Design software firm Autodesk is set to offer new rental pricing for its desktop software designed to reduce costs for customers.
The pay-as-you-go service would allow users to buy subscriptions to Autodesk’s Design and Creation Suites on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
Autodesk said the new service would reduce the barriers to entry in the visual effects industry as startups would not have to pay the full price of a perpetual licence.
The rental plans charge 5% the cost of a perpetual licence, with subscriptions for Autodesk’s Entertainment Creation Suite, including Maya, 3ds Max, Softimage, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, and SketchBook Designer, ranging from $525 (£334) to $4,200.
Users will receive product updates as well as access to some of the company’s cloud services and basic support plan.
Andrew Anagnost, SVP of industry strategy and marketing at Autodesk, said: "We expect rental plans to be attractive across all the industries we serve, especially for freelancers, startups or businesses that are project-based in nature.
"This model allows customers to compete with the highest quality, industry leading software, while using only what they need when they need it."
CEO and executive producer Will Cohen of UK-based start-up Milk added: "It’s no secret; it has been a challenging time to be in the visual effects business.
"Everyone needs to rethink the business model, and Autodesk launching rental plans will really help change the industry. Having scalability — the flexibility to easily ramp up or back depending on the project — means we can better compete in the modern visual effects industry."
Autodesk launced its latest design and creation suites in 2012.
