Premier Questions

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  • marblemarble Posts: 7,500

    Pancake said:

    I reckon this has been asked but I can't find an answer: 

    "Integrated export options allow you to easily transfer your Daz content directly to other popular 3D software."

    Does this mean we will no longer be able to convert to Unity or Unreal in the free version from now on?
    This has been a fundamental requirement in my workflow, and I invested in Daz and interactive licenses specifically because it was free to do so.

     

     

     

    Yeah, quite a lot is confusing.

    - Is 4.23 free or Premier? I get that the Premier version has the extras but, if so, what does 4.23 basic have over 4.22?

    - Are these Premier add-ons just the same as those many of us have already paid for? If so, will those we have stop working?

    - Are all new developments, including the ever-receding DS5, going to be Premier only?

     

     

  • N-RArtsN-RArts Posts: 1,496
    edited October 8

    SnowSultan said:

    I've already made a switch back to 2D, and my rendering computer hasn't been switched on since the beginning of the year

    Do you have a page where I can see your 2D art?

    https://www.deviantart.com/n-rarts ;

    I'm still building my confidence when it comes to 2D work

    Post edited by N-RArts on
  • LindseyLindsey Posts: 1,999

    marble said:

    Pancake said:

    I reckon this has been asked but I can't find an answer: 

    "Integrated export options allow you to easily transfer your Daz content directly to other popular 3D software."

    Does this mean we will no longer be able to convert to Unity or Unreal in the free version from now on?
    This has been a fundamental requirement in my workflow, and I invested in Daz and interactive licenses specifically because it was free to do so.

     

     

     

    Yeah, quite a lot is confusing.

    - Is 4.23 free or Premier? I get that the Premier version has the extras but, if so, what does 4.23 basic have over 4.22?

    - Are these Premier add-ons just the same as those many of us have already paid for? If so, will those we have stop working?

    - Are all new developments, including the ever-receding DS5, going to be Premier only?

     

     

    Daz 4.23.0.1 Beta was just posted today for download in DIM. 

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,892

    OZ-84 said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    In DIM pasting

    rx::ci::^Premier -

    into the filter box should show the Premier add-ons (I am told). In Daz Studio, once they are installed, you have logged in, and restarted DS, they can be accessed as folows:

    Geo Sculptor shows up in Window menu / Panes(Tabs)
    Pose converter shows up in Edit  menu / Figure / Pose
    Shape transfer shows up in Edit menu / Figure / Shape
    DForce manager shows up in Simulation Settings pane / Manage
    Render queue shows up on Render Settings pane / Queue

    all of the show up ... besides Geo Sculptor... :-(

    Yes, I am getting different results in Public Build and general release - it is very strange, I have sent my experience in to Daz.

  • hjakehjake Posts: 894

    Llola Lane said:

    Taoz said:

    Is these 4 months a standard offer everyone gets, and then a number of months are added depending on how many months is left of your DAZ+ subscription?  Or is this offer based on my DAZ+ subscription?  I have about 15 months left of it.


    I am not seeing this box anywhere... so I guess that means I paid so little for my renewal that it's not worth giving me a deal????  WHERE did you see this box please?

     

    https://www.daz3d.com/subscription/membership/offer

     

  • xyer0xyer0 Posts: 5,934

    AllenArt said:

    mdl062168 said:

    chibicd said:

    It should not matter what we paid...

    If DAZ+ is now $9.99 a month, then each month we have remaining is valued at $9.99.

    If we are not being given the full value of our subscription, then it's a BAD DEAL!

    Agree 1000%

    When the Daz+ sub was bought at a reduced rate, people still got a set time to get the perks. Now Daz is saying that if you got a Daz+ sub on sale, it's not worth what you would have gotten had their been no Premiere upgrade. That's nuts and I'm not even sure it's really 100% legal. Either way, I don't care. I don't rent software and I sure as heck don't rent content. I'll either keep my Daz+ until it runs out or I'll just blow off the store altogether, let my sub run out (if it ever comes back up as active in my account again - it's disappeared right now) and never look back. It's been a nice almost 28 year ride (if I include Zygote). I'll let all my freebies up on ShareCG for as long as they'll host them and as long as they work in whatever version of Daz you try to use them in. Haven't been pleased with the store lately anyway as they turned what was a quality store into basically the Rendo "flea market". Of course, they got some top quality PA's like Fabi, Deecey and others, but they cheapened even those products by bringing over less talented sellers as well. I didn't say anything earlier because I wanted to be nice, but honestly, after this stunt, I'm not feeling so nice right now. The once top quality Daz store has turned into all the others that still exist - a blend of really talented artists mixed in with some truly dreadful products. Shame. But, I have other hobbies. Cheaper ones. I'm gonna try not to fret over it too much.

    Thanks for all your kindness, assistance, and freebies over the years! You and barbult and Havos and several others have been great helps to me. 

  • hjakehjake Posts: 894

    Valkeerie said:

    I use DAZ for book illustration (3 published) and have a huge number of assets, but most of the time I am writing, not rendering. A subscription model makes no sense for my kind of use. I feel a real fool for buying a lot of assets recently only to discover that I may be harnessed to an increasingly crippled version of Studio while all the "good stuff" goes into a subscription version. No change at the moment perhaps, but something like a faster or accelerated dForce (similar to Marvellous Designer) as a "subscription only" option would be hurtful in the extreme.

