How We Fix Autodesk

[Crimson_Guard]

This isn't going to be comfortable. Revolution never is. But if you want Autodesk to wake up, you'll have to suck it up and suffer a little now for benefits later.

Step 1: Copy/paste this into a text editor if you don't have time to read it all now. I have a feeling the Autodesk Ivory Tower isn't going to like this much.

Step 2: Aim for their wallets, yachts, mansions, and vineyards. In other words, cancel your subscription. Stop giving Autodesk your money. If Autodesk fears consumer backlash, they'll have to listen, or start losing their expensive cars.

Step 3: Move to an older version of Autodesk if you still have your old installation disk, or switch to a competitor. Blender, Modo, Rhino, Meshmixer, Wings 3D, Cinema 4D. I can't personally vouch for these programs, but as long as it's not an Autodesk product, it will serve the cause.

Step 4: Make a list of demands. Is there a bug you want to see corrected that they've neglected? Note it down. Is there a feature that's lacking? Note it down. Then send it to Autodesk, or post it somewhere they can see it, along with your intention to give up Autodesk products for good so long as your concerns remain unaddressed. Remember to be polite, succinct, and literate.

Step 5: If you work for or run a studio or company that uses Autodesk products, try to convince your coworkers/boss/employees to make the switch as well, increasing the profit dive Autodesk would end up experiencing from a consumer backlash.

Step 6: Try to see if friends who use Autodesk products will join you.

Step 7: Try to report Autodesk for monopoly to a politician. Autodesk is based in the US, and in the US it's a fairly serious crime to engage in anti-trust the way Autodesk has. Bringing this to the attention of US congress can easily land Autodesk in legal hot water and force them to compete through features and listening to our needs and demands, instead of just buying competition and ignoring us.

Step 8: Wait. If Autodesk addresses the problems on your list, it comes down to you to decide whether Autodesk deserves your money ever again. Maybe you come back to Autodesk, or maybe you like a different program more and don't come back. That's for you to decide for yourself. If they refuse, then continue the boycott until they capitulate, or sink.

You are not their employees, you are their customers. Customers have the power of the wallet. If you don't give them your money, they won't have money to pay their investors and employees with, or pay their office lease (Autodesk's HQ is in California, the building is probably really expensive), and if enough of you cancel your subscriptions, they'll be forced to pay attention, or crumble.

I'm already doing my part. I never gave up my perpetual license. They don't get my money.

Found this on Wikipedia if anyone is interested in taking the anti-trust route.

