Questions about Unreal engine enterprise

Hello
Well i just recently learned that there is a version of unreal engine called enterprise which seems aimed to product designer and architects.
I’m an architecture student and i plan to start learning unreal engine very soon so as to start using in my workflow for rendering and Archviz. If i find my self very fluent with the engine and find it to improve my workflow i’ll think of using it once i have my own architecture firm in the future for real-time rendering/archiviz… so my questions are:

  • is ue4 no longer free for archviz? i mean last time i checked the FAQ or a section in this website(i don’t remember where) i read that ue4 can be used for free for archiviz purpose, but now i see that unreal engine enterprise requires a 49$/month payment.
  • Can i use unreal engine (not enterprise version) for archiviz? Will this be free? or should i use ue enterprise for archviz?
  • Do i have to pay anything if i use unreal engine or unreal engine enterprise as a student?
  • Do i have to pay anything if i probably use unreal engine or unreal engine enterprise in my architecture firm?
  • Can you please clarify difference about ue4 and ue4 enterprise because what i read just makes me more confused

Sorry for the long post but i just got confused when i learned about unreal engine enterprise version so i would be grateful to get an answer.
Have a nice day

what i mean about unreal engine enterprise is Unreal Studio (i.e Datasmith - Unreal Engine )

No body restrict for what you want to use UE4. By look of it main difference is licence and way you pay for UE4 (yes UE4 is not really free, it’s free to use but not free to make money out of it), in standard EULA you are obligated to pay royalties which is 5% revinue from products made in UE4 except those forms of revenue:

 1.  The first $3,000.00 in gross revenue for each Product per calendar quarter;
 2.  The first $5,000,000.00 in gross revenue for each Product from the Oculus Store;
 3.  Consulting fees or work-for-hire fees which are non-recoupable for services performed using the Licensed Technology (e.g., an architect-created walkthrough simulation or a contractor-developed in-house training simulator);
 4.  Revenue from a Product which solely relies on the Licensed Technology for production of non-interactive linear media (e.g., broadcast or streamed video files, cartoons, or movies) and which is Distributed in a form that does not contain the Licensed Technology or, in order to deliver, rely on servers running the Licensed Technology; 
 5.  Revenue from a Product which is only Distributed to Engine Licensees (such as through the Marketplace);
 6.  Revenue from ancillary products which are not software and which do not contain embedded information (such as QR codes) which affects the operation of the Product (e.g., comic books, soundtracks, apparel); 
 7.  Financial winnings generated by awards for the Product;
 8.  Revenue from donations for a Product which are not tied to Product access or in-Product benefits; and
 9.  Revenue from interactive amusement park rides which use the Licensed Technology.

I don’t see standard UE4 EULA to restrect use of UE4 for archvis. The Unreal Studio on other hand have diffrent EULA which makes you use UE4 on diffrent rules, most importent part is the royalties are replaced by monthly payment. Unreal Studio also seems to provide some extra services and tools that helps in visualisations. So everything depends on which model you feel comfitible with. So with that, read both EULA because this is where, main diffrence is in there (mean even Unreal Studio website advertise Unreal Studio as a licence in title):

And choose which one suits your goals more

Thanks for the questions Tex_kol.

The short answer is that we haven’t changed the terms of the UE4 EULA in any way; if you were able to do something under the UE4 EULA before the launch of Unreal Studio, you are still able to do that under the UE4 EULA. Access to UE4 under the UE4 EULA is still free, subject to a 5% royalty on gross revenues if you are commercializing/monetizing a product. Even for commercialized or monetized products, there are several exceptions from royalties, such as for products that are entirely non-interactive or linear (which covers quite a bit of archviz).

Unreal Studio provides another way to access UE4 and comes with some tools that we hope our licensees find useful, such as Datasmith. The Unreal Studio EULA has no royalties, but after the end of the open beta will have a subscription cost.

Many architecture students and professionals are using UE4 under the Unreal Studio EULA, but many are also using UE4 under the UE4 EULA. Under both the UE4 EULA and the Unreal Studio EULA, there is no special costs for students or architecture professionals.

If you were happy with the UE4 EULA before, you are welcome to continue using it. If you need access to the tools and services of Unreal Studio, or need the certainty of a royalty free license, we encourage you to try out Unreal Studio.