Aside from Blender, Daz is the best free software company out there!
takezo_3001
Posts: 1,979
Call me a brown-noser, I don't care (Though I'm not) I'm just REALLY appreciative of Daz as a company, specifically a software company!
I look around at other companies and I see [hoorid people] charging rent, for either the program itself, and/or nickel and dime-ing us for software updates, and no, I don't mean second versions of the whole programs but [blessed] beta-to-general release updates, it would be no different from Daz charging for betas, it's [blooming] highway robbery at its worst!
Bonus points for Daz actually having a real-world WORKING customer service with actual humans, which includes phone support, completely unheard of in this industry; not to mention that they actually employ an in-house dev team rather than contracting the bulk of their teams to outsourced [a******s] that constantly end up [messing]' up the code due to [really poor] non-existent communication between the teams! ⇐ I don't know if this goes against the rules or not, so I blacked it out!
Secondly, Daz is one of the few progs out there that allows you TOTAL customised freedom, from the interface, to the program functions!
As It doesn't restrict the advanced settings to another pay tier or disregard them altogether in favour of the dumbed-down, streamlined version for the masses. Also of note also goes to the moderation staff, as long ago I hated them because I thought they were playing favourites, but no, this simply just isn't the case!
(They are truly on the up & up, and completely fair as I emailed them over that concern, and it was put to rest quite easily, so thank you!)
Sure they're strict as [Draco], but they will keep the riff-raff out, as well as keep the forums civil as an unmoderated forum usually devolves into a hive of scum and villainy without it!
So I have to thank you Daz no matter what complaints that you may have about Daz, you gotta take your hats off to them for staying true to the very people that keeps the light on, the customer!
EDIT: Magnificently edited by Richard! x^D
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Comments
Sorry, but edited for language - well, you did say we were strict.
I actually feel a little sorry for you Mods this "sale cycle"
I still love DAZ Studio, it's one of the easiest 3D apps I've ever learned because (at the time in 2012) I could figure out things on my own. Plus, many of the other apps couldn't run on that old laptop. Learned a lot about 3D art thanks to it.
If it wasn't for DAZ, I'd still be a strictly 2D artist and my hard drive and SSD would probably be very empty.
Other companies charging for rent.... and then daz bring DazStudio premier, for a subscription.... looks like the downward spiral of greed over quality....
LOL!
I would expect no less! ;^) x^D
Yeah, did not see that when I posted this, but at least it's brought in as a choice rather than a replacement, though I would pay a premium for a perpetual licence, so c'mon Daz, how about offering both?
Quite an apt time to write this comment considering Daz have decided to charge to rent certain features. I agree it's a good company and a good product, but I really wish they hadn't decided to go down that route. Could have been a lot worse though. It probably will be in the future, but we're safe for the time being.
Indeed, my timing is [terrible] right about now, but yeah, I would hope they don't get any worse as I don't think it will, given Daz's leadership as it's pretty tight!
I wager that operational costs and the like are taking its toll as Daz cannot survive on just the shop's revenue alone, I would have been happy with a $400-$500 or more perpetual licence as well as the monthly charge as an alternative to the steep upfront costs!
So Daz, if you're listening, please consider it!
Very optimistic, @takezo_3001 ! Some good points, too.
I was hoping Premiere would include HD functionality. Without that, It's really just about coupons, freebies and sale prices. I'm not budging 'til my current Daz+ actually expires. Then I'll see what I think. >_>
2nd daveso, I would say playing with DS is not free at all. I've also spent xx thousands on assets not only in this store... And I used to hope DS would not be free so that I could've been really treated as a real customer when having issues ~ lol
Well, all of a sudden, it turns into "not free" especially by attracting folks with some new features but actually only MG 4 is new to me (only a selling point to me is that it can deform SBHs... still no mask... yada yada). I have no interest about more discount 'cause I'm buying less as the quality of products holistcally goes down ~~
Anyway, without those new stuff, I believe most of the folks (incl. me) can still play well with DS + other totally free applications.... But out of curiosity, I still want to try that new MG... if possible.
Studio would need to have practically all of Blender's features to justify that price. You can get a hobbyist version of Maya for around that if I'm not mistaken.
Blender and DS cannot be put into the same category. Paraphrasing what RMS famously said, DS is free as in beer; Blender is free as in beer, but also speech, an extremely important difference. I don't know how many times he has to be proven right before the difference is generally understood.
Agree. Maya indie license is US $305/yr subscription. Can get 3D Coat perpetual license for €379, currently ~ US $416, but that's a different idea. For Daz content, likely better going with Blender for free. Can give Blender a donation - Recent downloads suggest they'd like that..
Mods signed up for this.
And not to mention Houdini, as well.
I got a 2-year indie license for $400. That is a license, though, as is Maya Indie. Neither is perpetual.
You know, 2yrs for $400 sounds pretty reasonable for a full-featured commercial grade 3D modeling and animation program.
2 year license of Houdini Indie for $400 vs 2 years of Premier+ at $455.52 makes Houdini sound really enticing.
well, I have decided to try the AI Image to video route instead using renders and old photographs
(unlike Generative AI images I feel less guilt paying for this service)
I will still do my 3D renders in DAZ studio but try animating them using AI
this was the push I needed
DAZ isn't really free software in the same context as Blender, not even close. It's more like the free but crippled demo versions of software that companies release for evaluation, as while you CAN use it on it's own, it really requires the purchase of many additional products to provide full functionality. Meanwhile, there are a lot of truly free programs out there that deliver the goods on the same level as Blender - Gimp, VLC Media Player and any of the variations on Open Office all come to mind as freeware programs that are extremely competitive with their "for purchase or subscription" equivalents.
Also truly free software is always getting better little by little.
I may consider donating to these organizations for their hard work of love for the people that not have financial resources.
To them "Live Long and Prosper"
I tend to agree wtih the OP.
I actually like the DAZ approach: free to use their software with enough included assets to learn basic funcions. Sure, I pretty quickly started acquiring things, but usually with pretty steep discounts and through sales. I can't blame DAZ for how much I've spent- that's been my choice. I choose when to spend and on which assets. Compared to other (non 3D hobbies) I've had, DAZ is actually a bargain. This is especially true when I consider how much time I spend with it, and how much enjoyment I get from it.
Sure, there are some things I wish DAZ would do differently, but for the most part I'm happy with it.
One of these days I'll get around to making those Houdini tutorials.
If you do, I'll be glad to give a look. Meantime, I found some others, too.
Have not bought an Adobe product since I paid $400 for Photoshop long ago and lost the bible sized manual that had the serial glued in and had no way to get a new serial, even though I had, and stil have, the original Adobe Photoshop CD. And when Adobe bought Dreamweaver and that Metacreations suite of tools, my every other year upgrades ended as well. vxWorks also managed to loose my registered serial and product purchases even though I bought them directly online from them so nothing more bought from them either. DAZ has never caused those sorts of problems for me.