thanks for the perspectives marble, they mirror mine for the most part.

To everyone who has joined us on this journey so far, and in the future - things are changing - always.

The forces at work here have changed as per the Gerald's first post in this thread - we're (Gerald and I) changing business models and now we all get to decide: are we, as users, sponsoring, or buying... not the same thing.

I'm generally a buyer, and when I buy, I expect *all* rights and complete autonomy in the product. e.g. I no longer buy Poser because of it's 'phone-home' requirement. period... So, yeah, Patreon has that flavor.

But many folks are stoked for the VWD product, effort, and potential, and a small sponsorship motivator makes sense to them. And perhaps they simply want to, and have the resources to help in an easy and appreciated manner - I certainly can't code the way Gerald does, so I'll do some videos instead of money. And since there aren't many other ways to help in a project like this... a few bucks shared make both parties feel good - both as appreciators and as direct participants.

I subscribe to SparrowHawke-3Ds Carrara experiments for a couple of bucks a month, but have never (not yet) used any of the tools he's released. But I want him to keep working on it, and hope maybe I'll get to play with the tools someday. But it's OK if I don't - the risk is on me and I know that. And I can afford it right now. Not my usual thing - as I indicated above - I'm usually a buyer. go figure.

I'm of the mind that folks that want to simply show appreciation (beer money is my way of thinking of it :) some form of no-charge-until-release model is a decent hybrid option. $3 or $5 bucks per release, even if you don't need that particular new feature right now - not a bad deal - so it's back to how much is support, and how much is buying... Sure - if we do it that way, it can totally be gamed - i wait for 5 releases, subscribe, then get them all for $5... or I can subscribe over time and get them as they come, for 5 x $5 - or whatever. So, am I optimizing (maybe because I'm fixed income, etc.) or am I helping because I can - today - maybe not tomorrow, etc.

I believe both Gerald and I are now of the mind that the money isn't the point, but a bit of a treat from the crew here would be enjoyed as a beer and as a vote of confidence. With the size of this community, as real as the $$ are to everyone who has invested (and Gerald and I take that seriously) the economy-of-scale simply can't match the true market value of Gerald's brilliance. So... it becomes a labor of love and fun, and perhaps some ego :) I'm proud of what we have done so far, and I think Gerald is too,

I will also add that as I've moved through life, I'm much more *able* to give now, and I do. I didn't give so much before..., as the same level used to 'hurt' much more. I think we all know how that works, and perhaps our (Gerald and my) version of the Patreon model (or gumroad?) can accommodate both kinds of audiences for a win-win. As marble also indicated, I've had a couple of subscriptions that really turned out to be expensive and bad ideas, in spite of the good intentions involved.

much as I love 'free', I think Gerald deserves a good glass of wine while he's coding for us, and I think we can dig that out of our change jars! lol! Some more than others, but I think in this crew, everyone wants it to be a win and will do what they can.

Having both a 'buy' model, and a 'sponsor' model is the right goal, especially if they can be melded to the benefit of everyone involved. All ideas welcomed.

As far as sponsorship - If can, can. If not today, maybe after we win the Powerball 1.3 Billion!

Whatever we do, I hope it'll result in some good and clever VWD-driven renders that Gerald (and  the rest of us) can enjoy in these forums! That'll work too.

(i've tried to articulate this in a non-judgemental or preachy way that appreciates that we are all doing what we can, as best we can. apologies to anyone who reads this and 'hears' me differently.)

thanks for all thoughts,

vwd3d / dan

--
Resources: https://www.virtualworlddynamics.net - https://www.patreon.com/VWD
Rendo PM: VWD3D or VirtualWorldDynamics or support@virtualworlddynamics.net
Current VWD Version:   Release: V2.2.924.6464 - 2019/12/12, 9:46am
Qualifier: Yes, I'm helping Gérald with VWD, Nooo, I'm not yet an expert on its use!