Not showing same updates\extensions\add-ins as before

[tatminglee]

After Autodesk Access is installed and Autodesk Desktop App is replaced, the same updates\extensions\add-ins that were shown on Autodesk Desktop App are not shown on Autodesk Access anymore but advising the product is up to date on some computer making the updates routine a nightmare...This is not right.

[danny.polkinhorn]

@lyaneff , your Access list is correct.

1. You're not seeing the Revit 2023.1.1.1 update because you are not logged in.  Click the avatar at the top and log in with your Autodesk ID.
2. The remainder are extensions that should not be showing in Access.

[mdowney]

Oh, god, please don't tell us that we need to be logged in to Autodesk to make this program work!!! That is completely unnecessary.

[danny.polkinhorn]

@DBreisch , you can always access ALL updates, extensions, plugins, content, and additional languages in the Products & Service page in Account, then View Details for your product(s). 

Access should only show updates that are relevant to what you have already installed.  We'll add the ability to install these other items in a future release, but they will no longer be treated as 'updates'.

I appreciate your frustration, and can assure you that we're not beta testing with our customers.  Updates are our current focus, and this works as expected.

[danny.polkinhorn]

@mdowney , just like ADA and Autodesk Account, we require you to login to show you product updates.  Providing access to new features and fixes to you is included as a subscription benefit.  Some updates, like security fixes, are provided to everyone.

[pendean]

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@mdowney wrote:
Oh, god, please don't tell us that we need to be logged in to Autodesk to make this program work!!! That is completely unnecessary.

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Licenses are now more deeply tracked and will extend even more in the future: logging is the new reality, it will never go away at Autodesk nor any other software vendor trying to track licenses usage.

[mdowney]

So, is it possible to install an update provided by Autodesk that will give an unlicensed user the rights to run the program? That doesn't seem likely.

[danny.polkinhorn]

@pendean , Access is not tracking license usage.  We are ensuring that we provide updates to those that are entitled to them.

[pendean]

@danny.polkinhorn To quote you "...we require you to login to show you product updates.." I guess we can call it whatever you want of course.

[pendean]

you'll need to ask them https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autodesk-access-forum/not-showing-same-updates-extensions-add-ins-as-...

[mdowney]

In all my years of supporting Autodesk products, I have _never_ logged in to run Autodesk Desktop App and I've never run into an issue where available updates didn't show up for me. The reason that I don't log in is that I don't run the programs, so I have never had a license. That would remain the same going forward. Am I understanding correctly that starting now, I will be required to purchase a license for myself in order to be able to manage Autodesk software for my users? If so, would I need to purchase a $3,430 AEC Collection license for myself or is there some other, more limited license available? Or, can I just log in and if my company has rights to the software, the updates will show up?

Is there a user manual for Autodesk Access that would explain some of this stuff?

[mdowney]

Ask who? You just linked back into this thread. I was asking you a question about licenses being required to install updates.

[danny.polkinhorn]

@mdowney , if you want to see all the updates for the AEC Collection, then you should go to the Product Updates page in Account.  As an admin on your account, you will see all updates there without having your own license.  Today, if you are managing updates for users in your company and distributing them out to users, this is the best place to find those updates.

The intent of this first release of Access (and formerly ADA) is for users to be able to install their own updates for the software they have installed on their device.  If you are using the products, and have them installed, then you already have the ability to see updates in Access.

Hope that helps,

[mdowney]

Yes, I am aware of that. However, the entire point of this thread is that we used to have a simple utility from Autodesk that (mostly) worked, and that would show administrators what updates were available for a computer and that did not require the admin to be logged in to an Autodesk account or have a license in order to install those updates. I understand that I can find all the updates by logging in to the web page, but that doesn't help me figure out what updates need to be installed on each particular computer. And, as far as showing users updates that are available for their computer, I don't _want_ my users to know that there is updated software available because that creates unnecessary helpdesk requests. And, even if they were somehow able to install the software without having admin rights to their computer, I wouldn't want them to because that also leads to more helpdesk requests when something goes wrong and the admins don't know what was done to the computer and when.

You said yourself in an earlier post that Access does not have the ability to install software for a user without admin rights to their computers, so who is it useful for right now? And why is it being forced on us without our consent? You don't have to answer these questions, but please don't keep responding with additional rationalizations for what looks like a very a bad decision to replace functional software with new software that may have useful features at some point in the future. Would it have been that bad to just leave ADA on the computers to allow admins to run it as needed? And if there is some horrible security issue with Autodesk Desktop App that Autodesk is unable to fix, just be honest about it. And, at the very least, stop adding it back into the Windows autostart list every time I install new software.