Corporate Acquisitions

    On October 16, 1992, Autodesk acquired Micro Engineering Solutions (MES) Inc., a developer and marketer of manufacturing CAD / CAM software.[139][140][141]
    On August 4, 1993, Autodesk acquired Ithaca Software, a 3D computer graphics company founded by Autodesk's former CEO Carl Bass and Garry Wiegand.[142][143]
    On December 10, 1996, Autodesk announced its plan to acquire Softdesk, a developer of architecture, engineering and construction software.[144]
    On May 6, 1998, Autodesk acquired assets of Genius CAD-Software to strengthen the functionality of its core mechanical products.[145]
    On August 21, 1998, Autodesk agreed to acquire Discreet Logic Inc. for about $520 million in stock.[146]
    On April 22, 1999, Autodesk acquired VISION* Solutions, a vendor of enterprise automated mapping/facilities management/geographic information systems (AM/FM/GIS) from MCI Systemhouse Corp.[147]
    On January 24, 2001, Autodesk acquired Gentry Systems, a supplier of specialized software tools and services in the electric utility industry. The asset were used to strengthen Autodesk's position in the utility industry.[147]
    On September 24, 2001, Autodesk acquired Buzzsaw.
    On February 21, 2002, Autodesk acquired Revit Technology Corporation, a developer of parametric building technology for building design, construction, and management.
    On August 6, 2002, Autodesk acquired CAiCE Software Corporation, a developer of surveying and engineering applications for transportation agencies and consultants; the product was released in 2003 as "Civil 3D".
    On December 18, 2002, Autodesk acquired the assets of truEInnovations, Inc. to create the application Autodesk Vault.
    On March 4, 2003, Autodesk acquired Linius Technologies, Inc. and purchased certain assets of a third software company—VIA Development Corporation.
    On February 24, 2004, Autodesk acquired MechSoft, Inc., the developer of the MechSoft product.
    In March 2005, Autodesk acquired the assets of COMPASS systems GmbH, to strengthen Autodesk's position in the European product data management market.[148]
    On January 10, 2006, Autodesk acquired Alias, with its automotive styling and digital content creation applications such as FBX file format.[149]
    On August 6, 2007, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Skymatter Inc, developer of Mudbox.[150]
    On August 9, 2007, Autodesk Completes Acquisition of NavisWorks Limited.[151]
    On August 20, 2007, Autodesk announced that it completed the acquisition of technology and product assets of Opticore AB in Gothenburg, Sweden.[152] Opticore is specialized in real time visualization primarily for the carmakers industry.
    On August 28, 2007, Autodesk announced the acquisition of PlassoTech, developers of CAE applications.[153]
    On January 15, 2008, Autodesk completed the acquisition of Robobat, a France-based developer of structural engineering analysis applications.[154][155]
    On February 12, 2008, Autodesk announces that it completed the acquisition of the assets of Carmel Software Corporation.
    On May 1, 2008, Autodesk announced agreed to acquire Moldflow Corporation, a leading provider of injection molding simulation software.[156]
    On May 7, 2008, Autodesk announced that it completed the acquisition of Kynogon SA, the privately held maker of Kynapse artificial intelligence middleware.[157] Paris-based Kynogon specialized in video game middleware and simulation.
    The same day, Autodesk also announced the acquisition of REALVIZ S.A.[158] REALVIZ's flagship products are "Stitcher" software for the creation of panoramas and 360 degree virtual tours, and "ImageModeler" software to produce 3D models from photographs.
    On June 26, 2008, a press release announced the acquisition of Square One Research and its flagship product, Ecotect.[159]
    On October 23, 2008, Autodesk announced the acquisition on Avid's Softimage, Co. business, developers of 3D application Softimage (formerly Softimage|XSI).[160]
    On December 15, 2008, Autodesk announced the acquisition of BIMWorld, plans to combine BIMWorld with Autodesk Seek.
    On December 17, 2008, Autodesk agreed to acquire ALGOR, Inc. for approximately $34 million.[161]
    In December 2009, Autodesk announced the acquisition of VisualTAO (also known as PlanPlatform), an Israeli start-up that developed cloud-based web and mobile applications that enable users to view and edit AutoCAD files online. VisualTAO became part of PSEB, and the product was released during 2010 as "AutoCAD WS".[162]
    On July 21, 2010, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Illuminate Labs, the maker of Beast (a global illumination middleware) and Turtle (a global illumination plugin for Maya) used for video game development.[163]
    On February 17, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc., a leading provider of simulation software.[164]
    On March 1, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Scaleform, a UI middleware for video games.[165]
    On July 19, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Pixlr, online photo editing and sharing service.[166]
    On August 1, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Instructables, a website and platform where users can share their ideas and collaborate with a variety of do-it-yourself projects.[167]
    On August 25, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Numenus, which optimizes CAD and construction processes by using NURBS technology.[168]
    On November 6, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Grip Entertainment, which develops behavior control systems for computer-controlled characters in video games.[169]
    On December 16, 2011, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Horizontal Systems, a provider of cloud-based BIM (Building Information Modeling) collaboration solutions for the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) industry.[170]
    On October 4, 2012, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Qontext, Inc., an enterprise social collaboration platform to accelerate Autodesk's ongoing move to the cloud and expansion of social capabilities in the Autodesk 360 cloud-based service.[171]
    On March 19, 2013, Autodesk completed the acquisition of Firehole Technologies, a developer of design and analysis software for composite materials.[172]
    On May 18, 2013, Tinkercad announced it had been bought by Autodesk.[173] Tinkercad is a browser-based 3D solid modeling tool for rapid prototyping known for its simple interface and entry-level ease of use.[174]
    On October 2, 2013, Autodesk signs agreement to acquire structural fabrication and detailing software- Advance Steel from Graitec.[175]
    On February 6, 2014, Autodesk completed the acquisition of Delcam, a UK based supplier of advanced CAD/CAM software for the manufacturing industry.[176]
    On March 19, 2014, Creative Market announced it had been bought by Autodesk.[177] Creative Market is a platform for handcrafted, mousemade design content from independent creatives around the world.
    In May 2014, Autodesk acquired Within Technologies, a company founded by Siavash Haroun Mahdavi.[178]
    On June 25, 2014, Shotgun Software announced that it had been acquired by Autodesk.[179] Shotgun Software are the publishers of the popular "Shotgun" project tracking software for media and entertainment content creation.
    On July 11, 2014, Autodesk acquired Topolabs Technology, a company founded by James Page which pioneered the use of 3D toolpaths for FDM/FFF additive manufacturing systems.
    On August 27, 2015, Autodesk signs agreement to acquire SeeControl.[180]
    On April 18, 2016, Autodesk announced that it had acquired SolidAngle, creator of the Arnold rendering software.[181]
    On June 27, 2016, Autodesk acquired CadSoft Computer GmbH, creator of the PCB design software EAGLE, from Premier Farnell.[182]
    On July 9, 2018, Autodesk announced that it had acquired Assemble Systems.[183]
    On November 20, 2018, Autodesk announced that it would acquire PlanGrid, a San Francisco-based provider of construction productivity software.[184]
    On December 20, 2018, Autodesk announced that it would acquire BuildingConnected, a San Francisco-based construction bid-management platform.[185]
    On April 14, 2020, Autodesk announced that it had invested in Aurigo Software to Bolster Construction Technology Offering for Owners. Aurigo provides a full lifecycle cloud software to plan, design, build and operate construction assets.[186]
    On July 14, 2020, Bridgit Inc. announced that Autodesk had raised $9.4 million in venture capital to take an ownership stake in the Canadian company which makes Bridgit Bench, an online construction work force and resource planning software.[187]
    On July 22, 2020, Autodesk announced that it would acquire Pype, a Bengaluru-based provider of cloud-based solutions for automating construction project management workflows.[188]
    On November 17, 2020, Autodesk announced that it would acquire Spacemaker, a cloud-based platform which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and generative design to rapidly create, optimize, iterate, and evaluate design alternatives for buildings.[189]
    On February 24, 2021, Autodesk announced that it would acquire Innovyze, a provider of smart water infrastructure modeling and simulation technology.

