Check out E-on's site. But what...? No upgrade price for those of us who have Vue4 Pro??? Hope this is an oversite on their web site.

Is the same as Infinite???? It doesn't look that way....Looks like this is just V5 plus all the addons, in addition, I don't see a feature list, it takes me back to Vue5.

IC now...just V5 + modules.

Very confusing upgrade. Yep, looks like I am waiting for Infinite too. Hope that is not how long it takes for the upgrade to become available. Still, I would have liked to see a upgrade path for those of us who have Vue4Pro, sidegraded to Vue5 and now would like to combine the packages to Vue5Pro. Keep the price to under $100 and I would buy it, otherwise I guess I am back to wait mode.

I think I've come to the conclusion(still debating in my mind), it would come out better to spread the expense out over time...199.00 now & another 199.00 later...I just have to hope that "later" isn't next week, but next month. ACKKKK...I hate having to make these decisions, as V5 still isn't working all that great for me at the moment....CRIPES LOL Takes a couple more hours to ponder this.

VUE 5 Pro Studio is NOT the latest edition VUE d'Esprit 4Professional VUE 5 Infinite is... This is what I hear from this weeks Press Release on E-On I'm waiting for all the modules coming my 2 cents R

You all think maybe VuePro4 is being discontinued (hence the reduced price)?

As it stands now- you can upgrade to 5 for $99 and then do the $129 deal- so for $228 you can get everything (I think).

Not much of a deal if you ask me considering I think I paid $599 for VuePro4 and it's export features still don't work properly.

Think I'll pass on this product.

VuePro4 is getting upgraded to Vue5 Infinite. VuePro Studio is Vue 5 plus the add on modules.

Thanks, dlk30341 , boy it can get confusing, and HarverdGrad you have a good point even the side grade was a good part of that cost, good that its not the case. wow Ive been out of the loop, I haven`t herd of "Vue5 Infinite"

It is very confusing...had to ask over at E-On as well, before I figured it out LOL and DOH. Now if I/we knew when Infinite was coming out...I/we could budget the cash flow better and also make a more qualified decision. Yes...I'm still pondering. Oh and for those that aren't aware...if you are upgrading from V5 to V5 Pro Studio it is being offered in download format appx. 100mb...that came from E-ON staff :)

Message edited on: 01/17/2005 14:47

I have here a list of lots of missing features in Vue 5 Pro Studio taken from a comparison between Vue 4 Pro and Vue 5 Pro Studio from E-ons website.

To the moderator of this forum: I am not sure if it is allowed to post a jpg taken from e-ons website. If there should be a problem with this please simply delete my post.

o.O...hmmmm...I thought upgrading to V5 Pro Studio would be the same as V4 Pro only with the additional V5 features.....ackkkkkkk......

I just want to be able to add wind to animations... but to shell out for all the other stuff seems steep... (I think it should be part of Mover, or maybe make a wind plug in?... hearing me E-on LOL)....

I may just purchase the the growth thingy though, tthat might be cool to add... not sure if it's worth $70 bucks though :/

Message edited on: 01/17/2005 15:32

Attached Link: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Products/compare.php?BaseProduct=Vue%205%20Pro%20Studio

Message edited on: 01/17/2005 15:39

No.. I realize that.. that's why I was asking for another module :)

Loads of confusion...

How could those people att E-On even come up with the idea to name the package Pro when they allready used that name for the top of the line version. A more correct name would be Vue 5 Bundle or Vue 5 Compleate or more or less anything else than PRO....

I'll be waiting for Infinite.... The upgrade cost from Vue 4 Pro to Infinite looks really sweet. ;)

Message edited on: 01/17/2005 15:54

IC - Thomllama....My mind is still swimming, trying to figure all this out......Maybe a beer would help ;)

shot and a beer :P

Actually, it's rather simple. VuePro4 is becoming Vue Infinite with the addition of the Vue 5 lighting engine and some other significant features that will not be available in the Esprit line. Pro Studio is the name for a fully packed out Esprit 5 (none of the new modules are -needed- in VuePro, as it already has almost all of that functionality). The best price point upgrade path is from VuePro4 to Vue Infinite ($149).

