DAZ is giving it to platinum club members for $1.99. Now how does that seem when you paid $99.00 for it to Eovia? Kind of makes the vouchers, etc look pretty hollow. Wow - this just bites....!

I was kind of happy to see the $100 voucher and the 4 months offer (as I am already a PC subscriber), until I read this :(

So... if I get it straight, since I pre-ordered it, I basically get my pre-order amount back... whereas if I had not pre-ordered, I would get a bonus of $100 worth of stuff ?

Some people paid more than that. Remember those people pay yearly, monthly, and signup fees (so believe me they are paying, probably more). It is a bit shocking. It's also only til end of may. If they weren't getting the money from people they wouldn't be doing it. They want those memberships.I am sure they hope to introduce many more people to the product.

Quote - I was kind of happy to see the $100 voucher and the 4 months offer (as I am already a PC subscriber), until I read this :(

So... if I get it straight, since I pre-ordered it, I basically get my pre-order amount back... whereas if I had not pre-ordered, I would get a bonus of $100 worth of stuff ?

Well you still come out ahead as a pc club member w/ 4 free months.Assuming you purchased an upgrade. For those who paid full price....they may not be coming out so well.

Actually, you wouldn't be getting the extra $100.00 worth of stuff if you didn't pre-order.  Although I did preorder and got the $100.00 voucher, i can't use it as there is nothing there i want that can be bought using vouchers.  Everything I want is by the brokered artists. (Yea, i know I can use the vouchers for 50% of them, but that means i have to spend more money to use the daggum voucher.

And therein lies the problem with the stupid vouchers. The nice stuff is always made by the brokers. And worse - the stupid vouchers expire - it is such a scam. And part 2 of the scam is you have to spend your own money (50 percent) to really use them - just what Jcleaver said. And this 1.99 hex 2 is brilliant marketing, because they will sell a gazillion memberships and get a gazillion more eyeballs in the DAZ store looking at merchandise. This whole thing is beginning smell like Micro$oft when they flooded the market with their free internet explorer, and demolished Netscape and many good people in the process. And isn't it just magic that the Eovia servers were down in France, so DAZ could get all the glory about hex 2? This is making me ill :/

Quote - I was kind of happy to see the $100 voucher and the 4 months offer (as I am already a PC subscriber), until I read this :(

So... if I get it straight, since I pre-ordered it, I basically get my pre-order amount back... whereas if I had not pre-ordered, I would get a bonus of $100 worth of stuff ?

No.

If you pre-ordered, you get the following:
1- Golden Pack - $30 value
2- Platinum Club membership - $29.95 value
3- $100 voucher for DAZ store

If you didn't pre-order, you get Hexagon 2.

Hey look at it this way... They are giving back the $99.00 in merchandise (ok, maybe more valuable to some than others, but...) and they are trying to LURE new Hexagon users into the fold. DAZ uses this approach a lot, offer a product really cheap to hook new users. I'm betting they will get a bunch of people to buy Hexagon at that price who wouldn't have bought it at any price otherwise, but once they learn about it you have a larger user base for future versions. It may sound a bit disagreeable at first light but a bigger user base MIGHT be the difference between a HEX 3 and nothing.

mike

I preordered in Europe and that costed me the equivalent of 148.30 US$.

Add to it the $99 of version 1 last May. It makes a total investment of 247.30 US$ in 11 months. Gone to dust.

Two lessons to keep in mind and remember:

1. Never, EVER trust Daz3D in ANYTHING.

2. Never, EVER preorder any software from ANYONE.

Yep - Orio is right - lessons have been hard learned. Ouch.

Quote - 1) Never, EVER trust Daz3D in ANYTHING.

1. Never, EVER preorder any software from ANYONE.

Eovia initiated the pre-order business.  As Dan Farr stated in a post on this forum, if DAZ had already acquired Eovia, no pre-orders would have ever been taken.  You cannot blame DAZ for what was done before they acquired the group.

Although, when you think on it, what could the new DAZ/Eovia combine really give as an award to loyal Hexagon users (previous users and especially pre-order people)? What DAZ has -- and they've given it away before -- is Platinum Club memberships and vouchers. What can Eovia offer? Most of us already have and use Carrara, and already have the plug-in packs Eovia sells. Although, when I think on it, an offer on those would be a lot more tempting than a gift of more DAZ merchandise... Oh, I know. The pre-orders could be allowed to download a few days before anyone else. Doesn't mean much, in the great scheme of things. Doesn't cost much that I'm aware of. But would be a nice little way of letting us know that our loyalty was appreciated.

