Any hint of anew LW coming in 2020?

[TheLexx]

Carrara ...still Alive?
Remember trying it out many years ago, had some nice things..but haven´t looked back since later lw versions and blender, and houdini.

Carrara isn't quite deadware, more like life-supportware, version 8.5 frozen in time for years....but still available. The little modeler Hexagon also languished but is now back in active development, so Carrara could rise once more with a version 9. That would actually be funny to me.

You mentioned Houdini. Every iteration, including latest sneek peek, always looks off-the-scale amazing, but seems a real struggle to learn. I read someone say the development just keeps outstripping any tutorial ability to catch up. If I could wave a wand and make all the brian plaque vanish, I would maybe pick up that gauntlet...but not now...

[Marander]

It may be useful to dig into the EULA. If there is no time limit for the license, the vendor must make the software available to run even after they shut down their activation servers. The only way the vendor can get out of such a license/contract is by ending/dissolving their business (which is still a real threat).

http://www.cgchannel.com/2019/06/aut...lder-software/

Autodesk see link.

"Unless the policy changes, that would mean that most, if not all, users with perpetual licences who haven’t upgraded them as part of a maintenance plan will no longer be able to reactivate them."

Some (very) old Vue versions cannot be licensed anymore.

Maxon also mentioned that they will only support the last 3 versions of Cinema. If they change the activation mechanism, well too bad for the older versions that are not supported anymore.

Now I don't expect it to happen very soon but along with all other disadvantages of online checks (license locking and releasing) and node-locking (think of replacing or upgrading the computer) it's just not worth it for me personally.

[Marander]

You mentioned Houdini. Every iteration, including latest, always looks off-the-scale amazing, but seems a real struggle to learn.

Agree! Houdini is the only software I would consider renting. Very fair priced and a fantastic app. Easy to use Shelf tools but to unleash its real potential it needs alot of learning and time.

[jwiede]

I thought said unnameable software was all icons. Can it all be changed to text only like LW ?

Yes, since forever.

[raymondtrace]

...it's just not worth it for me personally.

It isn't worth it for most everyone.

Forcing a vendor to uphold the perpetual EULA would likely require legal action which is too much for an individual (unless it's a class action).

This licensing nonsense is good motivation to install/activate in a virtual machine that can be carried forward on new hardware as needed.

[prometheus]

Agree! Houdini is the only software I would consider renting. Very fair priced and a fantastic app. Easy to use Shelf tools but to unleash its real potential it needs alot of learning and time.

Agreed, I may look at indie versions later, but it also come with a sort of connection to Lightwave as well..actually depending on how lightwave performs in the future, since there are often some interchange I would like to do.

And if it weren´t for me having full up learning the new stuff in blender 2.8 as well as older stuff in blender, and newer stuff in Lightwave 2019, I would have spent much more time in houdini, nowadays I fire up houdini too rarely...so more time please.