An early public software beta of TerreSculptor will be released within two to three weeks.
Much of the first version is completed but some sections of the software will only be partially functional at that time.
Initially this beta will be for basic feedback and a wide platform hardware test. Bug reports and wish lists will be accomodated in a month or two after the beta release.
This beta will not include a license for use for commercial purposes.
TerreSculptor is still at least three months away from a release of the first version. It will be released only when every first version feature is completed and working.
The release date continues to get pushed back as the software is used in production tests, and current functionality is expanded and new features are added to make the workflow faster and easier.
Development is typically 10 to 12 hours every day which is 70 to 85 hours each week; there is currently over 296,000 lines of source code; and more than $350,000.00 in development cost.
I would really like to sell the professional edition of this software for a price that anyone can afford, licensed at around $50 per seat (the cost of a video game). However, as with all vertical-market software it is not expected for sales to be high enough to cover development and wage cost at this low price.
The public beta should give an indication of the interest in this software, and if the community support is good and the number of interested persons are high, the price for the professional edition will reflect that.
There is a planned introductory sale price for the first version of under $100. The low price is also in hopes of reducing piracy of the software.
A Wiki site for the software is being set up, which will contain a lot of technical information, development data, a future feature listing, and areas for software discussion.
This should be online in a few days. I will post a note on this blog when it is available.
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