Author Topic: Corona Pricing  (Read 7861 times)

2014-12-05, 09:30:00

Black Sun

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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.










2014-12-05, 13:23:57
Reply #1

Kyle

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You say about a condensed version of Corona that has less features.  That kind of is what Alpha 6 is and I believe that will be remaining free?

2014-12-05, 14:00:58
Reply #2

NielsH

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Kyle is right, there is already a solution and together with Blender and GIMP you can make CG without software costs and without pirating.

The thing is that because pirating is so normal in those countries it doesn't really matter what price you set as it'll be pirated anyway, so that's why the price is probably set for the EU/US market.

2014-12-05, 14:03:28
Reply #3

Ondra

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yes, we could complicate things more with different editions, but in the end, we have decided to keep it simple, and just keep the A6 on the market. It is free, working, and was used by many artists in production. In the future we may release some newer version for free.

I have howerer one issue with your text: you say good wage in egypt is 100€/month. I did some quick googling and found links that say something entirely different, such as:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/09/2013922153337321995.html - public sector minimal wage: 174 USD
http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=64&loctype=1 -  Advertising / Grapic Design / Event Management   6,507 EGP (734.94 Euro)

Why did I check the average wages in egypt? Because there was previously one guy asking me for a discount, because he is a "poor guy from Egypt who cannot afford it". A week later he started a thread here on the forum, saying "I have i7-47xx, geforce 7xx, and I want stronger machine, what should I get?". Ffs, that is faster machine than I am using for Corona development, and he wants a new one.

And how cheap is exactly hardware and electricity in Egypt? You cannot pirate those things. I doubt someone earning 50 eur/month will be doing rendering in 3dsmax. The world-wide poverty line is 30 eur/month, meaning "if you earn that much, you are starving and/or homeless". Can you really afford modern computer and internet connection for the extra 20 eur/month? Sorry, but I am getting tired of people exaggerating to get discounts.
Rendering is magic.How to get minidumps for crashed/frozen 3ds Max | Sorry for short replies, brief responses = more time to develop Corona ;)

2014-12-05, 17:36:16
Reply #4

Black Sun

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yes, we could complicate things more with different editions, but in the end, we have decided to keep it simple, and just keep the A6 on the market. It is free, working, and was used by many artists in production. In the future we may release some newer version for free.

I have howerer one issue with your text: you say good wage in egypt is 100€/month. I did some quick googling and found links that say something entirely different, such as:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/09/2013922153337321995.html - public sector minimal wage: 174 USD
http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=64&loctype=1 -  Advertising / Grapic Design / Event Management   6,507 EGP (734.94 Euro)

Why did I check the average wages in egypt? Because there was previously one guy asking me for a discount, because he is a "poor guy from Egypt who cannot afford it". A week later he started a thread here on the forum, saying "I have i7-47xx, geforce 7xx, and I want stronger machine, what should I get?". Ffs, that is faster machine than I am using for Corona development, and he wants a new one.

And how cheap is exactly hardware and electricity in Egypt? You cannot pirate those things. I doubt someone earning 50 eur/month will be doing rendering in 3dsmax. The world-wide poverty line is 30 eur/month, meaning "if you earn that much, you are starving and/or homeless". Can you really afford modern computer and internet connection for the extra 20 eur/month? Sorry, but I am getting tired of people exaggerating to get discounts.

Thanks for the honest reply Keymaster. I am pleased A6 is available as a backup. I am new to CG doing a portfolio to get work.
I just don't want the electric to go off in December and I am left in the dark. Once I get a new project Corona will be a must purchase.
I have had no work for one year.

I have lived in Egypt for 8 years. When I came things were booming and Egypt was an economy on the rise. As a freelance interior designer and architect work fell at my feet and I was doing really well. I could even afford to splash out on a 27" iMac and a Lumion 3D license.
THEN THE REVOLUTION HAPPENED.... and the Egyptian economy was crippled. It will take Egypt another 10 years to recover. Food has doubled in price and people are not building properties anymore. Which is why I have ventured into CG.... cos it is a world market.

