A new per-upgrade licensing model
SHAPES began twelve years ago with a simple goal: remove technical friction so artists can focus on the work itself. That philosophy still guides everything I build, which is why the runtime and rendering nodes remain free. SHAPES is the exception, because active authoring development carries real costs.
For years I held to the perpetual license model, free updates included, and I was glad to offer it for as long as I could. But hardware, software and third-party licenses accumulate, and eventually the model became unsustainable. A decision I had put off for some time could no longer be avoided.
What is changing
SHAPES moves to a per-upgrade licensing model. A small fee is only due when a new Maya version requires an updated build, roughly once a year. Stay on the same Maya version and nothing changes – you keep using SHAPES without restriction. Only upgrading Maya requires a new license. It is a fair middle ground in a world that has largely moved to full subscriptions.
The Evaluation license has also been retired, leaving two options: private/educational and commercial.
For existing license holders
Your current license entitles you to this update free of charge, as always. A discount code for the current release is available on the License Verification page. Going forward, each download includes a code for the following release, so the next upgrade is always accounted for by the time it arrives.
I recognise that moving away from a perpetual model is unwelcome news, and I do not take that lightly. But SHAPES is a niche authoring tool. It is not needed for playback or rendering, which means the active user base is smaller than for tools with runtime dependencies. Sustaining development and support under those conditions requires an honest solution, and this is it.
Thank you for your understanding and for the support over the years.
Yours sincerely,
Ingo Clemens