    In view of this I won't be throwing good money after bad until I see a clear statement from Daz concerning the future of the non-subscription version of Studio. If Daz won't communicate that vision of the future, then I won't spend money on assets. I think that is clear, rational and concise.

     

    your content can move to blender.

     

    https://www.blender.org/

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,328

    Blando Calrissian said:

    That's what I'm afraid of here. People can very sincerely say "we'll never do that," but that's not a legal contract, and future investors/bean counters may demand something much more malicious. I believe the Daz of today when they say that they will keep the product free, that the Premier features will never degrade the current experience, and that there's nothing to be afraid of.

    Hmm, well... I can easily keep using whatever version of DS I'm using and it'll be fine because all my content works with that. I can still use Hexagon and Carrara, as well. And I venture to say, I could continue to do Daz stuff until the day I die and still not fully mine the possibilities of everything I've already got - And that's without ever buying anything again. So, I guess I can wait to see how all this pans out. I won't be bored. It's just not how I thought I'd greet the day today. It's rather a letdown. IDK what this is, but it's not anything like the Daz+ sales of earlier years.

  • WolfwoodWolfwood Posts: 734

    I haven't been around for a while and getting this shortly after i was decided to come back is not pleasant. I was waiting to get one of those nice PC+/DAZ+ membership discounts, guess i will not be getting that at all because $10 a month is not something i'm not currently able to afford to have 'just in case'. Not saying leaving Daz, just that the appeal of having a sub that encourage me to be around more often and tempt me with specific offers will be completelly lost for me.

    I get those with lasting Daz+ membership being offered little of premier in exchange will be most mad. And i don't think offering those upgrades on how much they paid is fair also. They paid in advance, that alone should consider a discount. The $6 coupon alone gives more value to keeping Daz+ in the vast mojority of cases i read. From a bussiness point of view where Daz/Tafi should had make it more apealing for more people to join premier, it is just a really bad choice to not offer a half premier / daz+ time exchange. Why punish those that took advantage of those offers? It is not that it was once that Daz made a mistake and just decided to honor the offer. Those deals were possible even before the name change to Daz+. I know because that is how i started spending money here a few years ago, by stacking promos and getting a cheaper PC+ sub.

    The 'free bundle'. For people that already been investing in G9, probably little to no value. For new, only if that kind a bundle is their target. If someone targets mostly the figures or bigger bundles, then is also not the best choice because it either includes unwanted things or you need to wait for the powers that be to offer a good catch up bundle discount. Why can't you just give a direct $XX off every new core figure release or its bundle during first week?

    Now about new features being included in a subscription instead of regular version or paid plugins Not happy about it as well. I know some people like to remember that it was like that before pro version being free. But going backwards does not mean going back to the same thing. It opens a pandora box and those afraid that potential cool new features may not be available in free version (by itself or as plugin) are right to be afraid.

     

     

     

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,892

    Crescent said:

    I listed a bunch of questions several pages back.  There hasn't been an official answer for any of them.  I have 22 months left on my DAZ+ subscription.  I'm being offered ZERO months of DAZ Premiere in exchange.  Why would I give up all that time for literally nothing, especially since I can't get the time back if Premiere doesn't deliver?  

    That sounds odd, it should reflect what you paid for the remaining time plus 1 - please open a Sales Support ticket.

    DAZ Premiere claims to have several wonderful tools that I would like to use but I have no idea how well they work nor what exactly they work on (iray only or the old mat system as well, G9 only or also older figures, strand based hair, dynamic clothing, etc.).  I'm not sacrificing 22 months of DAZ+ in the hope that maybe DAZ Premiere's tools will do what I want.  I'd rather flat out purchase tools that I can get a refund on if they don't work rather than play the lottery with this new scheme.  

    They are mainly derived from Man Friday's tools (Geometry Sculptor is Mesh Grabber 4) - as far as I can see they do not give access to things you cannot do with other tools, albeit with more work - and I don't think render Queue is tied to Iray, none of the others are. However, they don't give access to HD morph creation/editing or to dForce hair creation/editing either.

    If DAZ wants this to work, they need to work with us.  Why not offer those of us with extended DAZ+ memberships something like $5 per month to get the software features while we wait for our DAZ+ memberships to run out?  Sure, we won't get the extra coupons or bundles, but it's better than trying to blackmail us into giving up months (or years!) of current benefits for a month or two of a possibly better deal.

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,328

    hjake said:

    your content can move to blender.

    Good point! And there are some reasons to do that; but it's another mountain to climb. I'm not interested in climbing more mountains right now.

  • DeeceyDeecey Posts: 136

    Richard Haseltine said:

    Space Jingoroh said:

     Is there an exact feature comparison chart somewhere between the existing “Daz Studio” and the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier”?

     If the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier” is not a subscription, but a complete purchase, I will buy it.

     

     The only thing that matters to me are the features of “Daz Studio” and the assets of the work I will be producing over time.