Quote - You cannot blame DAZ for what was done before they acquired the group.

Yeah, of course, nobody is ever responsible of anything...

But now DAZ gets into their pockets my 150 dollars plus the money of the voucher that I am forced to spend with them like it or not, and this, while they're giving away the software to everyone for free.

And besides, it is my  knowledge that there is people that were managers in Eovia and now are managers in DAZ. So, there has been continuity.

The one REAL thing DAZ/EOVIA could do for me would be to fix the bug that won't let me Control-Click and drag the drawing plan in the Vertex Modeler so I can do mirroring correctly without a bunch of problems. THAT would be worth the price of a Platinum Club membership to me! ANd yes I've sent this to Eovia and had it acknowledged as a bug (and got the email to prove it) BEFORE the last service release!

As far as the $1.99 price tag well as I said, look at it as a nice boost for the user base. If some one was bright they'd start (or hurry and finish) a BOOK on Hexagon to cash in on all the newbies... Hell I'd PAY for a good printed manual type book.

See that 2 ways for the new company to make me happy.

mike

Well, you could buy it as a gift for someone you would like to have it.(actually, maybe several people). Or multiple licenses .Also the voucher is for like 90 days. I am hoping to see some plugins also.I know some people are upset, especally with the PC thing.

I am sure a big thing is so many people making models will then want a good renderer so guess what they will need?

Not "upset" with the PC thing. I figure I'll do pretty well....I've been needing to update all my figures to keep up with the Poser Content market. It will cost me, of course, but it makes sense as a business expense. On the other hand, I am a bit insulted. I have to keep reminding me PC membership and vouchers isn't meant to imply anything. It's just the easy gift for DAZ, plus it's a sure-fire promo to get more people in their store. It is plausible, even, that this is DAZ reaching out to the traditional modelers I imagine must be in the Hexagon user base, and introducing them to the wild world of Poser. That still doesn't keep me from feeling a bit like I got a pat on the head .... "It's so cute you think you can model. Here -- have some pre-made Poser content to play with." I know it's not logical, but that's the way I feel. I'd be surprised if I was alone in that sentiment. And that just goes to show that the new company has either misjudged or (more likely) doesn't give a hoot about the old user base. They've got their eye on the Poser hoards and the possibility of siphoning off some of what is coming though DAZ already, and I can't fault their marketing instincts there.

So what happens to my order. I have not even got an email for my Hex2. What hurts more, I'm a PC member. I don't even get any vouchers. Total BS.

Well you can't give it as a gift so...yck.
http://www.daz3d.com/support/faq/index.php?id=52
Hang in there Beryld, did you email customer service?

I have stopped smoking about 4 days ago but could really use one now.

Orio, I know we in europe paid over the $99 but that was tax - not a DAZ problem. I wouldn't add in the cost of Hex 1 as you paid that for the pleasure of using it during all this time. We paid eovia $99 for an upgrade, that money went into the eovia coffers and not to DAZ who inherited eovia's obligations to pre-order customers. DAZ gave us $100 of DAZ merchandise as compensation - the money we paid.

DAZ are not cheating us by offering this initial (temporary) price on Hex any more than any store is when they offer a product on sale the day after we purchased it full price. It's just luck and business.

Dennis445 I hear you. It's been a little over 1 year, after my first heart attack. I had a craving for a smoke the last couple of days. Wonder why.

Waiting for an answer.

Now I believe I am actually becoming annoyed. According to posts in the Poser Forum, people are downloading Hexagon 2 now. People, that is, that bought it ten minutes ago through Platinum Club. I can't speak for the other pre-orders, but I haven't gotten my email yet. So not only do you pay as much as 130 bucks more for the pre-order, you also get the program later. Is that what "pre-order" is really supposed to mean? I will NEVER send Eovia or DAZ pre-order money again, no matter what lies they tell. The only possible thing they could ever do to tempt me would be to offer up a pre-release beta (like they did with Carrara 3).

