The news makes Redshift the first product that Maxon itself has made subscription-only. No changes announced for Cinema 4D or other Maxon software That changes on 31 August, when multi-host Redshift subscriptions will become available in the Maxon store, and the existing individual Cinema 4D-only subscription will be removed.

While Maxon began offering subscription bundles that include the renderer in its own online store after acquiring Redshift in 2019, single-product subscriptions are only available via the old Redshift website. The change will complete Redshift’s integration with Maxon’s licensing system, since the new subscriptions will only be available to users with MyMaxon accounts. Redshift subscriptions to become available via the Maxon store

However, those releases are already available to perpetual licence holders with maintenance plans, so we suspect that some will argue that by going subscription-only, Maxon is simply reducing users’ ability to choose when they pay for updates – and presumably, increasing its revenue in the process. That’s undeniably true: the Redshift team has put out 15 updates to the renderer already this year, many adding support for new hardware or new versions of its host DCC apps.

“In order to provide the best customer experience, we believe all customers should the latest version.” “In order to maintain compatibility with the latest hardware, drivers and host application updates our Redshift development team is constantly updating, optimising and ensuring stability.” In its online FAQs about the change of licensing, Maxon notes that, as a multi-host GPU renderer, “Redshift’s functionality is fully dependent upon third-party hardware and software solutions”. Necessary to encourage users to run the latest version of the software? The cost of subscriptions, which will only be available through Maxon’s own licensing system, will be “comparable” to current annual maintenance fees. Maxon is discontinuing perpetual licences of Redshift, making the GPU production renderer for 3ds Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, Houdini and Maya a subscription-only product from 31 August 2021. Scroll down for news of the new subscription pricing.

Cinema 4d subscription price