     In the unlikely event that the company Daz should cease to exist, I would prefer not to use the tool in the first place if the tool's functionality would be unavailable to me.

     

     If there is a possibility that the scene files I have spent so much time creating will not be reusable in the future, then I will not be able to work with the paid tools in the future.

     If the scene files I have produced during my membership will have problems reusing or rendering after I leave, I will not be allowed to join.


     Therefore, a feature comparison chart is needed.

    Daz Studio Premier and Daz Studio Pro and Daz Standard (the one you get without a serial number) are all the same - it is just a matter of which plug-ins etc. are enabled. So the only differences in features are the extras enabled by a membership.

    Your patience is amazing.  I'd offer you a virtual glass of wine, but there are only smileys.  So I'll have to give you a thumbs up instead.. yes

  • CybersoxCybersox Posts: 9,054
    edited October 8

    G3Renderworks said:

    SnowSultan said:

    OK, NOW the comments are what I expected; everyone saying they're done with DAZ, they're a bad business, I'll just use my old content, etc. You're not leaving, none of us are. I've seriously tried to quit 3D at least three times in the last ten years, and I keep coming back. Studio isn't suddenly subscription-only, you're not losing features, and you're not being forced to buy content that will one day be taken away from you. Just find a plan here that works for you, buy what you need, and keep making art.

     

    I can hear the champaign popping over at Reallusion. 

    LOL, have you looked at their prices? Try to calculate how much you would need to spend over there to get the equivalent of a Genesis 8 or 9 with a fair variety of clothing and hair. You will come running back here to subscribe to Premier. I had a chance to get their primary programs at 50% off and it was still outrageous.

    No, this is testing the waters; seeing how many people go for the subscription to get a few paywalled features.  If enough people fall for it then over time they'll lock more and more behind the paywall until it's basically like photoshop and you can only use it online with a current subscription. It's more anti-consumer corporate greed at work and they can only get away with it if you let them. I won't be renewing my membership.

    Or it can go the way of Paramount+ who finally realized they took too long to jump into an already over-saturated business with an insufficient base of products to lure enough customers to make it viable.  And this has been kind of the way of DAZ since about the same time that DS 4 dropped - making big jumps into other perceived "hot" business markets (like avatar design, NFTs, and now AI,) despite clearly having much fewer resources in those areas than their direct competitors, and then turning around and trying to squeeze more funds from their one and only stable core market by launching some new gimmick in such a poor and disorganized fashion that they immediately turn a significant portion of the potential marketbase for that product against them.           

    To be clear, this is an idea that COULD have worked out smoothly, but DAZ has self-sabotaged by making most of the "benefits" of Premier things that are not only already available as standalones, but are very likely to be already owned by those who are in the best position to pay a $20 a month subscriber fee.     

    Post edited by Cybersox on
  • TesseractSpaceTesseractSpace Posts: 1,406

    Gr00vus said:

    DAZ provided Studio for free as an inducement to get people to pay for their content. At the time, and up to now (for the most part), their calculations have been they'd generate more revenue giving the environment away to encourage people to buy more content. If their marketing and finance departments have now come to the determination that they'll generate more revenue by having people pay for Studio and the content than what they make by selling only the content, that's what they'll do. They have no obligation to anyone to do otherwise. We can only adjust accordingly, and thank them for giving us the software for free all these years.

    Blando Calrissian said:

    G3Renderworks said:

    SnowSultan said:

    OK, NOW the comments are what I expected; everyone saying they're done with DAZ, they're a bad business, I'll just use my old content, etc. You're not leaving, none of us are. I've seriously tried to quit 3D at least three times in the last ten years, and I keep coming back. Studio isn't suddenly subscription-only, you're not losing features, and you're not being forced to buy content that will one day be taken away from you. Just find a plan here that works for you, buy what you need, and keep making art.

     

    I can hear the champaign popping over at Reallusion. 

    LOL, have you looked at their prices? Try to calculate how much you would need to spend over there to get the equivalent of a Genesis 8 or 9 with a fair variety of clothing and hair. You will come running back here to subscribe to Premier. I had a chance to get their primary programs at 50% off and it was still outrageous.

    No, this is testing the waters; seeing how many people go for the subscription to get a few paywalled features.  If enough people fall for it then over time they'll lock more and more behind the paywall until it's basically like photoshop and you can only use it online with a current subscription. It's more anti-consumer corporate greed at work and they can only get away with it if you let them. I won't be renewing my membership.

    Having watched this happen with Trimble's ownership of Sketchup, I can relate. Hard to believe that it was once a completely free product with premade assets that were also mostly free. And the thing is, I'm not sure that Trimble set off down this road with the eventual goal of where we are now, with an extremely cripped 'free' version that you can only use online, a 'warehouse' of items that you can now only use in Sketchup, and a mainline software that still spits out awful, awful meshes... but that's where they went. That's where they are.

    That's what I'm afraid of here. People can very sincerely say "we'll never do that," but that's not a legal contract, and future investors/bean counters may demand something much more malicious. I believe the Daz of today when they say that they will keep the product free, that the Premier features will never degrade the current experience, and that there's nothing to be afraid of.

    It's the Daz of tomorrow that worries me.

