Actually in the past I've been pretty disenchanted with Eon, releaseing a new version every year, and charging a premium, but they haven;t done that this go around.. V6I has been around a few years now, and upgrades have been free, including the latest 6.5 version. odds are, they'll have a 7.0 version by next summer, but for them, this has been a good long run.

Thing is, most production facilities buy multiple versions, and also pay additional for pro support as well.. I remember Disney buy 100 licenses of a 3d app when i was there, just for the mgm studios alone. betwen all thier various studios, they probably bought 500 licences, and when you consider the excellent press the app producer gets when a big house like that uses thier product in a production that's successful, that's a HELL of a deal compared to the consumer market.

Big houses buy the latest hardware, and gobs of memory, while consumers try to get by with win 98, and a system that really should have been replaced a few years ago. And of course that causes issues when the software is really designed with pro use in mind.

I'm no wher enear the pro level at all, but after seeing the differences in support, purchasing training  n such, I've been amazed that such powerful tools have even been available at all at a consumer level pricepoint.

Heck.. even consider Hexagon.. 5 years ago, you would have paid $1000 for as modeler like that.. today it's what? $40?  And you then get a hell of a huge support issues with everyone and thier brother who can;t figure out how to use it, won;t purchase training, and then just ask the same questions over and over again ad infinitum.

Thing is , I see both sides of the coin... you are choosing to only see your personal viewpoint.

Way too many people take way too many things way too seriously.