Students without an Institution

[Anonymous]

So, obviously its hard (if not impossible) to call yourself a student without being active at a academic institution.. but I often find myself in this position and have never bothered to ask anyone about it.

Up until now, I've never come across anything so profound that I felt genuinely saddened by the concept of "free for students" as being something that excluded me from a program.

I am a self-taught software engineer who does not have a post-secondary education, and I have no plans to obtain one given that my life obligations have far exceeded the level in which such a thing remains practically possible.  However, in my own time I do enjoy exploring science, especially medical science, and how my talents could be applicable.

So I wonder, considering that the Autodesk program that makes its software available to students offers minimal protections against the software being used for commercial purposes (in that it is more or less a "good faith" offering), then why not simply offer the software as "not for commercial use" so that those of us who want to use the software for a near-identical purpose as students, but who are not currently enrolled at an institution, could also benefit from Autodesk's generousity and, more importantly, contribute to Autodesk and to the world in whatever way that we can manage?

Considering the wide range of open source software projects that I contribute to and, in some small way, improve upon.. that do not have any such restrictions, I struggle to understand the benefit to Autodesk in systematically excluding large populations of people on the basis of their academic enrollment status.

I pose this question with "hat in hand" and with as much humility as I can muster in the sincere hope that someone will engage with me on this topic.

Best Regards,

Luke Chavers

[Anonymous]

So, obviously its hard (if not impossible) to call yourself a student without being active at a academic institution.. but I often find myself in this position and have never bothered to ask anyone about it.

Up until now, I've never come across anything so profound that I felt genuinely saddened by the concept of "free for students" as being something that excluded me from a program.

I am a self-taught software engineer who does not have a post-secondary education, and I have no plans to obtain one given that my life obligations have far exceeded the level in which such a thing remains practically possible.  However, in my own time I do enjoy exploring science, especially medical science, and how my talents could be applicable.

So I wonder, considering that the Autodesk program that makes its software available to students offers minimal protections against the software being used for commercial purposes (in that it is more or less a "good faith" offering), then why not simply offer the software as "not for commercial use" so that those of us who want to use the software for a near-identical purpose as students, but who are not currently enrolled at an institution, could also benefit from Autodesk's generousity and, more importantly, contribute to Autodesk and to the world in whatever way that we can manage?

Considering the wide range of open source software projects that I contribute to and, in some small way, improve upon.. that do not have any such restrictions, I struggle to understand the benefit to Autodesk in systematically excluding large populations of people on the basis of their academic enrollment status.

I pose this question with "hat in hand" and with as much humility as I can muster in the sincere hope that someone will engage with me on this topic.

Best Regards,

Luke Chavers

[jessica.t]

Hi Luke and welcome to the Autodesk Community!

We really appreciate your post and completely understand your concerns however at this time we do not offer hobbyist type licensing except for our Autodesk Fusion 360 product. I know this doesn't resolve your inquiry, but is there any chance you can enroll at a local city college or take a local class to gain that "student" status?

[jessica.t]

Hi Luke and welcome to the Autodesk Community!

We really appreciate your post and completely understand your concerns however at this time we do not offer hobbyist type licensing except for our Autodesk Fusion 360 product. I know this doesn't resolve your inquiry, but is there any chance you can enroll at a local city college or take a local class to gain that "student" status?

[Anonymous]

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,

[Anonymous]

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,

[jessica.t]

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I would strongly suggest that you reach out to the Education team directly by filling out this feedback form. There the appropriate teams will be able to review your comments. I wish there was more that I could do for you at the moment but we appreciate your enthusiasm

Thank you very much for participating in our community!

[jessica.t]

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I would strongly suggest that you reach out to the Education team directly by filling out this feedback form. There the appropriate teams will be able to review your comments. I wish there was more that I could do for you at the moment but we appreciate your enthusiasm

Thank you very much for participating in our community!

[steven-g]

There is also another side to the issue, Autodesk as well as many other companies do rely on the good will of users who help out by answering questions on forums like these. In general the level of questions for paid software is professional as well, and by using the student version it also tries to ensure that people using the software are coming from a background where they are are least showing willing to have learnt the basics. The theory is that students are being taught. I don't think many people really mind helping occasionally with questions like "how do I draw a straight line", but it would become tedious if every other question was coming from people who hadn't at least been shown how to move a mouse, or know what commands are available and where to find them (though that does occur - there are actually poor teachers).

[steven-g]

There is also another side to the issue, Autodesk as well as many other companies do rely on the good will of users who help out by answering questions on forums like these. In general the level of questions for paid software is professional as well, and by using the student version it also tries to ensure that people using the software are coming from a background where they are are least showing willing to have learnt the basics. The theory is that students are being taught. I don't think many people really mind helping occasionally with questions like "how do I draw a straight line", but it would become tedious if every other question was coming from people who hadn't at least been shown how to move a mouse, or know what commands are available and where to find them (though that does occur - there are actually poor teachers).