    We've all seen this movie, and we hate the ending.

    You do understand that just because they can do whatever they want with the store and software doesn't mean they aren't going down a very anti-consumer path that we've seen in other cases become a system where everthing worthwhile is locked behind a subscription and you're just renting your content and tools. But yes they have every right to tell us all to pay extra or get out. That doesn't change the fact it's a hostile and frankly stupid decision even if the bean counters love it. But companies are allowed to alienate their customers and treat them like crap. They just shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't turn into the money maker they expected

  • TesseractSpaceTesseractSpace Posts: 1,406

    Gr00vus said:

    DAZ provided Studio for free as an inducement to get people to pay for their content. At the time, and up to now (for the most part), their calculations have been they'd generate more revenue giving the environment away to encourage people to buy more content. If their marketing and finance departments have now come to the determination that they'll generate more revenue by having people pay for Studio and the content than what they make by selling only the content, that's what they'll do. They have no obligation to anyone to do otherwise. We can only adjust accordingly, and thank them for giving us the software for free all these years.

    Blando Calrissian said:

    G3Renderworks said:

    SnowSultan said:

    OK, NOW the comments are what I expected; everyone saying they're done with DAZ, they're a bad business, I'll just use my old content, etc. You're not leaving, none of us are. I've seriously tried to quit 3D at least three times in the last ten years, and I keep coming back. Studio isn't suddenly subscription-only, you're not losing features, and you're not being forced to buy content that will one day be taken away from you. Just find a plan here that works for you, buy what you need, and keep making art.

     

    I can hear the champaign popping over at Reallusion. 

    LOL, have you looked at their prices? Try to calculate how much you would need to spend over there to get the equivalent of a Genesis 8 or 9 with a fair variety of clothing and hair. You will come running back here to subscribe to Premier. I had a chance to get their primary programs at 50% off and it was still outrageous.

    No, this is testing the waters; seeing how many people go for the subscription to get a few paywalled features.  If enough people fall for it then over time they'll lock more and more behind the paywall until it's basically like photoshop and you can only use it online with a current subscription. It's more anti-consumer corporate greed at work and they can only get away with it if you let them. I won't be renewing my membership.

    Having watched this happen with Trimble's ownership of Sketchup, I can relate. Hard to believe that it was once a completely free product with premade assets that were also mostly free. And the thing is, I'm not sure that Trimble set off down this road with the eventual goal of where we are now, with an extremely cripped 'free' version that you can only use online, a 'warehouse' of items that you can now only use in Sketchup, and a mainline software that still spits out awful, awful meshes... but that's where they went. That's where they are.

    That's what I'm afraid of here. People can very sincerely say "we'll never do that," but that's not a legal contract, and future investors/bean counters may demand something much more malicious. I believe the Daz of today when they say that they will keep the product free, that the Premier features will never degrade the current experience, and that there's nothing to be afraid of.

    It's the Daz of tomorrow that worries me.

    We've all seen this movie, and we hate the ending.

    You do understand that just because they can do whatever they want with the store and software doesn't mean they aren't going down a very anti-consumer path that we've seen in other cases become a system where everthing worthwhile is locked behind a subscription and you're just renting your content and tools. But yes they have every right to tell us all to pay extra or get out. That doesn't change the fact it's a hostile and frankly stupid decision even if the bean counters love it. But companies are allowed to alienate their customers and treat them like crap. They just shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't turn into the money maker they expected

  • Richard Haseltine said:

    Space Jingoroh said:

     Is there an exact feature comparison chart somewhere between the existing “Daz Studio” and the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier”?

     If the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier” is not a subscription, but a complete purchase, I will buy it.

     

     The only thing that matters to me are the features of “Daz Studio” and the assets of the work I will be producing over time.

     In the unlikely event that the company Daz should cease to exist, I would prefer not to use the tool in the first place if the tool's functionality would be unavailable to me.

     

     If there is a possibility that the scene files I have spent so much time creating will not be reusable in the future, then I will not be able to work with the paid tools in the future.

     If the scene files I have produced during my membership will have problems reusing or rendering after I leave, I will not be allowed to join.


     Therefore, a feature comparison chart is needed.

    Daz Studio Premier and Daz Studio Pro and Daz Standard (the one you get without a serial number) are all the same - it is just a matter of which plug-ins etc. are enabled. So the only differences in features are the extras enabled by a membership.

     Thank you for your reply.
     If so, I need the exact list of plug-ins for “the extras enabled by a membership”.

     My DazStudio already has 118 plug-ins installed, both paid and free.
     I need to know in advance whether the plug-ins to be added to Daz Studio Premier are duplicates of these or different ones, and whether I need them or not.


     Like tombraider4ever, I work most of the month and have only a few days to concentrate on using DazStudio.
     So subscription contracts are very expensive for me, because the price is not per month, but essentially per few days.
     And I have to worry about not being able to use it for whatever reason.
     I have had bad experiences with Adobe and RedGiant.
     Projects that I have previously charged for and edited and completed become unusable because the plugins are no longer available when they expire.
     Then I end up paying a hefty subscription for a few hours of re-use, and depending on the budget for the work, I may have to forgo the re-use itself, even though it is my own work.
     I will be in a situation where someone else has added restrictions to the Creative effort I have worked on.

