A quick search online for “cheap Maya software” turns up a whole slew of websites that claim to be selling “OEM” versions of the Maya 3D software…and at bargain basement prices too…some as low as $150.

The sites look really professional and give an air of legitimacy…but are they really legit? What the heck is OEM software, and can you really buy OEM versions of Maya so cheaply?

Here’s my take on the issue…

What Is OEM Software?

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and refers to the copies of software that are sold to computer builders and manufacturers in order to be bundled with hardware and other softwares. A good example of this would be something like Norton Antivirus that is often bundled with a new computer or laptop.

Manufacturers do this for a number of reasons, since by essentially bundling their software at a cheap price they vastly increase the number of customers they have using their product…with a view of keeping them on as long term customers for many years.

So going back to the Norton example…if you buy a laptop that comes bundled with Norton and you activate it…then once your subscription runs out after a year, you will most likely renew it.

Does Autodesk do OEM versions of Maya?

Now, the real question is whether Autodesk do OEM versions of their Maya 3D software.

The answer to this is no.

Autodesk software is rather exclusive and so it doesn’t make sense for them to bundle such a high-end piece of software with another manufacturer.

Also, it should be noted that Autodesk are very particular about who they allow to sell their software, and all legitimate retailers are verified partners, and need to follow reasonably strict guidelines about how they sell the product, where they can sell it (geographically) and the level of support they offer. (Read about Autodesk’s Partner Program here)

A discussion on this recently appeared on the Autodesk forum, and the site they mention in the thread there looks very professional. Don’t be fooled by it though…it is most likely not selling original copies.

So What Can You Do?

Well, if you’re a student, there’s no need to bother with dodgy OEM copies anyway. You can access fully working versions of all the Autodesk software in the student area, or purchase your own perpetual licence edition for a very low price.

From here you can always upgrade to the full commercial edition of Maya for a BIG discount…you pay only about $1,300 instead of nearly $4,000.

So you see, in reality, you wouldn’t be paying a great deal more for the full legitimate licensed copy with all the relevant support and updates that go with it, than you would for a dodgy ripped off OEM version.

Plus, you’ll be able to sleep well at night…which as most of us know…is priceless

Now, while this site is dedicated to helping folks looking to buy the Maya student edition, there are a number of visitors who are not currently students but are interested in buying the full commercial version of Maya 2011 either for home or professional use.

Since it is a high-end piece of software, I’ve found that it can be difficult finding a place online that provides a straight forward pricing structure and easy purchase…many sites require you to phone them for a quote, which can not only cause you to waste a lot time, but can be an unnecessary expense, if let’s say you’re based in the UK and you have to phone a US-based company just to get a quote, or vice versa.

So, after some looking I’ve found that the following site is one of the best and simplest places to buy Maya 2011:

>> Buy Maya 2011 from this online store <<

The good thing is they tell you the price up front and the purchase is as simple and straight forward as any other online purchase. Their pricing is also competitive compared to some other online retailers.

I’ve Seen Cheap OEM Software Available…Is This The Same?

OEM software (Original Equipment Manufacturer) is a kind of software that is sold to computer builders and hardware manufacturers in large quantities, for the purpose of bundling with computer hardware.

Most OEM software is for older versions of the software or will contain restrictions on the license agreement. The re-selling of certain OEM software is not illegal, but is a complex and contentious issue, which is aggravated by the unscrupulous actions of a number of online sellers who are not licensed to sell such software.

The Maya 3D software can only be sold by authorised Autodesk resellers, and in the vast majority of cases the sites that are selling OEM Maya software are not. Therefore, I would NOT recommend buying Maya 2011 from any of those OEM sites, no matter how tempting the low price…it will most likely not be a genuine version of the software.

To read more on OEM software in general there is a good article on About.com here

For a genuine full commercial version of Maya Unlimited 2011 go this site here:

>> Buy Maya 2011 from this online store <<

Note: If you're a student you may qualify for a discount when you upgrade to a full commercial license later on...for more info read this article ==> Maya Commercial Upgrade

The popularity of the Maya 3d software from Autodesk has meant that many students and educators are taking advantage of the academic discounts available and snapping up copies of the Maya student edition to further their knowledge and skills and complete their projects at their own pace in the comfort of their own working environment.

