16:28
Blender Is Going Down a Dark Path
bytedozer
Overview
This video discusses a critical issue within the Blender add-on ecosystem: the unsustainable business model for developers. The current model, where add-ons are sold with a promise of lifetime updates and support for a one-time fee, is financially crippling creators and hindering Blender's core development. The speaker explores the consequences, including developer burnout and the reluctance to implement necessary core software changes. A potential solution, inspired by models like DaVinci Resolve, is proposed: a 'support period' system where users pay a recurring, smaller fee for ongoing updates after an initial purchase, ensuring a sustainable revenue stream for developers and enabling Blender's core improvements.
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Chapters
- The current Blender add-on model, based on one-time purchases with lifetime updates, is financially unsustainable for developers.
- This model leads to developers being unable to keep up with ongoing support and updates, causing them to abandon their work.
- The financial strain prevents developers from creating new add-ons, limiting the ecosystem's growth.
- This situation creates inertia, discouraging core Blender developers from making significant improvements that might break existing add-ons.
Understanding this unsustainable model is crucial because it directly impacts the availability and quality of tools that enhance Blender, and it hinders the overall progress of the software.
A developer spends 1000 hours creating an add-on, sells 100,000 copies at $25 each, earning $250,000. This amount, while seemingly large, is only enough for 2-3 years of living expenses, after which the developer must dedicate all their time to unpaid support for the existing add-on instead of creating new ones or updating it for new Blender versions.
- Developers frequently abandon their add-ons because the revenue doesn't cover the ongoing, unpaid work required for support and updates.
- There's a functional limit to how many add-ons a developer can manage, as support demands consume all available time.
- This model negatively affects Blender's core development by creating an incentive to avoid changes that could break add-ons, even if those changes are beneficial for the software.
These consequences show how the current system harms not only developers and users but also the very evolution of Blender itself, creating a stagnant environment.
Add-on developers may hesitate to support or even report bugs for core Blender changes that they know will break their products, leading to a reluctance to improve the main software.
- The proposed solution is a 'support period' model, where users purchase an add-on and receive updates for a defined time (e.g., one year).
- After the support period, users can opt to pay a smaller, recurring fee for continued updates and support.
- This model provides developers with a predictable, recurring revenue stream, making ongoing work financially viable.
- This approach is inspired by successful implementations in other software, like DaVinci Resolve.
This model offers a balanced approach, ensuring developers are compensated for their continuous work while providing users with a clear path to ongoing support without the full cost of a new purchase.
A user buys an add-on for $50 with a one-year support period. If they want updates after that year, they can pay an additional $15-$20 annually to keep it current, ensuring the developer receives ongoing income.
- A sustainable revenue model for add-on developers frees up Blender's core developers to make significant changes to the software's API (Application Programming Interface).
- Currently, core developers are hesitant to alter the API due to the high risk of breaking numerous add-ons, which would be costly for developers under the old model.
- With the support period model, developers are incentivized and financially able to update their add-ons when the API changes, allowing for core improvements.
- These API improvements could unlock new capabilities for add-on developers, leading to more powerful and innovative tools within Blender.
This shift allows Blender to evolve more rapidly and robustly, benefiting all users by enabling more advanced features and a more efficient development process.
Core Blender developers could make substantial, beneficial changes to the API (the communication layer between Blender and add-ons written in Python), which would previously have broken many add-ons. With the new revenue model, developers can afford to update their add-ons to work with these improved APIs, thus enabling Blender's core advancement.
Key takeaways
- The one-time purchase, lifetime update model for Blender add-ons is financially unsustainable for developers, leading to burnout and abandonment.
- This unsustainable model creates a bottleneck for Blender's core development, as major software updates risk breaking existing add-ons.
- A 'support period' system, where users pay for updates for a limited time and can renew for ongoing support, offers a viable solution for recurring revenue.
- Implementing a support period model would incentivize developers to maintain their add-ons and allow Blender's core developers to make necessary, significant improvements.
- While subscription models can be disliked, a well-structured support period offers a fair compromise between user cost and developer compensation.
- The change to left-click select in Blender, initially controversial, ultimately improved user adoption, suggesting that necessary changes, even if unpopular, can be beneficial.
Key terms
Add-on developerEcosystemCreator economyLifetime updatesSupport periodRecurring revenueAPI (Application Programming Interface)Breaking changesC++Python
Test your understanding
- What is the primary reason the current Blender add-on business model is considered unsustainable for developers?
- How does the current add-on model negatively impact the development of Blender's core features?
- Explain how a 'support period' model for add-ons would provide recurring revenue for developers.
- What are the potential benefits for Blender's core development if add-on developers adopt a support period model?
- Why might users initially resist a shift towards paid support periods for Blender add-ons, and how does the video address this concern?