How to deploy free education versions of Autodesk software (Maya, Motion Builder etc)

[mavhc]

Half their websites seem to only work in IE, so just use that.

 

Go to https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

 

Click on a product and Create Account

 

Select School IT Administrator

 

Install the server licence manager

 

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/network-license-administration/install-and-configure-network-license/windows/install-the-network-license-manager-windows#Download%20from%20Autodesk%20and%20Install

 

You'll need the server name and ethernet mac address which is in the LMTools System Settings tab

 

Go back to a product, eg https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/3ds-max

 

Select Licemse type as School: Deploy with network server

 

Normal download will try to use a download manager that ignores proxies. If you can't bypass your proxy use IE and Browser Download.

 

Go to https://registeronce.autodesk.com in IE (Might need compatibility mode), log in with your username, which isn't your email address, it can be found in https://accounts.autodesk.com/Profile/Security same password.

 

At this point I created a "Account" for with the school name and address, and then selected that. It then asks for Product Information, under that should be a form, if not, your browser is too new.

 

Copy the serial number from the email you got when trying to download. Select Single server and copy the hostname and mac address, with no :s or 's

 

You'll get an email, or save from the webpage the .lic file, copy that to the server.

 

At https://manage.autodesk.com you'll find the downloads, filter by network licence, don't click Install now, click View All then pick Browser Download.

 

If your software is not there, eg 3ds, click Download Proudcts at the bottom, select the software, click the arrow to the right of Download Now and select Browser download. Check it's fully downloaded as the exe will run even if it's not, and complain there's files missing. Some downloads are in multiple parts, IE seems to cope with that better than Chrome, needs popups disabling for those sites.

 

While waiting install the licence file on the server. Open LMTools, Config Services, set a service name, eg Flexlm Service Autodesk

 

Path to lmgrd.exe is by default C:\Autodesk\Network License Manager\lmgrd.exe

Select the licence file you copied.

Click Use Services and Start Server at Power Up

Click Save Service

 

Click Start/Stop/Reread

Select your server

Click Start

 

If you want to add more products, stop the service, edit the .lic file, and combine them https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/network-license-administration/managing-network-licenses/combining-license-files/combining-license-files-for-multiple-autodesk-products

Copy all of the lines from the new license file starting after the VENDOR line. You do not need to copy the SERVER, USE_SERVER or VENDOR lines from the new license as these only need to appear once in a license file. Do not alter the contents of the license information; only copy and paste from one file to another.

 

Then restart the service in the Start/Stop/Reread tab.

 

Run the GB sized exe on a computer, extract to a folder (often fails if it's a USB stick, asking for discs to be inserted, assume it thinks it's on multiple DVDs), from that folder run Setup.exe, click Create Deployment, give it a name, anything will do, give a writable folder to copy the actual install files to.

 

For License Access select network, put in your serial number and product ID from the email, and the network license server, and it will generate an msi and mst for your gpo. There's an SCCM.txt file with some more details.

 

You'll also have to install the CLIC licence manager (one msi and one gpo), and maybe some VC++ redistributables (run the exes and then extract the MSIs from C:\programdata\Package Cache)

 

So far I've done this for Maya (Worked), Motionbuilder (Worked), AutoCAD (creating admin install Worked, but GPO deploy not working yet), Sketchbook (Installed, but won't run), Stingray (Installed, but wants activating with serial number, something about a licence feature not being found), 3D Studio Max (Installed, but won't run, log file says licencing error)

[free780]

I would advise against GPO deployment as it's no longer supported. However you deploy autodesk software it will take a long time. Also installers will reboot PCs if there's a reboot pending. So if you don't have SCCM or want to create an image try pdqdeploy. You'll need 2/3 hours for the installer to complete.

[mdrabble]

Yep can agree with deployment time - deploy Inventor, Maya, Revit and 123DMake as part of SCCM task sequence take about 3 hours to with other apps compare to about 30-60mins without the autodesk software.

[PotNoodleTech]

Thanks for this guide it is appreciated!!

[mavhc]

I would advise against GPO deployment as it's no longer supported. However you deploy autodesk software it will take a long time. Also installers will reboot PCs if there's a reboot pending. So if you don't have SCCM or want to create an image try pdqdeploy. You'll need 2/3 hours for the installer to complete.

 

Got a link for the gpo thing? Their command lines are just msi installs mostly anyway. Of course their new stuff is entirely different.

 

I'm installing via gpo, so it's just on startup, reboots aren't a problem.

 

Most of the problems I came across were not related to how you deploy it, more about how to activate/download

[free780]

Note: As of the 2015 releaseGroup Policy Objects (GPO) are no longer supported as a method of distributing Autodesk products to Windows computers. This point is mentioned in the topic

 

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Deploying-Autodesk-Software-to-Many-Computers.html

 

http://help.autodesk.com/view/INSTALL_LICENSE/2015/ENU/?guid=GUID-F3B718E3-0172-4243-9DE2-4A86576661CA