[Anonymous]

Stephen,

A reasonable argument, for sure, and not totally unlike the idea of college as a requirement for employment.  Software developers rarely learn technologies that are even similar to the ones that they'll use in the job market.. and the effect of college on the duration of training for new employees is argued in both directions.  Still, it is somewhat universally agreed that college remains an a good indicator of commitment, dedication, and long term interest.

However, even though it would be difficult to make any definitive statements either way, I do not think that argument holds up in light of the evidence.  Most community driven projects, with Linux being the most identifiable, have shown that the problem is usually worked out automatically.  Although lesser restrictions do likely allow for users with fewer prerequisite skills, they also allow for higher skilled users who would otherwise be filtered out by the stricter policies.  Likewise, presumably, it would also allow more users to advance their skill levels and eventually become experts capable of joining the volunteer force that helps new users.  

How many experts per capita any given community needs in order to sustain itself is another thing that is probably not something that can be easily figured out, however, I would guess that it would be a reasonably low percentage.  Also, even without knowing that detail, the overwhelming number of successful community supported projects should confirm that open communities do typically produce an adequate balance.

I appreciate your reply and insight, thank you,

[Anonymous]

Stephen,

A reasonable argument, for sure, and not totally unlike the idea of college as a requirement for employment.  Software developers rarely learn technologies that are even similar to the ones that they'll use in the job market.. and the effect of college on the duration of training for new employees is argued in both directions.  Still, it is somewhat universally agreed that college remains an a good indicator of commitment, dedication, and long term interest.

However, even though it would be difficult to make any definitive statements either way, I do not think that argument holds up in light of the evidence.  Most community driven projects, with Linux being the most identifiable, have shown that the problem is usually worked out automatically.  Although lesser restrictions do likely allow for users with fewer prerequisite skills, they also allow for higher skilled users who would otherwise be filtered out by the stricter policies.  Likewise, presumably, it would also allow more users to advance their skill levels and eventually become experts capable of joining the volunteer force that helps new users.  

How many experts per capita any given community needs in order to sustain itself is another thing that is probably not something that can be easily figured out, however, I would guess that it would be a reasonably low percentage.  Also, even without knowing that detail, the overwhelming number of successful community supported projects should confirm that open communities do typically produce an adequate balance.

I appreciate your reply and insight, thank you,

[Anonymous]

I will do just that Jessica.

Thank you,

[Anonymous]

I will do just that Jessica.

Thank you,

[rickydanac]

Jessica, I am a student learing REVIT Architecture and MEP 2015 at Holman's of Nevada ( a licensed AutoDesl distributer) in Las Vegas. I have been using trial versions as per my instructor. How can I receive a student addition? I start using REVIT Architecture and MEP 2016 next week. The state of Nevada disabilities services has paid for my class, learning and training in an effort to get me (I am disabled) back into the work force. my email is rickydanac@gmail.com

Thanks

Rick C.

[rickydanac]

Jessica, I am a student learing REVIT Architecture and MEP 2015 at Holman's of Nevada ( a licensed AutoDesl distributer) in Las Vegas. I have been using trial versions as per my instructor. How can I receive a student addition? I start using REVIT Architecture and MEP 2016 next week. The state of Nevada disabilities services has paid for my class, learning and training in an effort to get me (I am disabled) back into the work force. my email is rickydanac@gmail.com

Thanks

Rick C.

[steven-g]

You raise some good points, wether they will change anyones views is another matter, I wanted to try and show another angle to an interesesting discussion, another thought would be that many large software developers could look at the possibility of releasing older versions on a not-for-profit type of licence to allow hobby users to get involved, and to be honest the discontinued practice of having the student version embeded watermark to discourage professionals from using such versions does appear counter intuative but was no doubt based on good reasons. I personally went through the community college route (but didn't really start to learn the program untill I started using it professionally).

[steven-g]

You raise some good points, wether they will change anyones views is another matter, I wanted to try and show another angle to an interesesting discussion, another thought would be that many large software developers could look at the possibility of releasing older versions on a not-for-profit type of licence to allow hobby users to get involved, and to be honest the discontinued practice of having the student version embeded watermark to discourage professionals from using such versions does appear counter intuative but was no doubt based on good reasons. I personally went through the community college route (but didn't really start to learn the program untill I started using it professionally).

[jessica.t]

Hi Rick and welcome to the Autodesk Community,

To access free software for students please register with the Education Community. Thanks!

[jessica.t]

Hi Rick and welcome to the Autodesk Community,

To access free software for students please register with the Education Community. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Steven,

As you eluded to, I also doubt that there is much that I can say to actually compell any sort of change and, so, at the risk of sounding like a beggar I won't continue to press the issue.  I just thought it would be worth while to state the case.  Hopefully I might eventually have an impact in the same way that an avalanche is a collection of snowflakes.

