Autodesk doesn't really check, as there is no good way to do so, so it is an honor thing. Of course, if you're doing professional work and you get audited by the IRS, things could get hairy there. The worst thing that Autodesk (not Alias) could do is sue, but the odds aren't high.

Then again, if you're making commercial work with it, you ought to be able to afford it then. It costs them a lot of money to develop and market the software. Why wouldn't you want to support the further development of the tool?

[Edited by - zer0wolf on June 24, 2008 3:56:47 PM]

Quote:Original post by swedekid
Like the title says, how does Alias check if your using the SE of Maya for profit? And what would they do if they did catch you using it for profit.

Alias is like Santa Claus. They watch everything you do, every minute of every day!

Just like using anything for profit that you aren't supposed to, you are pretty much on the honor system. They sold you the student version on the assumption that you were a 3D graphics student, and you needed it to learn the skills needed to get a job using Maya somewhere in the industry. Not for commercial use.

I read an article somewhere talking about this, and the author said something along the lines of the 3D art community not being as big as people think it is, and when you get caught doing things like that, or using pirated software, your name goes to shit quickly.

Why not just use something cheaper? There is Lightwave, XSI Softimage, Carrara, Truespace, etc... Sometimes you can even get some of these things for free, if you happen to keep track of the news. I got Carrara 5.1 and Poser 5 for free, over the last 2 years, and can do anything I want with them. The full version of lightwave is only 895, that's lower than some of than of stripped down versions of the other programs. It's been used a lot in TV and games.

Then get a job in the city. Most people who actually live inside the cities spend more than 15-20 minutes commuting to their jobs. It's not a big deal. When you started using Maya SE, you agreed to a legal agreement not to use it for commercial use. Piracy for personal use is one thing, but when you violate your EULA for commercial gain, that is something else entirely.

If you actually want a future in 3d graphics, it's best not to soil your reputation.

XSI SoftImage Foundation is only 495.
Lightwave Complete 895.
----
Maya Complete 3990
Maya Unlimited 4995

Like I said, there are other options.

Why must you use Maya? Why don't you use something cheaper? Softimage|XSI 6.02 Foundation is $495 (great for games, but lacks some of the features you'd want for film), Cinema4D is $895 (used for things like commercials and visual walk throughs), Lighwave3D is also $895. As you can see, there are other options.

XSI Mod Tool is free and great to learn on for making games with. Foundation (which is $495) is completely capable for commercial work. It is cheaper than the more costly editions because it is basically the previous version of the software and lacks some of the dynamics, such as hair and cloth. If you want to produce game art though, Foundation has damn near everything you'd want included.

If you're somewhat serious about giving XSI a try, head over to http://community.softimage.com/ and check out all of the free training videos they have posted up on the forums. They are incredibly helpful and will get you up and running with XSI pretty quickly.