I currently have Vue 8 Esprit with Ecosystem module added.  Got a notice today that Eon has special pricing on Vue 9.  I can get Vue 9 Esprit for only $49, but Ecosystem module is $99 from Cornucopia, so $148 total. Or I can get Vue 9 Studio for $124 which includes Ecosystem module and several others.  I'm just learning and am happy with Vue 8 so far, but I've heard that Vue 9 is more stable. Sale prices are only good for about 10 days. Should I jump on this sale or wait for Vue 10? I'd appreciate some advice from the experts.

My suggestion is to always try the trial version first.  Vue 9 puts more demand on your video card, so make sure it runs on your computer.  If you don't have issues, I would go for the upgrade to Studio.

Vue 9 is certainly better than 8.5 was IMO, but 8 was better than 8.5 too. They basically broke 8.5, but I've been realy happy with 9 Infifnite which is why I never bothered with 9.5 in case they broke that one too..

Version 9 started syncing the preview window render with your actual render, so that you knew that what Vue showed in the thumbnail render was what your full-on render would look like.  Vue 8 and 7 didn't have such logic.

Vue 9.5 has the faster depth of field rendering.  But the other 9.5 features are mostly just half-baked implementations.

I just purchased Vue 9 Studio last night. I wait every year for the sale to upgrade my previous version. It keeps the cost low and I don't mind being behind 1 version. As long at works and I keep the human error out of the scene I will be just fine.

My Cost for Upgrade $74.00, now that's price that makes my pocket book smile!!!

Quote - Vue 8 and 7 didn't have such logic.

 

I don't get it. Vue 8.4 has render preview.

Quote - > Quote - Vue 8 and 7 didn't have such logic.

 

I don't get it. Vue 8.4 has render preview.

But the Main Camera thumbnail renders used incorrect scene lighting and cloud layer settings.

Indeed, I have had various renders before that looked amazing in the preview window just to be completely different in the actual render itself.

Pay attention to the small print! I upgraded to Vue 9 Pro Studio from Vue 8 Pro Studio last week for the advertised $55 but failed to see that that I was also purchasing a monthly subscription fee that would cheapen the Vue 10 upgrade later. To say the least I just told them where they could stuff it today and told them to refund the purchase.

SteveJax, and everyone else who fell into the vue trap of dishonest advertisement -

I nearly  had a similar problem - tried to upgrade from v7 complete to vue9 complete. The neweletter claimed this will cost $98. The '*'  was explained in unreadably small print on the side that this intends to mean 'from' (and that there are other products on line).

"From' implies that there is a 'cheap' product you can get at the advertised price but also more expensive ones if you want bells and wistles. After a protracted discussion via tickets and phone calls they admit there is no  such product. You can buy the upgrade at the price mentioned only if you get the maintanence, an additional $150.

I gave up on buying the upgrade but intend to file a complaint at the BBB at Oregon, based on 2 points:

1. Their advertisement is deceptive - they claim there is a product for $98  and there isnt.

2. They are advertising one product(upgrade) and in their 'showroom' they try to switch the buyers to another, more expensive product, a bundle of upgrade & maintanence. This is IMO a 'bait and switch' tactic which is illegal according to FCC regulations.

I dont have the time or money to go for letigation but I want a complaint logged with the BBB.

If anyone wants to add their experience to the complaint, or file their own please let me know.

Pnina

Attached Link: Eon Software Upgrade Page

There is no conspiracy, you just chose the wrong options. The option to upgrade from Vue 8 Studio to Vue 9 Studio for $55 does include a subscription.  You can upgrade without a subsription for $74.  Same thing with V7 Complete to V9 Complete, it's $98 with subsription or $149 without subscription. For me, I can upgrade from V8 Esprit to V9 Studio for $93 with a subsription or $124 without the subsription. I am going for the $124 option without the subscription. It is spelled out clearly on the upgrade page. Sorry, but no conspiracy, no deception.

Renderholic, I'm talking about their newsletter. Did you see it?

It is advertising a product that they dont really offer for sale. They say I can upgrade from vue7 complete to vue9 complete for $98. That is it. No mention of extra payments or being conditional to additional purchases. Not even as a small print.  I wanted that advertised product at the price they advertised.  That is the definition of truth in advertisemnet.

What they did is baiting - mentioning something cheap in the advert and offering something ELSE, more expensive in their showroom=upgrade page.

Baiting and switching isnt considered fair trading practice.

It isnt about the information available on their site. It is about their advertisemnet.

 

By the way , your statements arent accurate either, they dont reflect the real price -

They are not offering as  you say "V7 Complete to V9 Complete, it's $98 with subsription" V7c to v9c  with subscription costs 98+12x12 = $242 (in whole dollars).

If you feel offended by E-On offers you can always vote with your wallet and choose another application and another firm. For example, you might choose Carrara; judging from DAZ forums posts, works like a charm and there is the plus of dealing with a reliable firm with a long track record of trustiness and clear vision (unlike E-On).

