Vectorworks Service Select cost

[Gail B]

I purchased VW from 2013 and this is the first year I am unsure whether to renew my VSS.

As above - I would like to know what the new updates would be. I really need better import solutions such as SVG and PDF's being useable as graphics and not pretty pictures. As a pattern designer and my need to do accurate geometric constructions any fancy updates to BIM etc are pointless. Importing files to be faced with millions of lovely points to play with is a no-no. Poly smoothing will only go so far.

Anyway - rant over. Should I bite the bullet and renew or not? What is the main advantage of continuing with it? I am an individual freelancer and not employed by a company who pays for it!

Gail B

[PVA - Admin]

The first taste of what 2017 will be offering will happen next week at the Design Summit! I will be announcing them here during/after the presentation.

ALL the features however, will be announced at release. Unfortunately I can not speak to everything yet. But honestly this year the Design Summit isn't even getting all the best ones, which I think was the right call.

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[SamIWas]

I am shocked by how much it has gone up. I joined VSS in 2009. The rate from then is quite affordable. But when i hear how much my friends, who just got it in the last few years, are having to pay, I know that I couldn't justify that cost.

Same thing happened with Cinema 4D. I bought it in 2010 expecting to upgrade each year. Then they changed how it worked, and the cost became so prohibitive that I never upgraded once. I still use my version from 2010.

[zoomer]

Yes, C4D update policy is a bit annoying.

I also made some years update pause in between updates and finally updated

by buying a new License ....

[Jim Smith]

Hope to meet you at the Design Summit Jim.

[PVA - Admin]

I'll be there! Most of the time I will be in the "Cuvee" room which should be right next to the main registration desk.

[Ioannis.K]

Hi we are an architecture studio. I see Vectorworks is switching to a subscription model now. There are still licences being offered with VSS for a limited time. Currently we need a new licence and I am trying to work out what is better:

1. Go with subscription OR
2. Buy a licence with VSS before the deadline in a few months. So in some ways instead of paying the subscription I pay the VSS annual fee (plus large initial licence cost of course)

To compare I wasn't sure how Vectoroworks is planning to move ahead with VSS pricing. For example Vectorworks could start increasing the VSS annual fee in the next few years so it becomes almost the same as subscription. How can I calculate the cost comparison between subscription and licence+VSS?

 

I would appreciate if Vectoroworks could give us an indication of their intentions. Many thanks.

[Tom W.]

This question is discussed in this thread:

 

[Jeff Prince]

8 hours ago, Ioannis.K said:

I would appreciate if Vectoroworks could give us an indication of their intentions. Many thanks.

I doubt you will get any  official information that helps make this decision.  A little over a year ago they were saying Vectorworks perpetual license was one of the differentiators between them and the competition.  Now, it is just a matter of time before they cancel the perpetual+VSS program.

If you won’t need additional licenses in the next few years, I think the perpetual still has value because you could potentially park the whole organization on the release where perpetual+VSS stops.  Then, when you feel it is time to move the team to subscription, you can start over under that arrangement, potentially running 3 to 5 years with no software cost.  That could be a significant saving, depending on the size of the team.

[line-weight]

From that other thread - in this post I tried to make a comparison between the 'real' cost of the two options:

 

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/99556-vectorworks-abandoning-perpetual-licences/&do=findComment&comment=445066

 

However ... I've got a feeling that since I posted that, it became clear that we won't be able to buy & sell licences "second hand" as is allowed now - is that right?

 

If so it changes the calculations somewhat.

 

And, we don't know when perpetual licences will be increased in cost and/or abandoned.

 

[zoomer]

39 minutes ago, line-weight said:

However ... I've got a feeling that since I posted that, it became clear that we won't be able to buy & sell licences "second hand" as is allowed now - is that right?

 

I understood it that way.

VW perpetual licenses lose all their Craigslist value beginning with January 2023.

 

If you own one and want to keep it, it may have already paid off anyway.

 

But if you buy a used perpetual now before years end, you may need to use it for

more than 2 years, to make it a better deal than subscription.

If you even want to keep it current by maintenance fee, it may double those years

in use needed.

 

So buying a used perpetual now is best suited for those that use VW as is and

usually do not update VW more than every 5 years or so.

 

 

But all these plannings will rise or fall with future development of our legacy

perpetual's maintenance contract fees.