You will be Able to Choose Monthly, Quarterly, or Annual Subscription Plans in Addition to Traditional Licenses
Rumors were that Autodesk will roll out a subscription plan much like Adobe’s Creative Cloud, where you can pay-as-you-go -and today we see the rumors ring true as Autodesk announces a new subscription offer that will be available as soon as September 16, 2013.
The Adobe Creative Cloud has been a point of contention amongst some of Adobe’s user base- essentially eliminating choice. The Adobe CC option is the only option if you want the latest tools from Adobe.
Unlike Adobe however, the Autodesk’s rental plan is actually IN ADDITION to what is now called the “traditional” software licenses -an important distinction that offers flexibility.
customers will now be able to pay as they go for all of the company’s latest Design and Creation Suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and the new Autodesk Maya LT
This could mean that the tumultuous cycles of surge and purge in the visual effects industry running with the acquisition and completion of projects, can be managed more flexibly, as hiring people in the pipeline typically also involves a high price of software and stations; Then the opposite of course with the purge, comes the harsh reality of expensive software sitting around collecting dust when the projects are not there to support them.
With the Autodesk rental plans, it will be possible to scale up from 3 traditional licenses to 20, just until project completion, which can be in smaller increments as small as one month.
The Autodesk plans will allow large and smaller boutiques and shops to expand their tools and workflows for certain projects. As an example if you are a Maya shop, and you have the potential to get a project that requires 3DS Max or Revit in the production pipeline, with the new Subscription plan, it can completely possible.
More information on the Autodesk Subscription plans can be found in the press release below:
SAN FRANCISCO, September 9, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK)customers will now be able to pay as they go for all of the company’s latest Design and Creation Suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and the new Autodesk Maya LT.
Autodesk Customers Now Can Choose Monthly, Quarterly, Annual Plans in Addition to Traditional Licenses
For the first time, customers can purchase access to a range of Autodesk desktop software on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, in addition to traditional licenses, broadly expanding choices in how to access and pay for Autodesk software. It’s never been more cost effective for designers, engineers and visual effects artists to get started with Autodesk software with virtually no up-front capital costs, and to quickly ramp up projects using industry-leading Autodesk software.
Customers who choose to purchase monthly, quarterly or annual rental plans will receive similar benefits to Autodesk Subscription customers including staying current with the latest product updates, access to select Autodesk 360 cloud services and basic support.
“Our customers wanted more choices and flexibility in how they access our portfolio of design, engineering and entertainment creation tools. We expect rental plans to be attractive across all the industries we serve, especially for freelancers, startups or businesses that are project-based in nature,” said Andrew Anagnost, senior vice president of Industry Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. “This model allows customers to compete with the highest quality, industry leading software, while using only what they need when they need it.”
Evolving Customer Choices in the Subscription Economy
People are increasingly seeking out experiences with less financial or time investment, and consuming products and services through renting, sharing and purchasing subscriptions. Lisa Gansky, author of The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing wrote, “We’re in a moment in which access to goods, services, and talent is going to triumph over the ownership of them.”
“It’s no secret; it has been a challenging time to be in the visual effects business,” said CEO and executive producer Will Cohen from UK-based VFX start-up Milk. “Everyone needs to rethink the business model, and Autodesk launching rental plans will really help change the industry. Having scalability — the flexibility to easily ramp up or back depending on the project — means we can better compete in the modern visual effects industry.”
Availability
The option to purchase a monthly, quarterly or annual rental plan will be available starting September 16, 2013. New rental plans apply to products including Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Revit LT Suite, Autodesk Building Design Suite, Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite, Autodesk Factory Design Suite, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite, Autodesk Plant Design Suite, Autodesk Product Design Suite, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, and Autodesk Maya LT. Availability varies by country. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/pay-as-you-go.
About Autodesk
Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone—from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists—uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.