However, a number of folks often wonder about the possibility of upgrading their educational version later on in order to get a copy of the full commercial version of Maya so that they can set themselves up as freelancers and start producing legitimate commercial work.

Is It Possible To Upgrade The Maya Student Edition To The Professional Version?

Well, the good news is that it is indeed possible to upgrade your student version of Maya to the full Unlimited commercial license. This is done to make it easier for folks to make that tough transition between graduation and securing work.

How Much Is The Educational To Commercial Version Discount?

From what I’ve seen both online and by reading Autodesk’s own literature on the subject the price you are looking at for a student to commercial upgrade is around the $1,300 mark.

This is a substantial saving of around 60%, if you were looking to buy the full commercial version right off the bat. (Read this post for more on the full commercial version ==> buy Maya 2011 )

If you’re looking to start out as a freelancer you don’t really want to be forking out thousands of dollars before you’ve even got your first client through the door, so this is a big plus and definitely a smart for folks who want to take things to the professional level.

I found this online retailer that does next-day shipping for the Maya educational to commercial upgrade:

>>Maya Commercial Upgrade<<

They’re also a pretty big company and do both PC and Mac versions.

Maya Student Discounts – How Much Can You Save With The Student Edition of Maya?

Let’s face it…life as a student is expensive enough, right! You’ve got to pay tuition fees, accommodation, textbooks, and not to mention copious amounts of takeaways, alcohol and nights out

So it’s no wonder that folks who are involved in animation, visual effects or design and are using high-end software packages, want to see if there are any significant savings to be had by obtaining a student discount…

Since many companies have (thankfully!) realised that the students of today are the pioneers and professionals of tomorrow they have begun providing full working versions of their softwares at MASSIVE discounts especially for students.

The Maya Student Edition is no different, so…how much of a discount is Autodesk providing with the Maya Student version?

2 Licensing Options

The size of the Maya student discount depends primarily on which license type you choose, since they are 2:

- a 13 Month license

- a Perpetual license (no expiry date)

The 13 month license costs around $150 and the perpetual license costs around $350 (depending on where you buy it from – the cheapest place I’ve found is here).

Let’s not forget that the Maya Student edition is a fully working version of Maya Unlimited (not the Complete edition), meaning it has all the high-end advanced stuff like dynamics, hair, fur, and matchmove tracking.

Autodesk also bundles the Maya Student version with educational editions of the following:

• 3d Studio Max
• Softimage XSI
• Motionbuilder
• Mudbox
• Sketchbook Pro

…which means you are getting a massive discount.

How Big A Discount Is It?

Well let’s approximate the prices on the commercial versions of all the software, add them all together and see what we get:

• Maya ($4,000)
• 3d Studio Max ($4,000)
• Softimage XSI ($3,800)
• Motionbuilder ($5,000)
• Mudbox ($1,000)
• Sketchbook Pro ($100)

Total = $17,900

(The above prices are guides only…please consult Autodesk Store and Escape Studios store for more accurate info on the commercial licenses)

Now, when you consider that you are getting access to all that software for a maximum of $350…then you can see it’s a pretty big discount.

Obviously, the Maya student edition comes with certain restrictions, which I talk more about here ==> Maya Student Edition Restrictions

If you’re looking to purchase the Maya Academic Version then this site has the best deals I’ve seen so far on the net ==> Maya Student Discount

If you’re considering whether to invest in the Maya Student Edition then you’re no doubt wondering what in the heck is the difference between the Maya student version vs the professional version.

I mean, is the student version a cut down version?

Does it render with a horrible watermark like the old Maya PLE used to?

Is it the Complete version or the Unlimited version with all the bells and whistles?

How Are They Similar?

