Jessica,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I understand that the student license does not include hobbyist. I also know that if Autodesk did choose to include hobbyist within a license titled "Academic", that they would be one of the first companies who ever did. So, it is not lost on me that what I am asking for is, at minimum, unconventional.
Of course, I also understand that Autodesk needs to make money, and that giving away its software is seemingly counter-intuitive in that endeavor.
However, Autodesk, along with scores of other companies in the world have been VERY "unofficially" allowing hobbyist to use the software for free, for many years, in the form of reduced piracy countermeasures. I assume that the software industry at large concluded at some point that the software pirates couldn't actually be stopped, and that the effort to stop them was a costly endeavor with minimal returns. This is no doubt part of the reason that I no longer have even a single "dongle" on my keychain.
While I've never made any effort to crack software myself, as a rebellious teenager I had quite a large collection of less-than-legal software titles that I used. Although this might seem like a bad thing for the software industry, its actually a positive because it gave me an opportunity to use, train with, and eventually fall in love with many titles that were wholly unavailable to a kid whose income was limited by his lunch money.
As an adult and a professional, I now own a professional license for every one of the titles that I use to earn my living. This is an inevitable result because, first, I wouldn't dream of jeopardizing my family's livlihood by using illegal software. Although these titles may seem expensive, they're actually very reasonably priced when compared to the amount of money I can make using them as a professional, and its a gamble that simply wouldn't make sense. If I profitted even a mildly significant percentage of the licensing cost of the 360 subscription from the products within it I would subscribe, today, without hesitation.
Secondly, my years of hard work as a professional has given me a genuine appreciation for the professionals who have devoted their lives to making these products great. Third, most software that I use for my productivity is casually and enthusiastically purchased by my employer with minimal reservation.
I actually remember that the last time I used 3d Studio Max was back when "Discreet" published the non-commercial "gMax" title, which was not-for-profit but also not limited to students. I used it until support for it seemingly dropped off.
Academic licenses are thus a demonstration that Autodesk, like many others, recognize the positive outcomes that can come from giving away their software to people so that they can learn to use them and develop a bias towards them prior to their enterance into the professional arenas in which they are used. By assigning a "not for profit" license they ensure that anyone who wants to use the products for commercial purposes must (and in almost every case, will) purchase a commercial license. Companies also tend to value the support that comes with a license, even if it is never used, over the software itself.
As an adult, I have long since abandoned my use of illegitimate software and now fill in the gaps with open source solutions and generous offerings by software companies. I also, apparently, have just begun to spend time on forums trying to convince software companies to provide me with an avenue to use their software on a limited budget. Since I do not see how I could profit from Autodesk's software any time soon, and because the reasonably priced 360 license is never-the-less out of reach from my budget, there is not currently any avenue available to me.
I recognize though that there is little chance that you will be able to help with this or that I should expect any change in Autodesk's policies as a result of my begger's effort.. but I was at least curious to know if Autodesk had considered any of this and, if so, what led them to decide that an "academic" license, rather than a "community" license, was the better route.
Again, thank you for your time,
