I was wondering if anyone knew how to get a free full version of 3Ds max 9 , or 3Ds Max Design 2009 full versions. I really want to get in the field and have a great and exciting career but I really have no way to learn or use any of the software. I have tried to save up but I really cant aford to do that becasue i dont have alot of $$. Im not trying to give anyone a sappy story I just really would like to get some help on getting a copy. THank you all for your time and thatnk you for reading this…
- angie

You can download the trial from the Autodesk site. Max has a 30-day trial and Maya has a watermarked PLE version.

If you were interested in Maya, you could get the Personal Learning Edition, which is yours to keep forever! But the renderings are watermarked. It is almost like Maya Complete, take a few features.
For 3ds Max: If you belong to a college, [edit] You could buy the 3ds Max academic version, it is $400 for a perpetual license (meaning it is yours forever) and $200 for 13 months, it also comes with Combustion and Cleaner. If you know anyone who could qualify, just ask them if you could use their student or teacher ID. They are also offering Max 2009 for $100 for 13 months, without combustion or cleaner
Hope this Helps

what are the differences between the educational version (400.00)and the full version(3500.00)???

No difference in the s/ware - but you can’t use the Educational version commercially in any way at all.

...and you have to be a student or faculty and be able to show proof.

i am a student, part time but also work in the visualization industry. is that a conflict of interest if i were to purchase the education version for home? i use the full version everyday at work. does it watermark the images or render at lower res???

There is no difference between the software. The license is different. When you register and authorize a student/educational license, then start Max, you are confronted with a splash screen the reminds you the educational license cannot be used for commercial purposes. That is the only difference you will ever see.

Have you considered borrowing a license from work to bring home to work. That way you can still work on commercial projects at home.

we only have one license. and i am the only user of the software for our firm.

The PLU (portable license utility) allows you to move the license from one system to another. If you only have the two systems, creating the “pool” is easy enough. Once you made the first transfer, you can even email the license to yourself, back and forth.

Read the Help file carefully. Its not hard to do, just don’t skip any steps.

You are authorized a limited number of authorizations.  You can legally install it on multiple computers provided those computers are used by the same person and not as an additional workstation.  For instance, I authorize my copy on my home and laptop systems so not to have to transfer the license.  Make sure you do not violate the license agreement by setting up stations for multiple people within a company.  If Autodesk finds out, the fines can be up to $250,000 per violation.  Also you do not want to use up all your authorizations because you may find you need them in the event you have a system crash. 

Cheers,
Darv