News
Bringing the free edition's segment limits back down
The free edition has been more capable than we ever meant it to be. We are reducing the number of segments it will calculate, and copies already installed are not affected.
The free editions of CPO2D and CPO3D each cap the number of segments they will calculate. That cap is currently the main thing separating the free edition from a purchased one, and for the last three years it has been set higher than we intended.
What is changing
| Program | Segment limit now | New limit |
|---|---|---|
| CPO2D free edition | 1,500 | 150 |
| CPO3D free edition | 3,000 | 400 |
That is a tenth of the current 2D limit and about an eighth of the 3D one. The purchased editions are unchanged: 5,000 segments in CPO2D and 12,000 in CPO3D.
Why
When we first split the programs into a free build and a full build, the free cap was set to 1,500 segments for both CPO2D and CPO3D. The 3D figure was doubled to 3,000 shortly afterwards, as a side effect of a change to how the programs were built rather than a decision about what the free edition ought to do.
Three thousand segments in 3D is a quarter of what the full program will do, and it is enough to carry real design work. The free edition is there for learning, for teaching, and for non-profit research, and it should be sized for those jobs rather than for professional work. Licence sales are what pay for developing these programs and supporting the people who use them.
We would rather correct this in the open than quietly amend it.
What is not changing
The free edition stays free. It still installs without a licence key and without an internet connection, and everything else it does stays as it is.
This is also not retrospective. The limit is fixed when the program is built, so a copy you have already installed keeps the limit it came with. The new figures apply to downloads from the date of this article onwards.
If you need more than the free edition gives you
If you are evaluating CPO with a purchase in mind, use the evaluation edition rather than the free one. It unlocks every option and the full segment counts, and it runs for 15 days. If you need longer, ask us and we will extend it.
If you need the full segment counts permanently, the price list covers the purchased editions, and every new licence now comes with an initial consultation with an independent CPO specialist.
If your work sits somewhere awkward between the two, write to us at [email protected] and we will talk it through.