The pre-order emails are out now. I just downloaded the golden pack now.

Nothing here. Ah, well. I've waited this long, I can wait 'till the weekend.

I just received the download email.  I was also initially shocked when I opened up the email that said Hexagon was $1.99 for PC members.  But I'm OK with that because I'm not one to pay monthly membership fees.  Also, this is the first time I ever pre-ordered software....and it might be the last time.

It'll be like Shade LE and Poser. Everyone will download it, make a few cubes and balls, then pretty much forget it. On the other hand, there will probably be a few talented modelers that emerge out of this.
In the end the software won't be worth anything because it was more or less given away.

JMO

"In the end the software won't be worth anything because it was more or less given away." So is this where we are? The worth of any given software relates directly to the price tag put on it? I know that this is a prevelant attitude. Maybe it is an attitude that needs to be re-examined.

But, for someone wanting to learn modellign but on a tight budget this is quite the godsend.  I have been luke warm on poser and such because the inability to make something of your own.  Now, if I can work this modeller I can actually create something rather than cobble from other peoples creative genius.  

If I can't,  The price makes it a forgiveable indulgence.  if only 5 modellers emerge isn't the community the winner?  More content, and advancement of the community as a whole.

This buy out by DAZ seems to continue the progress of Carrara (and Hexagon) from "pro-oriented" rendering software to "Poser oriented" software. Poser software has a much larger user base of people willing to spend money on do-dads and I am sure bottom lines will improve and grow with the recent change in management.

For me, if I ever manage to download the software worth $2 that I paid $99 for, I will take my business elsewhere.

Quote - "In the end the software won't be worth anything because it was more or less given away." So is this where we are? The worth of any given software relates directly to the price tag put on it? I know that this is a prevelant attitude. Maybe it is an attitude that needs to be re-examined.

I meant hard dollar value. In the last three months I've spent nearly $700 on Eovia products.
I'm not complaining, because the software will still do everything I paid for, and I never sell old software anyway. I just use it till it's no longer usable and then uninstall it. But you have to admit that the "street value" of Hex just dropped.

So let me get this straight.
You purchased Hex1 from Eovia last year and received a product that satisfied you (contract complete). It satisfied you sufficiently that you were willing to spend again with Eovia, up front, $148.30 (inc Euro-tax) for version 2.
Just to emphasise this point - you wanted Hexagon2 and you willingly paid, with informed consent, what you considered to be a reasonable amount of money for it. In return for your payment , you have every right (including legal right) to expect to receive Hexagon version 2.

Well, you're receiving Hexagon2. You are receiving what you willingly paid for. You have no right, legal or moral, to expect anything more. This is the contract you entered into, and your contract has been fulfilled.

Now, coincidental with your purchase, the company with which you entered into a contract has sold the program to another company. This new company has different marketing plans for the program. These plans have absolutely no legal or moral bearing on the contract you willingly entered into with the previous company. Yet the new company chooses, entirely of its own good will, to offer you a set of products from its own suite equal in value to what you willingly paid for the program you are receiving.

And your conclusion is that you should never, ever trust this new company in anything.

I have to say I find this conclusion perverse and remarkable (hence these remarks).

Quote - Yeah, of course, nobody is ever responsible of anything...

Least of all, it seems, yourself. You willingly and knowingly paid a sum of money in expectation of a certain product. You are receiving that product. Your contract is fulfilled. You have no right to expect anything else. A third party offers you something extra and you feel hard done by. It's not just a lack of responsibilty on your part; it's a lack of appreciation of reality.

Quote - But now DAZ gets into their pockets my 150 dollars plus the money of the voucher that I am forced to spend with them like it or not, and this, while they're giving away the software to everyone for free.

Totally unreal; Kansas back that'a'way.

Eovia Europe (and your country's chancellor) got your $148.30.
DAZ is giving you the extra money value, not forcing it from you (LOL!).
You are not "forced" to take advantage of their free gift (you can press hot chilli into your meatus instead if you like).
No one is receiving Hexagon2 for free.

"Gone to dust."

Yup, apart from the fact that you are receiving, in full, what you paid for - plus the offer of other products of about the same value, your money has gone completely to dust. God, it really sucks to be you, doesn't it?

To say more would surely violate the Renderosity terms of service.

.