Thanks for clearing that Dale. $149 seems a bit more reasonable. How did you figure this out? I was sent an email from E-On with a link and the page it took me to didn't mention this (or I wasn't looking close enough)

Well for peeps like me who never upgraded to V4Pro here is $$$$ outflow possibilities: 1. UPgrade to Pro 299.00 + 149.00(V5I) = 448.00 2. I have V5 so : V5 to V5PS 199.00 + 199.00(V5I) = 398.00 That's a fify dollar saving staying with the V5 Line....I mean 50 bucks is fifty bucks ;). The money tree is wilting bigtime LOL Still a thinker....

Some of the info was gleaned from the E-on boards. Some from digging through the hyperlinks on the various pages. Here's something else to think on, dlk. Take the the Vue 5 Pro Studio feature list. Now add around, oh, 111 -new- features and options, and you have Vue Infinite. No I'm not a beta tester. I just happened to be online in that 2 hour window when they accidentally switched all the website changes on, and got a good look at the feature comparison. All nine printed pages of it.....

Same here DaleB..I saw it all as well :)....I think you might have misunderstood..I AM going for V5I...just on how to get there is my thought process.....I already have V4 & V5....just looking for the cheapest method LOL Buy Vue4Pro then V5I or V5(I already have) to VPS then to V5I...either way Infinite is in my future :)

Anyhoo..gonna sleep on the route I want to take :)

Message edited on: 01/17/2005 19:01

Dale, dlk, you are making me curious - I didn't see it, and am wondering whether VI will be of any interest to me and worth the wait. Could you name, say, three or four truly stunning features that would justify the $530,- outlay that e-on charges us poor Europeans for the upgrade from v5e? When I first got v4e I considered v4pro but didn't find anything worthwhile enough in it to spend the extra money. The additional options mainly seemed to be aimed at handling very large scenes and enhancing workflow. I've never been able to find consistent differences in the quality of finished renders from v4e or v4pro. So why burden my pc with heavyweight software and use up resources on lots of options I will probably never use, I thought. Will it be the same with VI? There were 3 things in v4pro that I really liked: the plant editor, the ability to fine-tune lighting, and reflection mapping. I don't need the plant editor anymore as I got XFrog now, which IMHO produces better looking vegetation than Vue any day of the week. The lighting gizmo is now made available by e-on (bless them, only $52,-)as a download add-on to v5e - I might well get that and then just forget about e-on until they start selling v6 and VI becomes available as a downloadable sale item... (I was really excited, btw, to find the reflection mapping option explained in the v5e manual - unfortunately, that was a typo, so I'll have to make do without that...)

Martin, as much as I would love to reveal some of the details, E-ON accidently put up the info & it was immediatley deleted once they realized there error. They asked that none of the details be discussed and threads were deleted on this issue over at E-ON, so I will respect there wishes. I will say WOW to Vue Infinite, if the list holds true as to the upcoming features :)

dlk30341 you don't water the moeny tree with water, you use blood sweat and tears....hence the wilt...LOL I don't understand why they just don't have ONE product and be done with it, very confusing at times. O.o Marque

You guys be sure to wake me up when Infinite comes out, will ya? ;-)

I absolutely fail to understand what all the secrecy is about. Seems paranoia has reached pathological levels at e-on...

There is no paranoia here - it is understandable that they do not want to advertise a list of features until they are completely sure these features will be working in the new version. If they did so, people would be screaming that e-on doesn't deliver what they promise instead. I guess there will be always people complaining about something...

Everyone who went the VuePro to V5 upgrade path check your e-mail! E-on just sent a missive, and it worked. Those who went the VuePro-V5 upgrade path can get the 3 new modules -For Free-! You enter the code that comes with the email, your Vue 5 serial number, and the cost to you on the module 3 pack is $0.00. They are sitting on my HDD and waiting for the arrival of the e-mail with the registration numbers. That was a very kind gesture on E-on's part!

