Autodesk posted details about its transition to a subscription-based software license model yesterday. The desktop software subscriptions will begin on February 1st, 2016. Nearly all Autodesk titles will switch to the subscription model including AutoCAD, Maya, Inventor, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder, Revit, and Mudbox. Flame is one exception, which will continue to be sold under the current perpetual license model due to its hardware component.
Customers that have purchased perpetual licenses before the subscription model transition will still receive upgrades and support as long as they continue their maintenance subscription.
Autodesk’s transition to a subscription model brings back memories of Adobe’s switch in 2013 of its Creative Suite to Creative Cloud. Similar to Adobe’s subscription plan, Autodesk is not cloud-based. The software may be updated over the Internet but the applications are installed and run locally as user content will also be stored locally.
Autodesk is trying to make the transition easy for customers by providing the notice a year in advance. The company is also touting the benefits of their desktop subscription model for consumers including pay-as-you-go access, scalable licensing, and always running the latest software. The Desktop Subscription is available in monthly, quarterly, or annual time periods. These benefits are summed up in an infographic on the topic or with more details in a four-page brochure.
For more information, you can see the Autodesk Account Management site with links to Desktop Subscription, Install & Configuration, and Desktop Licensing FAQs and related support topics.