Very factual observation PJF, but it dismisses other elements in play here. Many users of software have had to actually budget and save to aquire it; it has become an investment both in terms of study and monetarily. In one fell swoop the package has been devalued from the cost of a romantic get-away weekend for two with champaigne and steak to about the cost of a package of chewing gum. (Well, if you were already a Platypus club member.) The usability and functionality of the purchase is the same, but the perceived and literal market value is not. For those who had actually valued the aquisition of a copy of Hexagon enough to have saved for it only to find now that it's market value amounts to pocket change has left some feeling like chumps. They're not of course, but their purchase is certainly not the "big deal software purchase" that they had signed up for. It's part of the feeling of getting what you've paid for. I didn't purchase Hex nor am I interested in at $1.99 but I can understand the position of those who feel slighted. Cut them some slack.

It's annoying (even insulting) because by sending in pre-order money we were basically saying "We believe in you, we support you." And we had some feeling that we were now on inside track; as supporters, as early supporters, we had some hopes we might hear news, get at downloads, etc. a little before the "great unwashed." Now, basically we find out we weren't supporting a piece of software -- we were sweetening the deal for DAZ. The most annoying thing was having to wait in line behind the people that paid two bucks....in fact, I still haven't been able to download my Eovia copy. I'm using the one I bought at DAZ instead! I am also on a budget and I'd love to be able to spend less for the software I use. It is annoying to find out you could have spent less elsewhere. Personally, this works out for me, because there are some things at DAZ I meant to get this year and the voucher/PC membership means I can. It's more money in the end, and the software delivered later than I hoped, but I thought it was a good deal when I first ordered and I haven't changed my mind on that. (The "golden pack" was never a draw for me. Raise your hands if you'd spend 30 bucks on it. I'd rather trade it for a nice "Hexagon 2" t-shirt.)

What is in the golden pack?

Extra brushes for bumps, displacements, and textures. Reference images for modeling, and actual models to learn from, use or manipulate further.

Quote - Cut them some slack.

I'll gladly cut them some slack for feeling misfortune, but I'll cut them no slack for subsequently slagging off a company without justification and for spreading misinformation.

Orio is over at DAZ trying to gain access to his "forced" free gifts, whilst saying he doesn't want to be in a flame war. This after his perverse anti-DAZ flaming in this thread.

Just who should cut some slack to whom?

.

Quote - Now, basically we find out we weren't supporting a piece of software -- we were sweetening the deal for DAZ.

You were sweetening the deal for Eovia. They just walked away with a big wad of money from the acquisition.

.

Well, I purchased Hexagon 1.1 about a month ago. I paid $199. I got a free upgrade to Hexagon 2. I'm peeved that I had an advance order for it and that I can't download it from the link I received. And yet over at DAZ people were buying it for $1.99 and downloading it before me. That's what burns me the most. I'm also a member over at DAZ so I was able to buy it for $1.99 and download it there in 35 minutes. It seems to me the right thing to do would have been to offer it to the people who purchased it in advance a few days before this other happened.

I also did not receive a voucher for $100 or anything else. I wrote to DAZ and I'm sure they'll fix it, but right now it's like throwing salt in the wound.

I wonder if they would put those brushes in the PC so we could get them.

that would be great.

I can see why some folks are a bit miffed, but it amazes how every time DAZ or anyone else throws out a sweet deal , there is so much uproar.

If we don't knock it off, we won't be seeing these kinds of deals. What company in their right mind wants to piss off their customers by giving them free stuff and deals they can't refuse?

Quote - I wonder if they would put those brushes in the PC so we could get them.

Just to avoid loose expressions here.... I am very satisfied with the deal I got, but "free" meant $7.95 of my money. To use the rest of the voucher would cost me an additional twenty bucks or so (depending on how I balance what I can get for cheap versus what I can actually use and is worth the effort to download). Which is actually a better deal than I expected. I was thinking of getting Mimic with the voucher, but with the voucher limits I would have spent a few more bucks of my own on it. So, yeah. I got a bargain, and I'm happy, but lets not debase the language and create false arguments by calling it "free." DAZ isn't out there offering freebies because of the goodness of their hearts and it cheapens the argument to claim that. They are making sound marketing choices, and in many cases these also create decent deals for the end-user. Not all users will benefit equally, and each much balance what they personally stand to gain or lose from the deal.