I don't consider myself a complainer by nature. I would be very suprised if they aren't quite sure what it is going to be when they will put in on the market within two months. And they can always place a disclaimer at the head of the provisional feature list. Heck, SketchUp 3.0 had next-edition features hidden in an additional menu that any user could access. It is just that with all the different packages they are offering now, it becoms really hard to know what is the right choice.

If I purchase Vue4 Pro right now today...can I still get the modules for free or this just for prior buyers? That would really sweeten the deal :)

There things I just dont like about Vue and there are some thing I do like. The one thing I really like is that the people who write and design the software seem to make an effort to keep everything straight forward. On the other hand the people who are in charge of marketing Vue cant be the same people. I need a full feature product; or one that I can add too. I think that I will wait until some one at e-on make the decision to offer a complete program with out getting side graded to death. Dale

Waiting on Vue Infinite........waiting...........waiting............

Vue 5 Pro..?! Big Deal... sounds like a mix and match game to make people buy stuff until Vue I is ready??? I only still have Vue 4... I could not afford to buy any of the other versions ..didn't want to, because each did not have what the other did and was making me crazy! Now I wait and wait for vue I and may not get a price break at all... I think I figured out I could buy the main part and just get two modules for the best price (only want plants and the pz3 importer, period).... I got the e mail urging me to BUY BUY BUY.... and I thought Vue I was ready... NOT!! Frustrated and confused and digging my heals in to wait! (and hoping I even HAVE the funds when it comes out)

I can see why everyone is so frustrated and confused. I would like to see "ONE" Vue program only and all the resources put into it instead of all this side grade and having two different programs which in the end will be about the same if one buys all the upgrades and modules. Its a money scheme is how I see it. I passed on Vue 5 and really glad I did. I will pass on Vue Infinite if it is as complicated as Vue 5 has been for users. :) Vue Pro is my favorite program and I enjoy using it. When a program has problems it can be a headache trying to use it.

The problem is that if there was only ONE version, it would be Vue Infinite - at that price. Then people would complain it is too expensive :) Believe me - this is not a money scheme but a real attempt at providing a version of Vue to accomodate everybody. You can decide how long you want to wait, what you want to get and how much you want to pay. If you don't care about the extensive options of Vue Infinite, you can get Vue 5. If you want to add more control to Vue 5, you can add whatever module you need. And if you want all the modules and still not Vue Infinite, you have the Pro Studio version. Come on :) This is far better than being forced to upgrade for a single version with a single price, wether you like it or not !

You need not get upset because I stated my opinion. That was all it was and I stand by it even though it don't mean a hill of beans. "lol" It is my money that will be spent when the time comes and I have no influence over anyone with how they spend their money. Can I not express my opinion as others with out getting bawled out for doing it. I am not against e-on and it is the one program I use more than any of my others. To many bias people who don't consider others opinions.

I was not upset :) I was trying to address many of the opinions expressed here, not just the last one (although I started by answer it).

Sorry for venting Agiel but it was the "COME On" part that hit me wrong. It was the way you said it that made me think you were taking sides with e-on and didn't care what others think. I sometimes speak in haste and this was one of them.

no harm done iloco. im with agiel on this one tho, having modules and a lightweight v5 and one Infinite version is far better then just having v5I, which i know alot of v4 users would never afford to buy, choices is just good and lets everybody get a piece of the cake, im waiting for e.on to release v5I for real so im can be sure of the features (yes i did see the list aswell) and once its out ill decide what v5 version to get but judging from that list im leaning heavily towards v5I. as for how they advertise and promote vue, thats a hole other thing tho :)