     For me, it is much “safer” to buy the plug-ins I need.
     I will pay for the “peace of mind.

     For professionals who use it daily, subscriptions may be more economical.
     For me, who uses it only a few days a month, it is a disproportionately expensive service.

  • TesseractSpace said:

    Gr00vus said:

    DAZ provided Studio for free as an inducement to get people to pay for their content. At the time, and up to now (for the most part), their calculations have been they'd generate more revenue giving the environment away to encourage people to buy more content. If their marketing and finance departments have now come to the determination that they'll generate more revenue by having people pay for Studio and the content than what they make by selling only the content, that's what they'll do. They have no obligation to anyone to do otherwise. We can only adjust accordingly, and thank them for giving us the software for free all these years.

    Blando Calrissian said:

    G3Renderworks said:

    SnowSultan said:

    OK, NOW the comments are what I expected; everyone saying they're done with DAZ, they're a bad business, I'll just use my old content, etc. You're not leaving, none of us are. I've seriously tried to quit 3D at least three times in the last ten years, and I keep coming back. Studio isn't suddenly subscription-only, you're not losing features, and you're not being forced to buy content that will one day be taken away from you. Just find a plan here that works for you, buy what you need, and keep making art.

     

    I can hear the champaign popping over at Reallusion. 

    LOL, have you looked at their prices? Try to calculate how much you would need to spend over there to get the equivalent of a Genesis 8 or 9 with a fair variety of clothing and hair. You will come running back here to subscribe to Premier. I had a chance to get their primary programs at 50% off and it was still outrageous.

    No, this is testing the waters; seeing how many people go for the subscription to get a few paywalled features.  If enough people fall for it then over time they'll lock more and more behind the paywall until it's basically like photoshop and you can only use it online with a current subscription. It's more anti-consumer corporate greed at work and they can only get away with it if you let them. I won't be renewing my membership.

    Having watched this happen with Trimble's ownership of Sketchup, I can relate. Hard to believe that it was once a completely free product with premade assets that were also mostly free. And the thing is, I'm not sure that Trimble set off down this road with the eventual goal of where we are now, with an extremely cripped 'free' version that you can only use online, a 'warehouse' of items that you can now only use in Sketchup, and a mainline software that still spits out awful, awful meshes... but that's where they went. That's where they are.

    That's what I'm afraid of here. People can very sincerely say "we'll never do that," but that's not a legal contract, and future investors/bean counters may demand something much more malicious. I believe the Daz of today when they say that they will keep the product free, that the Premier features will never degrade the current experience, and that there's nothing to be afraid of.

    It's the Daz of tomorrow that worries me.

    We've all seen this movie, and we hate the ending.

    You do understand that just because they can do whatever they want with the store and software doesn't mean they aren't going down a very anti-consumer path that we've seen in other cases become a system where everthing worthwhile is locked behind a subscription and you're just renting your content and tools. But yes they have every right to tell us all to pay extra or get out. That doesn't change the fact it's a hostile and frankly stupid decision even if the bean counters love it. But companies are allowed to alienate their customers and treat them like crap. They just shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't turn into the money maker they expected

    In my opinion, the fact that they removed my post tells you everything that you needed to know. 

  • DustRiderDustRider Posts: 2,744
    edited October 8

    So, from what has been said so far I would need to install the Beta version of DS. For me that makes Premier Plus a very simple answer of no thanks, I can't use the software enhancements (literally), because DAZ support doesn't care to provide any assistance in getting a failed installation of the Beta fixed on my computer.

    Last June I had a failed installation of the Beta. I tried to get help in the Beta forum first, but no one was able to help. I submitted a support ticket on June 12th, and other than the initial bot response from the help desk system, Nothing from support. I added a comment hoping it might get someone to see the request again on Aug. 29th. Then last Friday there was finally a response from support to tell me that "Request #458488 "DAZ Studio Beta update failed" was closed and merged into this request. Last comment in request #458488" (sorry Mods for posting the response from tech support, but I wasn't able to paraphrase it and make it easily understandable, please feel free to delete/change it if you are able to make it sound good)

    This is not the way to treat your customers, especially long time customers (almost 20 years). No response to a valid support request for months, then rub alcohol in the wound by releasing Premier +, that I can't use the best selling points (for me) because you won't provide the needed technical support. No worries though, I think this is probably a good thing since it seems as if it's time for me to move on to Blender or Unreal. It was fun while it lasted .... I think.

    (Note: I still can't see any new Beta versions in DIM, even though I can see the new beta plugins, so I can't try a to re-install it with the new version if it doesn't show in DIM.)

    Post edited by DustRider on
  • XelloszXellosz Posts: 742

    Questions, and feelings about the offer:

    What plugins are in the premiere? -> I already have a few, plus several converters and morph packs. List the plugins and content, please

     

     A free Character Bundle Each month -> I wasn't going from G8.1 + G8  to G9.  I have just 25 G9 out of 1800, while more than 800++ G8.    Converting G8,G8.1-> G9 could cause problems, I want to see the converters in work first + What about duplicate data?  Will I have 100GB+ in duplicates?

