Autodesk 3ds Max Indie

Access professional tools at an affordable price

Image courtesy of Gal Yosef

Are you eligible? See features
Video Courtesy of Gal Yosef

Build stunning worlds with 3ds Max Indie

Now, recent graduates, freelancers, hobbyists and 3D artists just starting out have a more affordable way to access 3ds Max®. If you're just out of school, an indie artist, or you just love to make awesome stuff in 3D, you could be eligible to subscribe to 3ds Max Indie®. Create like a pro at a price you can afford.

Build stunning worlds with 3ds Max Indie

Now, recent graduates, freelancers, hobbyists and 3D artists just starting out have a more affordable way to access 3ds Max®. If you're just out of school, an indie artist, or you just love to make awesome stuff in 3D, you could be eligible to subscribe to 3ds Max Indie®. Create like a pro at a price you can afford.

Video Courtesy of Gal Yosef

Are you eligible?

  • Your annual gross revenue from creative work must be less than $100,000 USD.

  • You may not use the license on any project valued over $100,000 USD.

  • Only one license subscription can be used per user or organization. 

  • Offer is available in these countries.

Note: This offer is subject to certain restrictions.

Please see our frequently asked questions (FAQs) for more details.

By clicking on the "Buy 3ds Max Indie" button below, I acknowledge that I meet the eligibility requirements needed to access 3ds Max Indie.

If you are found to be ineligible, Autodesk may suspend or terminate your 3ds Max Indie subscription.​

Buy 3ds Max Indie
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What you can do with 3ds Max Indie

Purple sky and buildings

Produce jaw-dropping designs

  • Create massive worlds and environments in games.

  • Model detailed interiors, objects, and props.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

You are eligible to subscribe to 3ds Max Indie if you meet the following requirements. 

  • Users’/Organizations’ annual gross revenue from creative work must be less than max threshold for your country

  • You may not use the license on any project valued over $100,000 USD 

  • Only one (1) license can be used per user or organization 

  • Autodesk 3ds Max Indie is only eligible in the following countries

  • See below for additional eligibility requirements details

3ds Max Indie is available for purchase as a subscription online.

Yes, subscribers will have access to the benefits of an Autodesk subscription.

Additional eligibility requirements

Autodesk 3ds Max Indie is intended to provide independent artists with a more affordable way to license 3ds Max on their commercial projects. However, it is not intended to be used by people or organizations that generate more than $100,000 USD* per year in revenues or on projects with budgets of over $100,000 USD.  

Note that if you are working-for-hire for an organization that generates more than $100,000 USD per year you cannot obtain a license to use 3ds Max Indie – whether you are a freelancer, a contractor a part-time or a full-time employee. In this case you must use a full subscription license. The company must either purchase a license for you or you may purchase one yourself (whether you charge it to the company you are working for or not). This is intended to prevent companies from avoiding paying Autodesk for the software license they use on their projects

This restriction applies when working-for-hire for an organization that makes over $100,000 USD per year. The restriction does not apply to the sale of digital goods to such organizations – as long as your total annual revenue from such sales does not exceed the $100,000 USD threshold.

Here are some example scenarios to help you better understand when and where you are eligible to use 3ds Max Indie:

  • You create and sell digital products and have been approached by a games company with annual revenues greater than $100,000 USD to provide them with an asset (whether off-the-shelf or custom built). You are paid a fixed price for the ‘product’ delivered. In this case if your revenues are less than $100,000 USD, so you can use 3ds Max Indie. Examples of assets can be 3D models, textures or even rendered images.

  • You are approached by an architectural company with revenues of over $100,000 USD to work as a freelancer creating a visualization for them. You are paid an hourly/daily/weekly rate till the project is done and the assets belong to the company – in this case you cannot use 3ds Max Indie.

The key distinction is whether what you are doing can be reasonably considered to be your own work or whether you are working for hire. If you are producing and selling your own intellectual property (IP) and make less than $100,000 USD/yr doing so, you qualify to use 3ds Max Indie. If you are working for hire for an organization that makes over $100,000 USD a year, even if you are making less, then you do not qualify to use 3ds Max Indie. We expect companies making more than $100,000/yr to pay for the full commercial licenses of the software they need (as well as the artists). 

*Note that this limit varies depending on the country of use.