Entertainment creation software giant Autodesk is now offering its customers pay-as-you-go plans for its latest Design and Creation Suites, 3ds Max, Maya and Maya LT. The new payment structure will allow users for the first time to access these programs on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis–in addition to traditional licenses. Customers who choose the rental plans will receive similar benefits to subscription customers, including product updates, access to Autodesk’s 360 cloud service and basic support.

“It’s no secret; it has been a challenging time to be in the visual effects business,” said CEO and executive producer Will Cohen from UK-based VFX start-up Milk. “Everyone needs to rethink the business model, and Autodesk launching rental plans will really help change the industry. Having scalability — the flexibility to easily ramp up or back depending on the project — means we can better compete in the modern visual effects industry.”

The option to purchase a monthly, quarterly or annual rental plan will be available starting September 16, 2013. New rental plans apply to products including Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Revit LT Suite, Autodesk Building Design Suite, Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite, Autodesk Factory Design Suite, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite, Autodesk Plant Design Suite, Autodesk Product Design Suite, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, and Autodesk Maya LT. Availability varies by country. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/pay-as-you-go.