     

    Free Premier Exclusive content (other users can't even buy it) for free each time we release a Character Bundle (Even if you don't buy the bundle!) -> Do you own those items or only have them till you have a subscription?  Could you transport them out to other engines?

     

    Seeing that there is a Premier level of offer and a different DAZ+ offer that could be a selling point. (This is not listed, but it will cause a major problem within DAZ+ members....)

     

    I think the Premier is not for people who have already a large library as some of them are more picky about what to buy next. But for new users just before Xmas, it will be popular for at least 1 month... December

     

     ps: If they would had said to pay a one-time fee for PA tools, that would have been interesting.   but this is the path of Adobe... 

     

     

  • maikdeckermaikdecker Posts: 2,752

    Richard Haseltine said:

    Daz+ isn't changing - in fact the prices of Premier (formerly +, nee PC) for a day items for + members look lower than previous years.

    I don't know, I think I can recall D+FAD prices of $ 1.99 some "previous years" ago... and the current price of $ 3.99 beats the occasion, when they were $ 2.99, without the need to buy something to go with them. Alas, those times are gone like tears in the rain, it seems...

     

  • maikdeckermaikdecker Posts: 2,752

    DAZ_Steve said:

    Blando Calrissian said:

    So a 70% increase in the yearly price of Daz+ membership with no corresponding change to the coupon values? Gee, thanks.

    Actually, it is an increase to:

    - Plugins more tightly integrated, and some available only through Premier

    - Better coupon each month

    - A free Character Bundle Each month 

    - Free Premier Exclusive content (other users can't even buy it) for free each time we release a Character Bundle (Even if you don't buy the bundle!)

    - Tokens at a much faster rate (and they last longer now)

    Actually when one doesn't want to use G9 the free character bundles and "exclusive content" probably turn out as quite useless... cheeky

  • Gr00vusGr00vus Posts: 372

    TesseractSpace said:

    Gr00vus said:

    DAZ provided Studio for free as an inducement to get people to pay for their content. At the time, and up to now (for the most part), their calculations have been they'd generate more revenue giving the environment away to encourage people to buy more content. If their marketing and finance departments have now come to the determination that they'll generate more revenue by having people pay for Studio and the content than what they make by selling only the content, that's what they'll do. They have no obligation to anyone to do otherwise. We can only adjust accordingly, and thank them for giving us the software for free all these years.

    Blando Calrissian said:

    G3Renderworks said:

    SnowSultan said:

    OK, NOW the comments are what I expected; everyone saying they're done with DAZ, they're a bad business, I'll just use my old content, etc. You're not leaving, none of us are. I've seriously tried to quit 3D at least three times in the last ten years, and I keep coming back. Studio isn't suddenly subscription-only, you're not losing features, and you're not being forced to buy content that will one day be taken away from you. Just find a plan here that works for you, buy what you need, and keep making art.

     

    I can hear the champaign popping over at Reallusion. 

    LOL, have you looked at their prices? Try to calculate how much you would need to spend over there to get the equivalent of a Genesis 8 or 9 with a fair variety of clothing and hair. You will come running back here to subscribe to Premier. I had a chance to get their primary programs at 50% off and it was still outrageous.

    No, this is testing the waters; seeing how many people go for the subscription to get a few paywalled features.  If enough people fall for it then over time they'll lock more and more behind the paywall until it's basically like photoshop and you can only use it online with a current subscription. It's more anti-consumer corporate greed at work and they can only get away with it if you let them. I won't be renewing my membership.

    Having watched this happen with Trimble's ownership of Sketchup, I can relate. Hard to believe that it was once a completely free product with premade assets that were also mostly free. And the thing is, I'm not sure that Trimble set off down this road with the eventual goal of where we are now, with an extremely cripped 'free' version that you can only use online, a 'warehouse' of items that you can now only use in Sketchup, and a mainline software that still spits out awful, awful meshes... but that's where they went. That's where they are.

    That's what I'm afraid of here. People can very sincerely say "we'll never do that," but that's not a legal contract, and future investors/bean counters may demand something much more malicious. I believe the Daz of today when they say that they will keep the product free, that the Premier features will never degrade the current experience, and that there's nothing to be afraid of.

    It's the Daz of tomorrow that worries me.

    We've all seen this movie, and we hate the ending.

    You do understand that just because they can do whatever they want with the store and software doesn't mean they aren't going down a very anti-consumer path that we've seen in other cases become a system where everthing worthwhile is locked behind a subscription and you're just renting your content and tools. But yes they have every right to tell us all to pay extra or get out. That doesn't change the fact it's a hostile and frankly stupid decision even if the bean counters love it. But companies are allowed to alienate their customers and treat them like crap. They just shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't turn into the money maker they expected

    It remains to be seen whether it's a stupid decision. If it ends up increasing revenue beyond what they'd have gotten sticking with the old approach, then it's not stupid. I personally won't be subscribing at this time, as I generally don't like the subscription model for things like this, and what's currently gained by the subscription isn't appealing enough to me. We'll see how it goes. 

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,892

    Deecey said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    Space Jingoroh said:

     Is there an exact feature comparison chart somewhere between the existing “Daz Studio” and the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier”?