I downloaded the Hexagon 2 for $1.99 from DAZ – Platinum Club.  I also paid Eovia $199 for Hex 1, with a free upgrade to Hex 2, and I'm not too happy about that!  At any rate I thought for $1.99 I can at least get another Hex  license. I download and installed the Eovia download, and accidentally entered the SN for the DAZ download!

So now I cannot reenter the correct number, the program launches, a "Validate" button is on the "Welcome" dialog box, then upon trying to get into the application, it quits, doesn’t crash, just quits!

I tried uninstalling and reinstalling twice -- it will not work – it will not let me reenter the correct SN.  I cannot run Hex 2 on this PC -- this is absurd!

And yes, I reported to both Eovia and DAZ.

When you uninstalled. Did you try  click on run and type Regedit. Curent user, software, Eovia. Delete the hex folders.

You may have use tools > folder option> View > Show hidden files and folders. To be able to see them.

Yep, I started with DOS, &  I always set to see all the system/hidden files/folders.  I even went into the Registry and edited -- no avail.  I'm wondering if the SN is tied to a server...activation?

Thanks for the input though!

I'll keep looking for some wierd file -- maybe?

Well, it was just a thought. Something I learned about when I was trying to get my Painter9.5 update. Painter and DivX didn't like each other and would toast each other out.. Finally figured it out. Norton Antivirus.

well as a beta tester i can tell you this im pretty glad i didnt preorder.

i got a PC membership  for one month for $29.95 and paid $1.99 for Hex2 dowmloaded it in 31 mins and its installed total cost $31.98 as opposed to $148 thats about £18 UK in total

works for me.

stu

Deep into the weekend, I still don't have any "wonderful PC membership and $100 voicher." I emailed DAZ because I also didn't have any way to pick up my preordered Hex2. The next day, I got pick up info from EOVIA. And three days later a DAZ email telling me that I would have to talk to Eovia about my download. Ignoring my question about the "presents." Not that I was surpised. It's SOP in the Happy Valley to just look at you like you started speaking Finnish (and that was what not they studied, for heck's sake), if you ask an inconvenient question.

Eventually I'll get the stuff, and I'll get to use whatever part of the voucher I can before it expires -- with a minimum of expense. I quit buying DAZ' softcore comixs crap more than a year ago, and almost exclusively purchase things like Stonemason's props -- which will apparently not be eligible. I told you in the original announcement thread what this deal means. Get regular blood tests until a few months after your PC membership expires. You won't regret it. That's a personal promise.

M
Caution: Post uses language.

mickmca

do you have a username at DAZ? If so check your accounts page there. I didn't receive any word concerning these things either, but I checked in there and found a the 100 voucher listed on my accounts page (NOT usable for the purchase of Platinum Club items as a matter of fact). It also informed me that I haven't selected a method to RENEW my PC membership... I wasn't a PC member before th freebie, so I assume they credited my account with the freebies and either didn't send a messaage, or it didn't get thru.

mike

Another thing. Daz accounts are tied to your email accounts. And I used a different email address to order the Hex upgrade from Eovia than the one used for my Daz account.

Daz evidently used the Eovia email address from my upgrade to make a new account.

Try this. Go to Daz and log in using the email address you used with Eovia. Enter anything in for the password, because you don't have one yet.
This will bring up an error screen and give you a 'recover password' link. Follow the directions in the email to get your account operational.

When you access your new account you should find your $100 voucher and your PC membership will be operational for this new account.
This is how it worked for me with the $99 upgrade from Hex 1 to 2.

FWIW

I never figured out how the platinum club thing was supposed to work. I already had a DAZ "account," so I visited my account page there. There was some stuff about needing a credit card (DAZ lost PayPal?) and, with much trepidation, I filled that out. At some point after that my voucher amount showed up. So I added some stuff to my cart then went to checkout. That's the only point at which I confirmed I had a PC membership active -- also the only point at which I could see how much, if any, of the voucher was being applied to purchases. As it turned out the damages weren't bad (under ten bucks of my own money) so I went ahead with the order. Gonna have to put my Eovia copy of hex2 on another machine, tho. Wonder if I can transfer the license on that one? Who do I know that does 3d and isn't currently a friend?