I'm not going to continue to respond to this, but please make sure that the decision-makers at Autodesk understand what an unnecessary inconvenience this half-baked decision has created.

[jbednarz]

Managing updates for Autodesk products has always been a pain in my butt. Its sad that the easiest way to update machines with various applications installed is to use what was ADA, which sucked because you had to deal with UAC and click through each individual install. As a sole IT manager, I don't have time to check for updates on the website, download them, create deployments, etc. Too many applications, too many plugins, too many updates. I see where Autodesk is going with Access, but it sure has been poorly rolled out, and the lack of clear explanation for IT and folks managing these installs is, as typical with Autodesk, a problem.  I've noticed that the login for Access is separate from the login for the rest of the Autodesk suite. When ADA updated to Access, it did not maintain the login, which then did not show all available updates. 

[danny.polkinhorn]

Thanks again everyone for your feedback.  Apologies that you feel I'm trying to rationalize, I'm mainly just trying to provide some context and some alternatives for you.  I appreciate and understand your frustration, as do the decision-makers at Autodesk.

What I'm gathering from this thread that we need to address:

• Ability to remove Access from your devices.
• Ability to easily determine the updates needed by your users, based on the products and releases they're using.
• Ability to easily distribute approved updates to the right users, if needed.
• Ability to install approved extensions, plugins, content, 3rd party extensions, etc.
• Ability for approved users to install approved updates or products without admin rights.
• Hide updates that aren't relevant, or are already installed.  We're already working on these exceptions, and this is already improving in some cases.
• Better documentation for admins.
• Don't release a poor experience.

Feel free to email me directly if I'm missing anything (firstname . lastname @Anonymous).  Would be happy to follow up with you to learn more about your challenges.

Thanks again,

[sburke]

I'm a full admin on my PC yet I still am missing options in this tool (see attached)

I unistalled it deleted folders, re-installed it still not showing options.

The revit update I'ved applied like 3 times now and it keeps showing up for revit 23.

This tool is very broken right now.

Can you please offer assistance.

[rebeccafZTMAF]

Thanks for uploading your screenshot, I'm having the same issue! I thought it was just the way it was designed until I saw someone else's screenshot on this thread, and then some Help documentation for Access talked about Tabs. Huh? I have no tabs!

This whole rollout was a mess.

[dwongJGZ7H]

We still have some users that rely on AutoCAD 2018 and the Autodesk Desktop App was the only way to get the 1.2 update because it is no longer available on the website. Now we have no way of getting this update for users that still need it.

Please help!

[dyoung]

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@danny.polkinhorn wrote:

...you can always access ALL updates, extensions, plugins, content, and additional languages in the Products & Service page in Account, then View Details for your product(s). 

This is incorrect, wrong and inaccurate. I already have a support ticket in to get the updates I need so I can complete a new hardware image for a group of users. Our entire hardware rollout is now halted until I deal with someone from Support to get the required updates I need.

Since the Manage portal's products were updated to "help admins", you only show updates through 2021 and not earlier. For a time, Autodesk allowed 5 prior but looks like that was dropped back down....with little notice or fanfare. 

However, because of that "5 prior" there's a lot of Revit projects using 2020 or earlier still. Additionally, products like Fabrication CAD/CAM/EST are so poorly supported by Autodesk, people are still actively using 2018 and older. 2021 is the NEWEST stable release of EST. 

And I don't see Autodesk Access pulling updates for older products consistently. My home system (ADN license) lists 2018 updates, new system at work...nothing. 

It's time Autodesk stop "listening" and start acting on what they've heard. It'll take at least 2 years before the "help" this promised overcomes the waste it's injected into our lives.

[stuart.tallon.jda]

it is fine saying you can getting the extensions and updates on the products and services website, but this is only for the 4 newest versions, but what if we have a project that is in 2020/2018 which is no longer available now 2024 is out and we have a new member of staff or something which needs it and we cant update the project for whatever reason. this means that we have no way of accessing the extensions installers which we would usually have available with the base installs. the whole idea of releasing a half finished software is ridiculous, why replace something that was working even if it was hard work and annoying with something that doesn't work. even the new 2024 version of Revit hasn't got the access to all the extensions yet, i only imagine that these are still getting worked on before release.