     If the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier” is not a subscription, but a complete purchase, I will buy it.

     

     The only thing that matters to me are the features of “Daz Studio” and the assets of the work I will be producing over time.

     In the unlikely event that the company Daz should cease to exist, I would prefer not to use the tool in the first place if the tool's functionality would be unavailable to me.

     

     If there is a possibility that the scene files I have spent so much time creating will not be reusable in the future, then I will not be able to work with the paid tools in the future.

     If the scene files I have produced during my membership will have problems reusing or rendering after I leave, I will not be allowed to join.


     Therefore, a feature comparison chart is needed.

    Daz Studio Premier and Daz Studio Pro and Daz Standard (the one you get without a serial number) are all the same - it is just a matter of which plug-ins etc. are enabled. So the only differences in features are the extras enabled by a membership.

    Your patience is amazing.  I'd offer you a virtual glass of wine, but there are only smileys.  So I'll have to give you a thumbs up instead.. yes

    Thank you. I will get virtually tipsy

  • hjakehjake Posts: 894

    JB007 said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    Yes, if you do nothing your existing subscription will run as it does now until it is time to renew.


    Richards coming up to 100k posts. Something tells me this thread will get him there .. laugh 

    I did not notice that!!!

     

    COMMON GANG lets set our goal and get Richard to 100K posts!!! Do for the kids laugh

     

  • mdl062168mdl062168 Posts: 82

    frank0314 said:

    Pixel8ted said:

    I'm thinking maybe based on what actually was paid....dinged for buying at steep discounts, maybe.

    I believe you only get credit for what you actually paid.

    I can't think of any sane or fair justification for trading the 55 months that I have remaining on my current Daz+ account for 8 months of the premier subscription.  I am sorry that I am a sinner and I believed in Daz enough to invest in a subscription for 5 years. It is insulting to be short-changed because I paid for my subscription when the renewals were on sale at terms that Daz offered at the time of purchase.  If no better offer comes forth, I guess I have 55 months to see how the new tiered monthly-only subscriptions experiment pans out

  • Charlie JudgeCharlie Judge Posts: 12,735
    edited October 8

    Crescent said:

    ...

    If DAZ wants this to work, they need to work with us.  Why not offer those of us with extended DAZ+ memberships something like $5 per month to get the software features while we wait for our DAZ+ memberships to run out?  Sure, we won't get the extra coupons or bundles, but it's better than trying to blackmail us into giving up months (or years!) of current benefits for a month or two of a possibly better deal.

    +1

    I would happily pay the $9 per month difference between the current cost of DAZ+ and Premier. However, I am not willing to trade 28  months of DAZ+ for only 3 months of Premier. And the amount I originally paid for DAZ+ is irrelevant; it is the current value of DAZ+ that is important.

    I would like to think that DAZ Marketing understands that; but I am just one individual so they probably don't care.

    Post edited by Charlie Judge on
  • ArtAngelArtAngel Posts: 1,692

    I have some questions for the powers that be. I noticed earlier DAZ 4.23 is in DIM ready to download. I was one of the people who was 'afraid/nervous' to download and use 4.21 or 4.22, based on what I read in some of the forums and things some users protrayed. The truth is had I known what I know now, I would not have waited so long. So instead of setting on the fence wondering what's assumptions and what's facts,

    I have questions about what debris will fall from the sky and mess with saved renders or work in progress renders if I render while a Premier member but opt out during works in progress? Any as a direct result of cancelling membership? . . .  also . . .

    1. Does 4.23 have bells and whistles that perform better with Premier. If so, what? 
    2. Will Genesis Starter Essentials for the next generation, be associated with a tier level as a free item that is subscription driven?
    3.  If I choose Premier and cancel at a later time, will future generations work the same as they would in Premier?
    4. Is there any paid content that only works in a monthly subscription?
    5. Will DAZ Resources for future generations and versions be subscription driven?
    6. Will saved DUFS (scenes, subsets and presets etc) made during Premier membership work exactly the same after canceling a Premier membership? If not why not?
    7. Can DAZ be more transparent and specific about what this new offering, the 30 day subscription contracts takes away software wise, application usage panes, and application tools, after the subscription ends. 
  • Richard Haseltine said:

    Deecey said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    Space Jingoroh said:

     Is there an exact feature comparison chart somewhere between the existing “Daz Studio” and the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier”?

     If the paid 3D software “Daz Studio Premier” is not a subscription, but a complete purchase, I will buy it.

     

     The only thing that matters to me are the features of “Daz Studio” and the assets of the work I will be producing over time.

     In the unlikely event that the company Daz should cease to exist, I would prefer not to use the tool in the first place if the tool's functionality would be unavailable to me.

     

     If there is a possibility that the scene files I have spent so much time creating will not be reusable in the future, then I will not be able to work with the paid tools in the future.

     If the scene files I have produced during my membership will have problems reusing or rendering after I leave, I will not be allowed to join.


     Therefore, a feature comparison chart is needed.

    Daz Studio Premier and Daz Studio Pro and Daz Standard (the one you get without a serial number) are all the same - it is just a matter of which plug-ins etc. are enabled. So the only differences in features are the extras enabled by a membership.