Archive link , just in case (http://web.archive.org/web/*/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodesk)

[hfcandrew]

Its a free market. Don't like the software? Don't buy it. Don't like the price? Don't buy it?

They invest millions creating and developing software, why should they not charge for it? None of this would exist without revenue coming in.

Also Autodesk has waaaay more free content and licenses than any other corporation in this field.

p.s. Meshmixer is an Autodesk product.

[Crimson_Guard]

@hfcandrew

First, did you miss the end there, bud? In case you did, here it is again "I'm already doing my part. I never gave up my perpetual license. They don't get my money."

I'm already not buying it. This has little to do with being required to pay for Max. This is me, and many others being very tired of your monopoly, and not fixing the bugs in your anemic software all the while charging us for incomplete and broken functions. Do you know how long I've spent struggling with bones that won't properly mirror? This shouldn't be happening in software that's 30 years old, and costs a recurring $1,700 per year.

Second, maybe if you stopped buying up competitors, I would go somewhere else.

Third, 'free software' doesn't mean 'useful software'. Apachi Open Office Writer is free, can build and rig models with it? No.
CAD is free. But it's trash and can't be used to build and rig models.

Blender is free, but there's a reason I stuck with Max: it's not a pain in my neck to learn. I don't need free software, I need good software. And through the free trials of Max, I've been able to keep up to date on the lack of progress fixing the problems that have been slowing me down and crashing Max since I started using Max in 2006.

Fourth, it's my right as a consumer to demand better of the products I use.

Fifth, that's the point of this. Did you not read any of what I wrote? We subtract revenue to put consumer pressure on the company that ignores us. If you can't fix your software, then we, as customers, should vote with our wallets. You have no right to our money, you can't stop people from pulling out.

Sixth, Meshmixer is just case in point. Stop buying your competition.

