I thought I would write this down and get it off my mind.
I really want Corona to succeed cos it is a great product...and makes (me) look good to my clients. But, for someone like myself
who lives in a third world country it is too expensive. I am hoping you bring out a condensed version of Corona that has less features
but still does the job at full resolution so it's more attractive as a purchase.
I feel Corona (potential price) is aimed at the European market.
Judging from the forum, people from all over the world use Corona... so it's in your best interests to keep the price affordable for those that do not command Euro earnings. Some things to consider...
1. A stable Corona crack will be available within 24 hours of beta release. Though cracks are frowned upon in Euro-land
they are actively encouraged in third world countries. Only one shop (Virgin) sells DVD's and games that are not pirated in Egypt.
It's just the way things are here.
2. Most people in the 3rd world earn 50 Euros a month. I live in Egypt and a good wage is 100 Euros a month.
As a full time art teacher (my first year here) in a good school I earned 500 Euros a month. This is good. Mostly all software in Egypt is cracked.
So, when you think of the whole Middle East, South America, Africa, Russia, India etc.... a massive market. Piracy is riff in these countries cos software prices are out of the reach of most folk.
3. CG is not cheap. You have to buy a good computer, big screen and laptop as well as the software....
3Ds Max, Adobe Suite, AutoCad as well as a render engine.
4. At first most of your core users will be freelancers. Who barely get by. If Corona is to flourish it needs to be a render engine made by the people, for the people. This is what attracted me to Corona... it seemed revolutionary not just in colour mapping but in having it's feet firmly on the ground and being close to the troops.
I was referred to Corona by another CG designer. I read up on Corona and read that it is free for now but when it becomes beta it will be
at an affordable price or some form of free version. I weighed up the pros and cons and decided to invest in Corona and leave Vray behind. I was abit shocked when I read your news on pricing structure for the beta release. If I was living back in the UK it would not be a problem, but here in Egypt, it's a spanner in the works.
I don't mean to ruffle feathers.... and like I said.... I love the Corona simplicity and colour mapping system. I live in a culture that is cash orientated. People pay with cash only and don't trust banks or have credit/debit cards. So the Corona subscription route is impossible.
The only way forward for me is a one off license.