Wow!! The Price Of Bryce.

StuartBStuartB Posts: 596
edited August 2014 in Bryce Discussion

Just found this and wondered if they actually sell any at their prices.
I assume it's for Disk's and Manuals not just downloads.

http://www.studica.com/daz3d/bryce-7-pro.html

Hexagon 2.5 Retail = £91.95

DAZ Studio 4 Pro - Retail Download = £257.95

Post edited by Chohole on

Comments

  • GussNemoGussNemo Posts: 1,855
    edited December 1969

    I looked through the product description and nothing about disks or manuals were mentioned. Just a description of Bryce's features.

    This site sells Bryce for $19.95; Hexagon for $19.95; Carrara Pro for $171.00; and DAZ 3D 4.5--FREE. To pay those prices they better being throwing in the kitchen sink as well.

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,213
    edited December 1969

    there's a site that will even sell you Blender

  • HoroHoro Posts: 10,643
    edited December 1969

    A disk can be burned by anyone and sold at as high a price as they wish if you're not overly concerned whether this is legal behaviour or not. DAZ 3D has so far refused to finish the Bryce WIP and therefore no manual for Bryce exists.

  • OroborosOroboros Posts: 326
    edited December 1969

    there's a site that will even sell you Blender

    That's a little different, due to Blender's Open Source GNU Public Licence:

    Businesses can sell their own version of Blender, but only if they provide this new version of Blender and the sources to their clients under the same GPL license. The client then benefits from all rights the GPL offers; free to use it, or even distribute it when they wish.

    This method provides a business model for contracting and support business with Blender.

    Bryce, on the other hand... No such licencing scheme exists.

  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 14,055
    edited December 1969

    This is an educational license seller rather than a general retailer.

  • OroborosOroboros Posts: 326
    edited December 1969

    Really? That's funny :D

  • GussNemoGussNemo Posts: 1,855
    edited December 1969

    Unless there's more to the programs this site sells, from the descriptions I read about the DAZ softwares, there's nothing different from the software sold here and what can be acquired by downloading Blender. Were I involved with education and knew of these programs, there's no way I'd be recommending paying those prices. Especially since they don't seem to offer anything more than those programs acquired elsewhere.

  • OroborosOroboros Posts: 326
    edited August 2014

    Heh, that's not what's happening Gus. It's all good. Well, not really, but nothing sinister is afoot here.

    Educational pricing is designed with one of two things in mind:

    1) software comes as part of a larger course. The package is more expensive, even if the including software is cheaper.

    2) software is being pushed by vendors and educational centers weaning students onto the Vendor's product cheaply so that when they enter the workforce they're up-and-running with the software. Here, the software is normally orders of magnitude cheaper than retail (or even trade), because the software is often limited in functionality, has a limited duration, or the Vendor is pushing to have the product everywhere as part of a campaign.

    I have NEVER seen a so-called 'educational licence seller' INCREASE the cost of the software TEN TIMES the retail value of the product with no accompanying manual, no attached course or series of tutorials - There's no added value.

    But this is an easily solved mystery if you look at their spec sheet. They don't have the Mac disclaimers I pushed for DAZ to detail, meaning Studica is just hosting old information.

    There was a (misguided) time when Bryce 7 Pro was USD$200, about three years ago, I think. It wasn't at that price long, but Studica got that pricing scheme during this time and re-hosted the existing documentation. Mystery solved.

    To contrast, DS's "SolidWorks" is a professional, industrial-level 3D CAD design tool. It's used to design aircraft, robotics, electronics, you name it, by engineers and designers. Price is by negotiation. A single user retail licence is in the vicinity of USD$7,000-15,000 with a $3000/year maintenance cost.

    Studica offers an educational Solidworks package at USD$150. Quite the differential, huh? But it's about what I'd expect for educational pricing without an added course or materials fee.

    So you can choose your own interpretation of events. You could say that this site is trying to rip people off. I just think that Studica site doesn't bother changing information for software that doesn't get any attention. No professional courses of any integrity offer units in Bryce; DAZ3D isn't pushing the software into any educational institutions (or we'd be seeing a sudden influx of new people into this forum, guarantee it) and DAZ would be a LOT more active ensuring resellers have the specifications and pricing correct.

    I'm sure we'll know if these guys are pirates in a couple of days.... Because I emailed Studica today and told them that both their pricing and specification data was out of date. So now, Studica will either update its Bryce offering or drop selling Bryce.

    You're welcome, DAZ.

    Post edited by Oroboros on
  • StuartBStuartB Posts: 596
    edited August 2014

    Sorry, my mistake, it is still there at the same price, i was looking at the version 7 Price not the Version 7 Pro.
    http://www.studica.com/uk/en/daz3d/bryce-7-pro.html

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    Post edited by StuartB on
  • OroborosOroboros Posts: 326
    edited December 1969

    Oh! Tricky site: it diverts you to country-specific pages with individual product pricing schemes. I've just notified the Austraian site.

    Looks like DAZ has some work ahead of them then.

  • GussNemoGussNemo Posts: 1,855
    edited December 1969

    Does the DAZ software(s) require an Academic License to be used at a school? This isn't an area I would have a need to look into so I wouldn't know if it's true. Or even where to look for the information.

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    GussNemo said:
    Does the DAZ software(s) require an Academic License to be used at a school? This isn't an area I would have a need to look into so I wouldn't know if it's true. Or even where to look for the information.

    Yes, which is why DAZ 3D has some official Academic resellers. The normal EULA says one person, one license which can be used on any computer that person actually controls. A school means anyone can use, so thus the need for an academic license.

  • GussNemoGussNemo Posts: 1,855
    edited December 1969

    @Pam: But at those prices? Are those usual prices?

  • GussNemoGussNemo Posts: 1,855
    edited December 1969

    I don't find your post indignant, Oroboros, just someone stating some facts people ignore or are unaware about.

    And it's true, I don't really care what that site charges because it isn't a field I'm involved with. Now if I was one of those militant tax payers who found out their school was paying prices I knew to be exorbitant, then I'd definitely care. And I'd let that school know in no uncertain terms how much money their wasting by paying those prices. And where they could get it for much less. But there could still be legal ramifications which had to be overcome before they could buy and use the software at the lower price. They would be, after all, using it on school computers.

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited August 2014

    The salient point is that all DAZ 3D software is governed by a EULA which says One license, one User. So a school needs as many licenses as they have pupils who need or want to use the software. Hence the academic licenses. Lets face it, even if the software only costs $20 then 200 licenses for that will be $4000 if bought directly from DAZ 3D.

    Don't get confused between an Academic license and a Student version of software. The latter will only cover one user, and often is limited in some way.

    At this point the thread is being locked

    Post edited by Chohole on
This discussion has been closed.