New 3D packages and cheap upgrades

An interesting trend I am starting to see with some of the lesser known 3D developers is providing upgrades to their software for free to registered users. The best one that I have found is from Pixologic. If you are a registered user of ZBrush 2.0, you get to upgrade to 2.5 for free when it is released. The new update isn't simply a patch release, but a major upgrade that adds an enormous amount of power to the artist.

The other upgrade that I discovered is from Nevercenter. Anyone who bought a copy of their 3D application, Silo, after July 1, 2004 will be entitled to a free upgrade to version 2.0 due out sometime within the next few months. As with Pixologic, this isn't a run of the mill upgrade, but a major enhancement to the core product. This app probably has the most drastic changes, adding displacement and a multitude of new tools that I didn't think were even in development yet. Check out their site to learn more.

Both of these apps are going to help me personally, as I am a registered user of each and I get my upgrades for free. I think their low price points and occasional deals like those mentioned above are going to do a lot to curb the piracy that really seems to have spread throughout the 3D industry.

Keep watching here to see what I think of these new apps when I get them in.