All of the software programs used in the tutorials can be downloaded for free by any student or teacher in the world with a high speed connection. The only restriction is that you are under a 13 month license, which means you have to upgrade to the next version in 13 months. In 2012, you then have a 13 month license to the next version as part of an educational facility (K-Graduate School). You simply can't profit from your work with the programs. You have to agree only to use the programs for educational purposes. The only program used in the tutorials that is not free is Adobe Photoshop. However, you can easily substitute that program for any graphics program you are comfortable.
The URL for the software is :
http://www.students.autodesk.com
There are even free Mac versions of Maya 2011 and Mudbox 2011.
Check them out,
Travis