This is the response I recieved from them:
Jeremy,
The decision was made based on the number of users taking advantage of the lower cost of the student version to produce professional-grade documents, which they were then profiting off of. This was strictly forbidden by the EULA, but it had become necessary for us to add this watermark regardless.
The watermark should not negatively affect anyone using
VectorWorks only in an educational capacity, as was the original purpose of the cheaper option.
Sincerely,
Technical Support
Nemetschek North America
PH:410-290-5114
I responded with:
Nemetschek-
-While I understand completely and support your decision to try and curtail those not eligible for the student discount for abusing it, I still believe that the implementation of the watermark and of the restriction of access to files to be unnecessary and detrimental to students.
Those of us who are branching out of our
current high school or college theater program to work at local venues will be using plots generated in our student edition because we still consider that part of our lighting career "educational"--we are still in the learning and growing process. However, when you slap the words "Student Edition" on any piece of paperwork or lighting
plot, the reader will automatically, although maybe subconsciously, form an opinion about that design--that it is "student" work and therefore not a piece of quality art, that it does not reflect refined skills,
etc. These are preconceived notions that students and younger members of the entertainment industry at large battle with. We do everything in their
power to suppress these first impressions. I am not saying that this will be the reaction of all industry professionals, but it will be for some.
Additionally, suppressing a students ability to
send a file to the owner of a professional version of the software seems well, ridiculous to me. As a student, I am continually sending plots to co-designers, professors, and colleagues to work with, fix, amend, add suggestions to,
etc. How can I learn through example if my co-workers cannot open my files? How will I be able to see the their plots or investigate their ways of working and operating if I am unable to open their professional files?
I hope you understand and see how detrimental this is to my future career at the moment, and how it will
effect many other students and educational institutions as well. The way you phrased your last email and the restrictions that have been placed on the program seem that this student version should only be used in the classroom, with no real physical implication. That may work for Landmark or Architect where many students do only work on their projects in the classroom with their professors. But for someone like my self using Spotlight every day in the class room and then attempting to
send my plots off to a touring designer coming to my school, or sending it to the rental
house to have gear pulled for the show, it just won't cut it.
I urge you to rethink your amendment to your program-
-Sincerely
Jeremy Lechterman
160 Hurley Rd.
Salt
Point, NY 12578
[email protected]
(845)-709-0024
I encourage you all the write you own emails.