Indie License FAQs

What is an Indie License?
An Indie license provides a fully functional 1 year license for: HDR Light Studio, Connections (3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, MODO, LightWave3D, Houdini, Maxwell Studio, Rhino 3D, Blender, Octane Standalone, SOLIDWORKS Visualize, NVIDIA Omniverse) and Email Support - all at a low price for a single user that meets our Indie requirements. The software and content you download and use is the same as a Pro license. The software is not limited in any way.
 
Indie License Terms and Conditions
The pricing applicable to Indie Licenses is only available to those individuals or organizations (the ‘Indie User’) where:
(i) such Indie User and its affiliates and related individuals collectively have revenues (including investments) not exceeding US$100,000 during the prior or current fiscal year.
(ii) in the case of an Indie User that is sharing HDR Light Studio project files with a third party that will use the project files in connection with a Commercial activity, such third party and its Affiliates and related individuals collectively have revenues (including investments) not exceeding US$100,000 during the prior, or current, fiscal year, directly or indirectly.
Please see our EULA clause 2.19 for more details.
 
How many licenses can we buy?
Individuals/commercial entities can purchase just one HDR Light Studio Indie license and renew this each year.

 

Am I eligible to purchase an Indie License?


See these examples to help understand if you qualify

 
I am a 3D hobbyist and make no income from my 3D work
Yes
 
I am a 3D hobbyist, my income from my day job exceeds $100k, but I make no income from my 3D hobby
Yes
 
I am a freelancer / one man business producing 3D work and my gross revenue is less than $100k
Yes
 
I work at a new or small business with more than one person, but our gross revenue is still less than $100k
Yes
 
I am a 3D artist and work at a company with gross revenues well over $100k. But I want an Indie license to use personally at home on my own projects, that do generate additional income for me but it’s less than $100k
Yes, to use on your own projects only.
 
I am a freelancer / one man business, I do more than just 3D work, I do graphic design too, and my gross revenue is more than $100k. But my revenue from the 3D work is less than $100k
No, the revenue of the business must not exceed $100k.
 
I work at a business with gross revenues well over $100k, but the 3D department is small, just me, and the revenue billed from the 3D department is less than $100k
No, the revenue of the business must not exceed $100k.

We are a business with gross sales revenues less than $100k. But investments of over $100k has been made into the business either this or last year.
No, the revenue of the business must not exceed $100k, including investments.
 
I am a freelancer with revenue less than $100k. But I am producing work for a customer with revenue well over $100k
Yes, as long as you are delivering final CG imagery to the customer. You can not share your HDR Light Studio files with the customer unless your combined revenue is less than $100k.
 
We are a studio making more than $100,000 annually. Can we use HDR Light Studio Indie for internal testing purposes only? If we decide to use HDR Light Studio in production, we will buy full commercial licenses.
No. If you would like to evaluate HDR Light Studio, please contact us and we will arrange evaluation licenses and provide the appropriate support during your evaluation period.

Licensing

How does the licensing system work?

The license is an annual subscription and is node locked.
 
An annual subscription provides a license that will expire after 1 year. During the subscription period you can run the latest software.
 
A node-locked license is for one user and allows HDR Light Studio to run on a designated primary computer, and a designated second home/laptop computer if required (by using the license transfer facility on our web site).
 
You need to be connected to the internet to Activate the license, thereafter you do not need to be connected to the internet to use HDR Light Studio Indie. The licenses are stored locally on your computer.
 
 
What happens to my node-locked license if I upgrade my computer hardware? Will it still work? Can I update it for my new computer?
An Indie license can be activated on a maximum of 2 computers during the year. (This is done using the license transfer feature on your account at our web site). If you decide to install HDR Light Studio on 2 computers straight away after purchase, for example on your main machine and on a laptop, if one of those machines fails we will not license an additional machine.
The license files are tied to the mac address of your computer hardware. So if you reinstall your operating system, this will not invalidate your licenses, they can be redeemed again using your activation codes.
 
Will my subscription to HDR Light Studio Indie auto-renew?
No, renewal is not automatic and we do not store your card details. You will need to purchase a new Indie license once your current subscription expires (if you still qualify for Indie pricing).