It is completely unethical and flat-out wrong for a company, no matter how small, to pirate software. It does not matter if you go and purchase a legal license just before you ship. If your company develops something with illegally-obtained tools, that does not change if you suddently acquire the license after the fact. If you are ever discovered (which is possible), you'll most likely end up in a legal battle that will cost more in the long run than it would have to simply raise the money and buy the tools to begin with.

If you cannot arrange for the funding to buy the tools that you must have because you cannot use the freely available alternatives, then you are not in a position to be running a business yet. Have a bake sale or something and get the money. Don't steal.

I completely agree with jpetrie. But sometimes, people don't exactly wear the same shoe, or in the same world.

I don't want to name names. But in some contry, where the is no minimum wage law, getting money to buy things, specialy afver converted from USD, is quite hard.

What make things worse, is for big companies, who take loans from bank, stop the creation of new start up (which equal as competitors) by stopping banks from giving out loan. the bank follow suit, coz this company is getting profit (from lack of competitors).

There are a lot of can of worms I doesn't want to spill.

Anyway, use Blender. I followed it in 3D World and it's quite good.