Does Autodesk have a plan to combat the many eager developers vying for the marketshare that has been dominated by them with gmax?

Could they not simply get rid of the registry check and terminate their support? That way there would be absolutely no cost to them.

I assume, since they have not, and don't seem to have any plans to give up their marketshare, that they are planning to monetize on the many gaming consumers. What sort of price range can we expect a replacement product to sell for, if there is one?

How long will it be before said replacement is released?

Is it long enough to warrant some concern over other developers taking the interest of consumers?

Thank you.

GMAX is currently the only existing tool that exports 3d models into W3D formats (Westwood 3D graphic format used for all graphics of the game, including animations). Isn't it possible to only leave the autorization code working after november 1st, so new modders may still be able to create new graphics?

We don't need support, we don't need updates... but Command & Conquer/Battle For Middle Earth modders need at least a tool to create graphics, or modding for these games will be history.

Leaving a script in a server doesn't cost a cent, unless you use a server only to run that script (which is not the case).

Expect answers coming in from Autodesk within the next few days.

With the cancelation, will they take out the regestration and let the last version be distributed? Moding for The lastest C&C games requires the Gmax gamepack, so it's our only option, there is NO alternative. As previoulsy stated we don't need any updates or newer version just the ability if need be to install and use the version out there now.

Hi,

as a newbie I was unaware Autodesk canceled gmax. That said, how do get a copy or demo to try? I do not see a link on the autodesk web site. Are there other places to get gmax?

-Bill

[MODERATOR NOTE]
GMAX is still available and ONLY through http://www.turbosquid.com/gmax

I just this weekend discovered GMax as a tool for Flight Simulator 2004 aircraft construction. I have had FS2002 since it came out, and I never realized that GMax was on the CD! Anyway, I installed Gmax fron my FS2004 CD and it directed me to Turbosquid to get the keycode. I went through the red tape, got my keycode, and have been learning to use it ever since.

I use Autocad at work, so I'm not surprised that Autodesk has screwed the game mod community in this way. They are famous for sticking it to their customers. I wouldn't expect them to be sympathetic to a bunch of people using a free version of their software; why should they care if all of your hard work is down the drain. I'm sure that some enterprising hacker will figure out a way to crack Gmax anyway, so don't worry, be happy.

The post above is nothing more than a rehash of the same information from Annie, originally posted in another sticky thread on this forum, on October 27th, 2005. It doesnt tell us anything new.

I havnt read a lot of posts about Gmax being cancelled so forgive me if I missed something, however the two I have read from Annie seem to suggest that there may be a new version in the works. The clues are the reference to Autodesk not supporting "this version" of Gmax, and the twice quoted (two months apart) reference to the current Gmax not supporting new features to be released in the upcoming Windows Vista release.

Surely, if Autodesk were planning to release a new version of Gmax, they would keep the current version available until the new version was released. Pulling Gmax like this simply alienates the community, and makes game developers start to consider alternative products to build their game packs for (I have already suggested some fairly decent free or low cost alternatives to the developers of my favoutite games).

My question to Autodesk, and I assume a further round of questions will be submitted to them, is when are you going to give us NEW information? It took around 2 months from when the questions were forwarded above, until we got the same rehashed waffle that we had in October, and the questions have not been answered.

Tell us whats going on, and tell us in plain english. Tell us if we have to start thinking about converting our hard work to other formats. Many many game fans have spent many hundreds or thousands of hours creating models in Gmax for their favourite games, with virtually no other software around that can import .gmax files (none that I know of). this means a lot of hard conversion work, often recreating various parts of a model that were lost in the conversion. (animation, mapping, and many other features that some converters miss). This means even more time spent on a model. Tell us if there is to be a new updated version of Gmax, or tell us all to go home, but TELL US!! Its been over TWO MONTHS since the October 6th announcement, and all we have is the same vague references repeated over and over as above.

If my favourite game developers had gamepacks for other 3d modellers, I would drop Gmax like a hot stone. this is NO WAY to treat the (last I read) over 300,000 users of your product!!!

Alas Im stuck with a product whose future is uncertain, and possibly non-existant, and it looks like the many many hours I have spent away from my family, building models for various games are wasted - worse still that I will have to spent even more hours converting existing models to another product the hard way, and worse again, that whatever product I choose, will probably not be supported by my favourite game developers.

Argh!!!

Annie, you should have done all of your planning and time-lining BEFORE you pulled the current version. Right now, it sounds like you are doing something, but you dont yet have a clue what it is.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program (brief elevator music)

because studios would only purchase one copy of max for the rendering and have all the modellers work on gmax for free, that doesn't make much sense for autodesk.

Okay ladies and gentlemen,

Gmax CANNOT fix a problem, that will NOT be important anymore, by march 2006. Gmax will NO LONGER function properly, once WinVista arrives and will also be an obsolete piece of software, with the newer Nvidia quadro set up.

Listen to what she said above; Windows XP Vista, combined with new graphics capabilities, combined with newer Mobos; equals a freeze on all software development or improvements, until we see what the future brings us to deal with, concerning all 3 of these hand in hand developments.

MightyBob: why would you wish to import a less detailed less functional model into a more useable and more complex model making tool? Probably what the developers were thinking also, when they made Gmax( a played down version of the real thing).

OK I'm sorry, BrIce. I did it again; let my fingers get away from me again. My above comment is mere speculation and very opinionated.

...Panic attack over now...

Mykael2 said, "Seems like a pretty sensible business decision on Autodesks part.

From their post it is evident that gmax is based on a fairly old (and now obsolete) version of 3ds Max. Furthermore, they have concluded that they need to rework a lot of 3ds max's infrastructure to get it to run (well) on Vista. They simply can't afford the cost of maintaining/converting the obsolete gmax code base as a community goodwill gesture. Hence they dump support for it completely, so they don't get bombarded with 'it doesn't work (well) on vista' type messages and are able to concentrate on converting/fixing their main money making applications. Hopefully, once they have 3ds Max settled down on vista, they might have the time/money to put together a GMax for Vista - but that would be entirely dependant upon their good will.

Our biggest concern should be that gmax won't be usable under Vista or will be incompatible with any new 'vista enabled' formats that emerge. Not a lot we can do about either of them though."

Wish I had said it your way. Very well put.

so instead of shuting down the site they let people come and download this with no way of using it???