Service Select

[Landartma]

I'm a landmark user and am considering my options.  I pay the monthly subscription and am considering a few things.  First buying the software.  Second upgrading to Designer.  My understanding is that designer includes the most functionality and cross discipline usage.  Three getting service select.  As a subscriber I know I get some advantages of service select.  Obviously cost is a factor but I am looking into every option.   Opinions please.

[line-weight]

They basically (at least here in the UK) set up the pricing so that if you don't go for service select, and choose not to upgrade for 2 or 3 releases, then when you do want to upgrade, you end up paying the same as you would have done, had you maintained a VSS subscription and upgraded at each release.

 

Therefore the only real advantages of not paying for VSS are:

- cashflow if you don't fancy shelling out X amount each year, and would rather pay the whole lot further down the line when you're ready

- you think you are unlikely to want to upgrade for maybe 4 or 5 years. But that's becoming increasingly difficult to do as you get trapped in an interdependent cycle of hardware/OS/software no longer being supported

 

There are supposedly various other "benefits" of VSS but I've never really made use of most of them.

[Jeff Prince]

If you use the tools designer offers, then it’s worth it.

same applies to Service Select.  I have found the only useful thing I get out of that is a price break for keeping the software up to date.  If you are not using vectorworks to its fullest potential, it’s probably cheaper to buy a license of landmark every 3-4 years and skip releases, especially if you are 2D only.  I have access to 2022 via SS, but I’m not planning on using it until they fix it.  so many workflow issues and time that will be required to get my content running on the new plant styles and such, it’s a non starter.