Well, the Maya Student Version is a fully functional version of Maya Unlimited…meaning that you can do all the funky advanced stuff, like:

Maya Hair,
Maya Fur,
Maya Fluid Effects,
Maya nCloth,
Maya nParticles,
Maya Live

This is really great for student projects as you’re able to properly showcase your talents and get proficient at these modules, which will go a long way in helping you to secure a VFX or animation job after graduation.

There’s also no watermark on the Maya Student Version.

How Are They Different?

The major difference between the Maya Student Version and the Professional Edition is that you obviously are NOT allowed to use the student version to make money or participate in any commercial endevour.

Since the student edition comes at a significant discount (see here), this makes sense.

The licensing is the other big difference…

The Maya Student Version has two licensing options:

- A 13 month option – $150
- A Perpetual option (no expiry) – $350

Where as the Professional Edition just has the one – (around $5,000)

Now, if you can afford the perpetual option it obviously makes financial sense to take that instead of the 13 month one…but I know that some folks only need it for a few months or during their final year at College or University so in those cases the 13 month option can be best.

It all depends on your personal preference.

Obviously, if you decide to buy the Maya Student Version then you’ll need to provide all the necessary documentation and evidence to prove that you are currently a student or academic who is eligible for the Maya Student discount.

The Maya Student Edition Superpack is the special software bundle available on the internet, specifically designed to give students and educational institutions access to affordable versions of several pieces of high end software from Autodesk at a very low cost.

What’s In The Maya Student Edition Superpack?

The Superpack available on the Studica website contains the following:

1. Maya Unlimited (Fully Working Student Version)

(which in itself contains all the modules and bells and whistles of the commercial version

• Maya Fluid Effects
• Maya Fur
• Maya nCloth
• Maya nParticles
• Maya Live
• Maya Hair

In addition the Maya Student Superpack contains the following:

2. Mudbox – innovative 3D modeling software with the capacity to handle high-resolution 3D meshes. Create highly detailed organic and inorganic assets that can easily be used with Autodesk® Maya® and Autodesk® 3ds Max® software. Easily manage sculpting iterations with nondestructive 3D layers.

3. Toxik – High end compositing software for real-time, HDRI film procedural and 3D compositing. Features award-winning keying and color correction tools, as well as GMask, motion blur, DOF, and Bicubic warping. Toxik also supports multiple channel OpenEXR files and 64-bit architecture.

4. Motionbuilder – industry-leading, real-time 3D character animation software for games, feature film, and television productions. Excellent for working with motion capture. Works really well with characters modeled and rendered in Maya.

Are there any drawbacks to the Maya Student Edition Superpack?

The only drawback is that the Superpack software is PC based only.

As yet, there are unfortunately no Mac versions of Mudbox, Toxik and Motionbuilder. If you are a Mac user you can still purchase the Maya Unlimited Student Edition and it will work fine.

Do these student versions render with watermarks?

No. All these Superpack student editions are fully working versions with NO restrictions, apart from the obvious license agreement that forbids you to use them in a commercial capacity to make money – they are for educational use only.

Click Here For The Best Price On The Net For The Maya Student Edition Superpack

Maya Student Edition

Autodesk Maya Unlimited Student Edition

Autodesk Maya Unlimited 2009 is the latest edition of the Award-winning and Industry leading 3d software for television, film, animation, and design professionals. Mastering this software is essential in today’s fast-moving world; and proficiency can mean great long-term employment prospects and the fast-track to success.

Why Choose The Maya Student Edition?

The full commercial license is out of reach of the majority of students’ budgets, costing over $6000! Thankfully though, Autodesk has made available a fully functional student edition of Maya Unlimited, which includes all the functionality found in Autodesk Maya Complete and provides professional artists and animators with additional industry-leading innovations, such as Maya Fluid Effects, Maya nCloth, Maya nParticles, Maya Hair, Maya Fur, and Maya Live.

STUDICA.COM IS CURRENTLY THE CHEAPEST PLACE ON THE NET TO BUY THE

MAYA STUDENT EDITION

Click the image below to go to the Studica website and find the best deals on

the Maya Student Edition