and uncompromised version of 3ds Max tailored to the needs of architects, designers, engineers, and visualization specialists.
In the coming months, we will be working to manage the transition of VIZ customers to 3ds Max Design. As part of this transition, all Autodesk VIZ development efforts are being transferred to 3ds Max Design, and there is no plan for further development of Autodesk VIZ software.
To continue to support the immediate needs of our valued VIZ customers, new commercial licenses of VIZ will be available for purchase until August 1, 2008. However, as of March 22, 2008, VIZ subscription will no longer be able to be renewed or be available for purchase. Standard technical support services will continue to be available until March 31, 2009.
For customers wishing to make a quicker transition to Autodesk 3ds Max Design, special one-time promotions and learning resources will be available beginning March 31, 2008. Be on the look-out for more information coming your way over the next few weeks regarding the promotions and learning resources.
Autodesk® VIZ Subscription customers are invited to take advantage of the upcoming VIZ Pro Booleans Extension, which is planned for release on March 31, 2008.
Autodesk values you as a customer and is grateful for your continued loyalty as we grow together in an evolving marketplace.
Posted by
Bruce Harfield on Thursday 14th February 2008 at 12:33pm
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