I am wondering what a discontinued niche-market product like Lightscape would be worth. Putting aside the fact that A-Desk would likely not sell it for any amount, would it be within reach for a large group of CG firms to pool some cash and buy it and take it open-sourse? Talk about a long shot, but not COMPLETELY impossible.
There would be no point to anyone buying the program if they were not going to develope it. It will quickly fall back as other products add necessary features. Lightscape was written in C and C++. If one took the Linux model, it could be made into a very capable stand-alone renderer (meaning: NO MAX 3D operating system).
That is really what this is all about. Autodesk does not want rendering systems that are not based on the MAX 3D operating system. The comparison to Microsoft is intended. MAX is an OS for 3D. Even if you use a 3rd party renderer, you will likely need MAX as a platform, so they get you whether you use their renderer or not. That way, other companies can cut the developement cost of imaging software while A-Desk can keep the price of their product artificially high and their market share large. They are protected from pricepoint competition and can dictate terms to others. It's the business model that made Bill Gates the wealthiest man on Earth and A-Desk is in position to do the same for the CG market.
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