Regardless of Autodesk's policies on the topic, I do plan to purchase a license the moment that I can afford to, so it will all work out and life goes on 🙂

I do appreciate your thoughtfulness and contributions to the discussion, its always fun to engage with others.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Steven,

As you eluded to, I also doubt that there is much that I can say to actually compell any sort of change and, so, at the risk of sounding like a beggar I won't continue to press the issue.  I just thought it would be worth while to state the case.  Hopefully I might eventually have an impact in the same way that an avalanche is a collection of snowflakes.

Regardless of Autodesk's policies on the topic, I do plan to purchase a license the moment that I can afford to, so it will all work out and life goes on 🙂

I do appreciate your thoughtfulness and contributions to the discussion, its always fun to engage with others.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Hi, Jessica.

My case is a bit different: I have just enrolled in a new educational institution and I would like to use it to replace my previous institution. How can that be done?

The Revit instructor said they want us to have an account with Autodesk that corresponds to the University and my classes have already started. Could you help me with that info?

I thank you in advance!

ST

[Anonymous]

Hi, Jessica.

My case is a bit different: I have just enrolled in a new educational institution and I would like to use it to replace my previous institution. How can that be done?

The Revit instructor said they want us to have an account with Autodesk that corresponds to the University and my classes have already started. Could you help me with that info?

I thank you in advance!

ST

[Mark.Lancaster]

@Anonymous

Welcome to the community..

Just go here and register yourself under the place where you attend.   Meaning make a new Autodesk Account.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@Anonymous

Welcome to the community..

Just go here and register yourself under the place where you attend.   Meaning make a new Autodesk Account.

[Anonymous]

What online courses are officially recognized as educators?

I used Lynda.com to get 3dsmax a few years ago as i was studying from that website.
Was i wrong to do that?

I cant actually attend a physical place of education for health related reasons. What should i do?

[Anonymous]

What online courses are officially recognized as educators?

I used Lynda.com to get 3dsmax a few years ago as i was studying from that website.
Was i wrong to do that?

I cant actually attend a physical place of education for health related reasons. What should i do?

[Mark.Lancaster]

@Anonymous

Here's what is considered a qualified educational institution in order to get free educational software from Autodesk.   As far as I know Lynda.com is not considered as a qualified educational institution.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@Anonymous

Here's what is considered a qualified educational institution in order to get free educational software from Autodesk.   As far as I know Lynda.com is not considered as a qualified educational institution.

[Anonymous]

Hi Mark. 

What I meant with my question is that I have already an account - one that I did when I was a student with institution A. Now I am studying at institution B. What I want to know is how to change the institution without having to create a new profile.

Could you please tell me how to edit/update the institution name?

Or do I have to cancel my previous account and close it, and then create a new one?

ST.

[Anonymous]

Hi Mark. 

What I meant with my question is that I have already an account - one that I did when I was a student with institution A. Now I am studying at institution B. What I want to know is how to change the institution without having to create a new profile.

Could you please tell me how to edit/update the institution name?

Or do I have to cancel my previous account and close it, and then create a new one?

ST.

[natasha.l · Accepted solution]

Hello @Anonymous,

You can reach out to the Educational Community and see if they will make this change for you. You can continue to use your account & software until they have made the change.

Thank you for posting & let us know how it turn s out. 

Please "Accept As Solution" if a reply has helped resolved the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[natasha.l · Accepted solution]

Hello @Anonymous,

You can reach out to the Educational Community and see if they will make this change for you. You can continue to use your account & software until they have made the change.

Thank you for posting & let us know how it turn s out. 

Please "Accept As Solution" if a reply has helped resolved the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link Natasha. I completed the request form. 

Cheers,

S.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link Natasha. I completed the request form. 

Cheers,

S.

[natasha.l]

Hello @Anonymous,

No problem. 

[natasha.l]

Hello @Anonymous,

No problem. 

[Anonymous]

Yes i have read that but i mean specifically where can i find a list of ones that are suitable?

I am in the UK and have no income so cant pay for higher education, i would need something where i can study in my own time at home.

I am struggling to find a suitable way to get the education institution credentials in order to meet the terms. I was using a free account with Lynda and i assumed because it was used by some universities in the USA that it was "recognized".

I'm not a 'legal person' and the wording and such in these types of agreements is usually very confusing to me.

I no longer use the max i had (2012) and barely scratched the surface of it but now it seems i will have to go and start again learning blender when i already felt like i was getting somewhere with max.

I understand there isn't much anyone can do to help.
Thanks

[Anonymous]

Yes i have read that but i mean specifically where can i find a list of ones that are suitable?

I am in the UK and have no income so cant pay for higher education, i would need something where i can study in my own time at home.

I am struggling to find a suitable way to get the education institution credentials in order to meet the terms. I was using a free account with Lynda and i assumed because it was used by some universities in the USA that it was "recognized".

I'm not a 'legal person' and the wording and such in these types of agreements is usually very confusing to me.

I no longer use the max i had (2012) and barely scratched the surface of it but now it seems i will have to go and start again learning blender when i already felt like i was getting somewhere with max.

I understand there isn't much anyone can do to help.
Thanks