Seventh, actually read what I wrote. "Step 4: Make a list of demands. Is there a bug you want to see corrected that they've neglected? Note it down. Is there a feature that's lacking? Note it down. Then send it to Autodesk, or post it somewhere they can see it, along with your intention to give up Autodesk products for good so long as your concerns remain unaddressed. Remember to be polite, succinct, and literate."

This isn't about money, this is about waking up a tech monopoly that's gotten lazy and complacent. Why is it so hard for people to do their jobs? If you just did your jobs and fixed the bugs and improved the functions and left your competition alone, many of us wouldn't be so angry.

[Anonymous]

I put a Flag on my Balcony with big capitals" STOP AUTODESK"  😄 

... well, to be honest - I like also not all that they do. Especially not when I see how drafty 3D Max development is progressing. I found it very good, that Indie-lics are coming up, and dislike the "renting" Software, which already leads to stopping some Developers from 3rd party tool developing for M3D max any further. Not good, but this is another story ( See "Soulburn Scripts" for instance) And I agree of some bad laziness on doing cool updates. The Money they take is way to high for this. One way should definitely be of avoiding AD then and use other tools (I know, the Market here is very narrow - and Blender even it might become a genius tool once isn´t that production-ready some companies desire. If you are restricting them now by canceling the payment etc. it might lead to bringing AD to the Point, where they take off another tool from the market (like Softimage) .. And I have a very bad feeling, that this will be then 3D MAX. They put a lot of development into Maya and I think, because of more open architecture, Maya might win the Race... have all this in mind... but your "hate" is of course in some points justified.

So anyway - if you destroy one big fish - all the loosen once will come together for a new one... it´s like the Taliban in the End - or like Mickey Mouse in Phantasia, where Mickey whats to destroy the Magic broom, cutting it into little pieces... see what happened?  

Are you writing this thread on a Microsoft machine? Or Mac? Or Android, respective Google? Well - then you better leave your fingers on that as well... Ok - you are you´re using Linux?  ...  Well, then you might use Intel, or AMD... using Nvidia somewhat? ... all global players...

l

[Crimson_Guard]

@AnonymousThere's not much risk of Max coming down. They make too much money off it, it's also their first program. 3D Studio goes back a very long time. (1988)

They'd start by trimming their free junkware. Worst case scenario: they refuse to listen to us, they'd likely cut everything but Maya, Max, and CAD since those are easily their biggest cash cows.

I don't use Google products. I swore off Google in 2019 and never went back. My phone is an Android and has all Google apps disabled, I use Firefox not Google Chrome, I built my own PC, I don't use Google's Notebook, I use DuckDuckGo instead of Google's browser.

My OS is still Microsoft, and though I very much dislike how Microsoft acts, I have nowhere else to go. But don't think me a hypocrite, I take my boycotts very seriously. I'm still using Windows 7, and I will not be upgrading to Win8 or Win10 at any point in the foreseeable future.

There's little to no chance of a power vacuum scenario in software in America. We're not communists.... yet... If Autodesk were to close their doors literally tomorrow, hundreds of new 3D programs would pop up in around the next 5 or so years, but anti-trust law would make sure they're not allowed to become new monopolies. The US government is allowed to take over companies and dissolve them by force, if they're found to be in violation of certain laws and showing no signs of stopping.

And lastly, I am boycotting Intel. I use AMD processors only, now. The problem isn't global companies, or big name brands. My problem is buying up competition. With a burning passion, I hate monopoly because it breeds laziness, arrogance, and ruins products. I have no problem with Nvidia because there are other options, I don't have issue with AMD because there are other options. I take issue with Autodesk, because there are few other options, and their software has had the same crash-out bugs in it that it had ages ago, the features that they added, like Arnold, and Substance, are jokes of features that I'm convinced are only in there so they don't look like every update just increments its version number, and yet, Audodesk is still sleeping comfortably on piles of our money, buying expensive cars and dinner at the French Laundry Club, instead of diligently churning out actually useful features and bug fixes.

I'd like an improved hair and fur function, but no. That hasn't been touched since I started in 3ds Max 8, back in 2005, close to 20 years ago. There are good big companies and bad big companies. Autodesk may not be the worst, but they're still on my naughty list this Christmas.