Bye.

P.S.: there is something that I always have difficulty in explaining people: sometimes, losing customers (certain customers) is a huge plus for a firm.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with turning a company in to the better business bureau if you think an advertisement is misleading or if a company doesn't follow through with what they've claimed to offer. It's not litiginous and everyone has a right to do it if they feel they've been mislead.

I for one don't have the original email to go back to refer to so I couldn't say whether or not it had small print or not. All I know is I saw the price and that was all it took for me to open my wallet and spend. I didn't take time to read any fine print and that was my own fault.

I will however say that I am getting fed up with companies selling software in this market with fine print gotcha's attached to them that most of us miss because we're impulse buying and they know it.

That being said, I already have the latest Cararra and Vue 8. I think I can do without upgrading this time around again.

Attached Link: E-On Flash News

@alex - I tried Carrera 7 as a tutor for geekatplay. Nothing wrong with it that I could see. It didnt crush even once, so thta's definitely better than vue7. However I dont use CG as much anymore - I do traditional painting (see rebubble.com/artpearl) and use XG only as a tool in studying form, lighting, perspective etc.  I dont want(and cant)  invest any more time or money with a new application. I still REALLY like vue in principle - if it worked as promissed it would be a delight. I was often told the problem is that it isnt as supported for macs. Now that they say they reprogrammed it from the ground up using cocoo I was wondering if It would work better, hence my renewed interest. The price of $100 was just about as much as I can allocate to CG, so I thought I'll give it a try.

@Steve - I attached the link to the newsletter they sent, with the pricing that implies v7c->v9c costs $98. The * note on the right hand side only says these are "from" prices and that other products available online. So even if you looked carefully there was nothing to indicate the pricing requires extra purchases, so it isnt your fault you fell into the trap. It's theirs.

In fact, their pricing as given on their site are even worse. I just tried to go through the purchaseing procedure to see where the maintanence fees are added. It says the product is "v7c->v9c + maintainance" and the cost is $98. NOWHERE does it mention extra payments will be required. I got up to the stage they request serial number of v7 and I didnt want to look for it, but that means the info about the real total price  is way way burried...

Anyhow, I asked them in my ticket to forward my issue to higher managment. I'm not holding my breath...A BBB complaint still on the cards, but I think this was the final nail on vue's coffin for me. Sad.

When you click on the description for the products, it very clearly identifies what you are buying with a link to an even more detailed page with all the benifits of a subscription.  If you didn't read the description, then tough luck.  I mean, the product description before you add it to your cart says + Annual Subscription.  Sheesh!!! 

 

Vue 9 Complete - Download - Vue 8 Complete Upgrade + Annual Subscription

Save up to 50% on your next upgrade!

This products bundles a Vue license with a Product Subscription program.

With our Product Subscription system, and a small monthly payment, you can save up to 50% on the normal upgrade price of your next Vue upgrade, and you'll also be able to download the new version of Vue as soon as it's officially released!

By purchasing this product, you hereby accept the terms and conditions of the Product Subscription, program, and authorize Cornucopia3D to charge you the corresponding subscription monthly fee.

Click here for more information on Product Subscription.

This product can only be purchased with Visa or MasterCard. Paypal is not available as a payment option because of the automatic monthly renewal feature.

Your Vue 8 Complete serial number will be required during the order process.

This product ships with an electronic version of the user guide (PDF).

You might also consider adding the Official Printed Vue 9 Artist User Guide to your order!

I think what people were saying was the newsletter was a bit misleading, and to be honest, the "*" part of it, is written in sideways tiny writing in white no less down the side of the image.

As for the subscription thing, to a degree artpearl is correct, if you go to their site and click the upgrade option that comes with the subscription, it just says £48.92 and you can add that to your cart, which to be honest in the UK any other fees should be clear on the order page otherwise that page could be seen as misleading. It should say £48.92 + 12 x £xx.xx .

I personally dont bother with the upgrade program so its no consequence for me but I can see what others are saying. You may well be able to get the information you require by going through other links and thats fair enough, but as an order process and doing business in the UK, whether you are based outside the UK or not, any product for sale should include any further payments that are neccesary at the time of purchase.

Dear Peggy, did you actually READ what my complaint is before you get all rightous.

It is about TRUTH IN ADVERTISEMENT. I gave a link to their flash newsletter, I presume you read it?

It gives a name to the product eg 'v7c to v9c upgrade'. It gives a price $98.

There is a * refering to a disclaimer, specifying: this is a 'from' price; there are additional products on line.

A "from" price means there is at least one product fitting the description that costs no more than $98.

Armed with this information  I went  to the store on their site to buy this product.But there is NO such product for the price mentioned. This means the advertisemnet is untrue.

Instead of the supposed product they offer the upgrade only for $150, or upgrade + maintenance for $98+12x$12. This is baiting and switching. Namely, implying there is a cheap product in the advertisemnet and switching to more expensive one in the showroom. This is unfair practice by BBB and FCC descriptions.