CG is booming in poorer countries cos they do not pay for software. If you download a pirated movie in the UK you get a warning from your IP server threatening to disconnect you. There are no restrictions in Egypt like that. You can freely download anything. It's a pirates paradise.

Your research on wages is right. Only that very few jobs are advertised and those that do get jobs do it through what's called a "wasta". Which basically means you know someone high up that can get you the position. It's all about who you know in the MIddle East. If you earn more than 10,000 EGP (1000 Euros) you are a high flyer and paid by a foreign company that pay in dollars. There are only a handful of design companies in Egypt that do things legit and they are sponsored by wealthy families. The keys to the kingdom are held by a select few. Which is why so many people from poor countries seek work in Europe.... cos it's a level playing ground. Anyone can make it if they try hard enough.

Anyway, just wanted to put it out there. Not asking for any discount.

Many thanks.

 




2014-12-05, 18:44:13
Reply #5

Black Sun

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I just read the thread about Corona 7.2 (extension)

THIS IS GREAT NEWS (for me). It gives me an extra two months buffer.

Thanks


2014-12-10, 08:53:40
Reply #6

Adi

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I am already getting used to A6 again since I also won't be able to afford Corona licence for a while.
A6 is more than enough to produce great images . Just look at the gallery of older renders like Juraj's Coastal house , it was made in A5 ( I think ) .


2014-12-10, 09:11:02
Reply #7

Naxos

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her... sorry to interrupt, but what is the final price ?
Is it said anywhere ?

I live in France, and i don't have the same money issues that people can have in Egypt... Ok i'm not rich (stuff in France are expensives), but ok, i can afford a software license...

My problem is slitly different here :
I have a small renderfarm (20 cpus), and i've already had to buy several rendernodes for Vray and Maxwell Render...

Corona seams to be a fast alternative to Maxwell, and i'm about to give it a chance (well, i'll make some comparison tests)...

My question is not about the main soft price, but about rendernodes price... Vray went crazy with V3... they changed from 10 rendernodes for free with any main license to "all nodes have to be bought"...

What is Corona's plans for render nodes ?

2014-12-10, 09:30:27
Reply #8

Black Sun

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I am already getting used to A6 again since I also won't be able to afford Corona licence for a while.
A6 is more than enough to produce great images . Just look at the gallery of older renders like Juraj's Coastal house , it was made in A5 ( I think ) .

It's a shame you cannot use A6 with max 2015. I would have to go back to Max 2014 having just made a leap with 2015. Max 2015 takes advantage of Nitrous as does Corona A7.

On big scenes you need that extra viewport nav help that Nitrous offers. But, 2015 is really buggy and not a  finished article... not like 2014 which seems more polished and stable.
2015 service packs actually make Max even buggier. I have heard that Max is good on even numbers builds, not odd... so...Max 2016 will be better. Though I have a feeling 2016 is going to have a complete
over-haul of the UI which is... very messy.... like changing the pivot point... too many clicks. And this should be a warning to Corona too.... don't become bloatware....
BE GOOD, BE BOLD, BE SIMPLE :)


2014-12-10, 10:07:48
Reply #9

romullus

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her... sorry to interrupt, but what is the final price ?
Is it said anywhere ?

You can read about pricing plans there and discuss about it there.
I'm not Corona Team member. Everything i say, is my personal opinion only.
My Models | My Videos | My Pictures

2014-12-12, 09:18:49
Reply #10

minimaldesign - Blaž

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Black sun,

you have 3dsMax + Vray and you say that you can not afford Corona?
This does not make sense to me...sorry

2014-12-12, 14:13:13
Reply #11

Black Sun

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Black sun,

you have 3dsMax + Vray and you say that you can not afford Corona?
This does not make sense to me...sorry

Nothing in this world makes sense.
I like your website :)