    Your patience is amazing.  I'd offer you a virtual glass of wine, but there are only smileys.  So I'll have to give you a thumbs up instead.. yes

    Thank you. I will get virtually tipsy

     

    Sorry, buddy, I would hate to be in your shoes right now. It reminds me of the US vice presidential debate, with both candidates trying to explain their new bosses. In your case, you're dealing with the mess DAZ just made. I hope you've got a good therapist friend on speed dial.

  • hjakehjake Posts: 894
    edited October 8

    marble said:

    SnowSultan said:

    It is pricey, but it probably is worth it if you buy a ton of stuff. I think my PC+ membership expires this month, so I'm considering it, but I'd like to know about those Studio features before I make any decisions. If the 'sculpting and morphing tools' is just Mesh Grabber, then I don't know. I have a feeling this is aimed more at brand new users who would actually benefit from getting older bundles and a lot of legacy content, as well as Studio plugins and products that do what they'll need without having to wait for them like the rest of us did. I don't think this is a bad deal, but it might not be for 'power users' like many of us.

    I don't have DAZ+ nor will I ever go for a monthly subscription model. This past month I bought (for me) a record number of DAZ store products and found a lot of things I can use at good prices. Now I can wait until the next big blow-out sale. Also, I don't use G9 yet my G8 content is growing ever larger. If DAZ were to close its doors tomorrow I would have ebough content to keep me happy for years. These subscriptions assume we are all keeping up with the latest generations so I don't think that I - as a non-G9 - user, would benefit.

    By the way, I don't see much on the forum about the new Release of DAZ Studio. Odd that it has been previewed on Youtube but not here.

    [EDIT] ... Ah, I must have missed the bit where DAZ Studio 4.23 is subscription only. Guess that's the beginning of the end for my 20 year relationship with DAZ.

    I am a DAZ Plus member and today I downlaod v4.23 64-bit release version through DIM. All the add on bits are v4.22 (default resources, scene builder, template, and interactive lessons).

    As for add-ons being updated to the latest version my experience has been (since 2006) that add-ons may get a few features updates and bug/feature fixes after release when new versions of studio are released, but if there are significant new features it gets released as a new version and maybe an upgrade version.

    Therefore all the plug-ins you have now should keep working in the future. if you want a newer version of a plugin that is now integrated into Premier DaZ Studio then you will needd a subscription.

    If you want to future proof your DAZ Studio and Content, then download the current version through DIM and copy those zip files to a personal folder along with your content zip files. If you are no longer in DAZ world you can install your copy of DAZ Studio and export your content to Blender where you can geo sculpt, re-texture and everything else to your heart's content. Start learning Blender (blender.org) and free yourself from merchant limits.

     

    Post edited by hjake on
  • ArtAngelArtAngel Posts: 1,692

    hjake said:

    marble said:

    SnowSultan said:

    It is pricey, but it probably is worth it if you buy a ton of stuff. I think my PC+ membership expires this month, so I'm considering it, but I'd like to know about those Studio features before I make any decisions. If the 'sculpting and morphing tools' is just Mesh Grabber, then I don't know. I have a feeling this is aimed more at brand new users who would actually benefit from getting older bundles and a lot of legacy content, as well as Studio plugins and products that do what they'll need without having to wait for them like the rest of us did. I don't think this is a bad deal, but it might not be for 'power users' like many of us.

    I don't have DAZ+ nor will I ever go for a monthly subscription model. This past month I bought (for me) a record number of DAZ store products and found a lot of things I can use at good prices. Now I can wait until the next big blow-out sale. Also, I don't use G9 yet my G8 content is growing ever larger. If DAZ were to close its doors tomorrow I would have ebough content to keep me happy for years. These subscriptions assume we are all keeping up with the latest generations so I don't think that I - as a non-G9 - user, would benefit.

    By the way, I don't see much on the forum about the new Release of DAZ Studio. Odd that it has been previewed on Youtube but not here.

    [EDIT] ... Ah, I must have missed the bit where DAZ Studio 4.23 is subscription only. Guess that's the beginning of the end for my 20 year relationship with DAZ.

    I am a DAZ Plus member and today I downlaod v4.23 64-bit release version through DIM. All the add on bits are v4.22 (default resources, scene builder, template, and interactive lessons).

    As for add-ons being updated to the latest version my experience has been (since 2006) that add-ons may get a few features updates and bug/feature fixes after release when new versions of studio are released, but if there are significant new features it gets released as a new version and maybe an upgrade version.

    Therefore all the plug-ins you have now should keep working in the future. if you want a newer version of a plugin that is now integrated into Premier DaZ Studio then you will needd a subscription.

    If you want to future proof your DAZ Studio and Content, then download the current version through DIM and copy those zip files to a personal folder along with your content zip files. If you are no longer in DAZ world you can install your copy of DAZ Studio and export your content to Blender where you can geo sculpt, re-texture and everything else to your heart's content. Start learning Blender (blender.org) and free yourself from merchant limits.

     

    I have several versions installed and have to work on different versions because some plug-ins/content that I paid good money for fails in some versions. Each version seems to be a give and take and not all give and takes play well with projects.

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