That is the essence of my complaint. The fact that it is easy to go through most of the checking out process of buying without discovering that the maintenance component requires extra payment is an extra problem, but is not part of my original complaint.

Weather or not their offers are good deals or not is utterly irrelevant. If they gave the accurate pricing for the real products on offer in the advert, or even just added the disclaimer 'additional purchase required' I would not have any grounds to complain.

BTW, I did look for the real price they demand and thus didnt buy anyhing, so dont imply I'm stupid. But even trusting/gullable customers should be treated fairly, that is the point of having fair tradeing rules.

I understand you like vue and if you are happy with e-on's pricing and product (and having some income for yourself) I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else otherwise. But it is not your place to lecture others when they find flaws with e-on's behaviour and arnt prepared to put up with it.

I dont intend to go on and discuss this, just wanted to inform those who feel they are personally affected that I intend to ask BBB opinion about this issue.

Thank you for your words of support, JonJ - you posted while I was writing my reply (and doing some other things...). It is illegal in the US too. I'm not an expert on these issues, but I read the BBB (Better Business Beurau) info about the issue, and what I'm saying is based on the info on their site, and their quotes of the federal laws (from the FCC documents).

OK...  Now I am feeling a bit rightous.

I had a really long post to answer this, but I decided not to even bother.  Why waste my time.

   

 

Quote - OK...  Now I am feeling a bit rightous.

I had a really long post to answer this, but I decided not to even bother.  Why waste my time.

Tough Luck indeed! I got my refund and they lost a sale. It's attitudes such as your own that make people leave the forums in droves.

One thing that needs to be pointed out; that monthly fee you commit to, if you read all the fine print, entitles you to -two- software releases. Even if more than a year goes by between versions, you are entitled to the .5 release. And the potential gotcha in the maintenance contract is that the clock starts ticking from the time you -register- the software, not from when you begin the contract or subscription service.

 

Personally, I -like- the maintenance agreement. That's two versions of Vue I get per go around, and better access to the techs for bugs or 'features' issues. It comes out much cheaper in the end for me.

 

Yes, the newsletter was clumsily put together, no question. But frankly, I quit buying =anything= from an e-mail link years ago. I might follow it to get into a deal, but I promptly start digging to see all of the details. Occasional users probably can't find a need for the subscription.....but consistent users should check it out, as it may just prove cheaper in the long run, as well as keeping you up to date without requiring the kinds of cirque de soliel twists that some companies inflict on upgraders/crossgraders. 

Isnt the way the maintenance for Complete and below work different from Infinite. I mean with the maintenance for Infinite, you get the new version for free as it were, for Complete and below dont you still have to pay at least 50%?

Was just wondering

Actually I may be wrong, can someone explain the subscription thing to me please as reading on their site I am trying to work it out.

 

Is it you pay your subscription and then when the next version of Vue comes out you get that free as part of your subscription, or do you pay your subscription and get 50% off the next version when it comes out?

Thanks

Jon

Quote - With our Product Subscription system, and a small monthly payment, you can save up to 50% on the normal upgrade price of your next Vue upgrade, and you'll also be able to download the new version of Vue as soon as it's officially released!

 

The way I read it you would get V10 for free when it comes out and get 50% off V11 next year when it arrives.  Is that correct?

No, looking at it more closely, depending on what version of Vue you have you get the next version for free, which when you add up the cost of the monthly subscription, makes Vue about 50% off.

Basically you are paying for Vue over a year and getting any versions that come out in the meantime for free

Subscription means that, as long as it is active, you can get new releases of the subscribed product without paying anything more (at least this is the way it works for Infinite). E.g., I payed little more than 100 Euros in february to renew the subscription and I will get 10 Infinite without additional payment if it is released before Feb 2012 (which is almost certain, considering the usual before-the-new-version E-On offers).

I don't know about other versions, but with the subscription I have access to .5 intermediate releases which might not be available otherwise.

As far as dates are concerned, E-On has been quite reliable in the last years, releasing a major version every two years and a .5 in the in-betweeen years, usually during winter.

I just ordered sidegrade from V8 Esprit to V9 Studio for $124.  I have 30 days to add subscription if I decide it's worth it. Usually in the fall before the next new version comes out they put the old version on sale for half price. So whenever V11 is about to come out I should be able to get V10 at half price and going studio to studio it should be cheaper. I stay one version behind, but that's OK. I'll have to look more closely to see if a subscription is a better deal.

Alex, they release a major version yearly mate. Hence why were forever upgrading lol

Quote - Alex, they release a major version yearly mate. Hence why were forever upgrading lol

Head shaking... have a look at the dates.

Anyone will tell you the same thing and if you insist.

Vue 9.5 pre-release 7th April 2011

Vue 9 Full Product Release November 17th 2010

Vue 8 previewed at Siggraph August 4th 2009

Vue 7 previewed at Siggraph August 5th 2008

 

Sorry about the vague dates, from old newsletter emails but you get my drift, its all yearly releases