Well, it did work last time...

I tried getting back into 3d modelling again and my Student Version of 3ds Max 2011 gave me a nice little window: License Expired. Well, crap.

I've been using the Student License for it because I started while still in school (clearly). And, because of that, I made sure to never make money off what I made (i.e. donation links on Nexus). But now, I'm looking at having to spend nearly $4k (the cost of a perpetual license for 3ds Max) to open up my models again. Over 3x the cost of my PC. Awesome.

I'm not going to kid myself, my models weren't that great, but some part of me thinks having a donation link on the Nexus would have offset some of the cost. So, in an attempt to skirt this, I ran the Gmax installer I'd been holding onto since high school. A quick account creation and registration code later, I had a functional installation of Gmax ready to go, except for one thing: .MAX file import. A cursory websearch yielded one result: It was never done. Or, if it was, it's no longer available due to the required websites dying off. Double crap.

So, here I am, trying to think of something clever to gain access to my models again. The really annoying bit is the Sentinel Armor was in the rigging stage. I was tacking it onto the Skyrim skeleton and preparing it for an animation test. Naturally, there were quite a few erroneous bone weights to remove, but I was almost there. After that would have been weight sliding and a resize for the male bodies.

Now, there's a trial of 3ds Max I could use to give myself a short extension during which I covert everything I have into a Gmax compatible format. So that's an option. The more unsavory idea of creating and wiping VMs or native VHD Windows installs probably won't get me anywhere as license enforcement has moved to requiring an internet connection. I guess I could use the trial of the latest version once a year, but I'm not a fan of that idea.

This is bad planning on my part. I didn't write down or remember how long the Student License lasted for, so I didn't export everything when I had the chance (though, not having an expiration warning from Autodesk didn't help). I suppose I should write a note to myself to make sure I always export to common formats when using Student Licensed software, but since I'm no longer a student, that note would probably go to waste.

The current plan? Save up for a year while trying to figure something else out. At least I can still work on the texture.