Sorry, Agiel, but I have to disagree. If they merely want to offer the customer the opportunity to make the best choice, they need to list all the options alongside each other, rather then putting them on the market one after the other and keeping customers in the dark about what is coming. That is simply speculating on impuls buyers getting what is available now, and then still buying the full program later. Why not simply have a lite and a full version (i.e., v4e and v4pro) and be done with it? I agree with iloco that it's simply a money scheme. This is also clear from their dual pricing policy: no matter what the exchange rates of euro's/dollars are, e-on will never loose: they just make the customers pay that live in the area with the most expensive currency. Thanks to that I (also an impuls buyer) paid 172 dollars for two modules rather than the advertised 108 dollars. Had I lived in the US, I could have alomost bought the full upgrade to v5pro for that! But you only find that out by the time you reach the almost final page of the ordering sequence. I again lodged a complaint with them about this. Either you have single currency pricing, or EVERY page of your website is clear about the dual pricing. "Upgrade to Vue5Pro? $199 for non Europeans, 199 euros + VAT for europeans." Bottom line as far as I'm concerned: truly great software, but unfair treatment of customers.

199 Euros PLUS 20% VAT (40 Euros) PLUS 25 Euros shipping!!! That means in France we're paying 264 Euros vs. $225 (added $25 shipping) charged to the Americans. 264 Euros happens to be $343.75 at today's exchange rate. Now, I know at least one person who's going to say that this is normal. All software companies are charging 1 Euro to 1 Dollar in Europe but that still doesn't make it right. It's totally unfair and truly pisses me off. Period.

Christ, I thought that I got an email explaining to me why they were dropping the "pro" name, that they considered it overused by other companies. Now I find they are using it AGAIN to describe a product that is not quite "pro" as we understand V4pro to be. All people in marketing should be shot :D they seem to be doing nothing to make anything any clearer. In fact they seem to be almost deliberately confusing things. Just WTF was wrong with 2 products, standard & pro? No confusion, easy to understand. Now we got V5, V5pro studio, V5 Infinite, God knows what else in the form of modules & extras. Incidentally, the BIG thing about V4 pro for me was integration with Lightwave & Maya etc. It was exactly what Vue needed, now if only they would pull their fingers out & make up to date plugins for Maya 6 etc.

theres in all honesty not a product of its own thats called v5pro studio, i think its a mistake by e.on to call it that, v5pro studio is a bundle, v5e + all the modules, thats what it is. As far as modules goes i think that part is a big step in the right direction from e.on, everybody gets to get the features they want, nothing more, nothing less. the "pros" has v5I or possibly v5e + some or all of the modules if they can live without some of v5I features. the rest has v5e and once they find that theyve hit the roof they can pick up one or more modules instead of having to buy v5I. So modules is for the better for everyone, both us as customers and e.on.

I'm living in Sweden and bought XSI from Softimage a while ago.

Payed the price in $ using the correct exchangerate + Swedish VAT/Custom + Shipping.

Now, that's a fair company that treats all customers equal!!!

Message edited on: 01/20/2005 05:18

I'm still confused and a bit angry. Got my Vue5 update as late customer at a higher price than US citizens would pay for a normal update! The shipping costs doubled in 1 year (got Vue4 for the half shipping costs one year before). I bought it anyway and I like Vue5. Thought about getting the modules to get lightweight plants (I also own xfrog, but if you need a lot of trees, you better use Vue plants) and the other nice features. But this pricing in Europe is ridiculous. Sorry E-on, you've lost a customer, as long as you stick to this pricing. Waiting for an explanation from this FRENCH company.

I bought Botanica and LightTune. The first is fun and easy to use, but has very limited options as compared to XFrog. LighTune however is a miracle - I really needed that, it solves so many lighting issues! I am so happy with it that for a while I forgot about the money completely. I saw on the e-on support forum that e-on has taken notice of the many complaints about european p&p rates, and that "they are working on it". They remain silent on the currencies issue, but well, this is a start, at least.

With the current exchange rates E-ON is 'Pirating' on it's European buyers...

Well they might win me back with reasonable prices. I would like to buy all three modules as a bundle. I don't mind, when Botanica is a bit limited. For major plants I always use xfrog, but for a lot of scenes Vue plants are very useful compared to alpha planes. Let's see with what they come up...

what a commercial this post is...

Message edited on: 01/25/2005 22:21