Featurecam license/seats

[Anonymous]

I currently have turnmill featurecam software on my pc at work, but I’ve been asked if I can do some work at home on a night to catch up with my workload, then question I have is, is my license only allowed on my work pc? Or am I okay to go home and log in on auto desk on my own laptop? I don’t want to do something I shouldn’t be doing, might seem like a silly question but any advice would be good. Also if I can log in on my laptop what is the best way to transfer the same settings and tool crib I have on my pc onto my laptop. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Hello greetings to you.

I cannot say it quite legally in your case.

I personally do it that way.

I also informed myself correctly beforehand.

There are two important points to consider and adhere to:

- it must be your home PC,

- you can only use one PC at a time,

- and ask your boss and inform what you are doing.

For me, it works perfectly right from the start.

According to the contract, you have the right to use this license at home under the conditions above. Is just the nice thing about Autodesk Featurecam.

I hope I could help you and give you suggestions.

I wish you success!

Sincerely yours

Mathias Beyer

So if you practice, test, learn, etc. with the program at home, your work PC should be off.

Otherwise the license could be blocked and you have to go the way of unlock.

Hallo Grüße an dich.

Ganz rechtlich kann ich es in deinem Fall nicht sagen.

Ich persönlich mache es so.

Habe mich auch richtig vorher informiert.

Zwei wichtige Punkte sind umbedingt dabei zu beachten und ein zu halten:

- es muss dein Home PC sein,

- du darfst nur ein PC zur gleichen Zeit benutzen, 

- und dein Chef fragen und informieren was du tust. 

Bei mir läuft das von Anfang an ohne Störung perfekt. 

Laut Vertrag hast du das Recht unter oben stehenden Bedingungen diese Lizenz zu Hause für dich zu nutzen. Ist gerade das schöne an Autodesk Featurecam. 

Ich hoffe ich konnte dir helfen und Anregung geben. 

Viel Erfolg! 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen 

Mathias Beyer 

Also wenn du zu Hause mit dem Programm übst, testes, lernst usw sollte dein Work PC aus sein. 

Sonst könnte die Lizenz gesperrt werden und du musst den Weg des frei schalten gehen. 

[Anonymous]

The second part of the question.

The settings, tools, postprocessors, editing - attributes etc. can be exported to a stick and imported at home.

Just a tip:

Make sure which is the primary file.

I wish you success and

if it helped you click as a solution.

Sincerely yours

Mathias Beyer

Zu dem zweiten Teil der Frage.

Die Einstellungen, Werkzeuge, Postprozessoren, Bearbeitung - Attribute usw kann man alles exportieren auf ein Stick und zu Hause importieren.

Nur ein Tip dazu :

Achte darauf welche die Primär Datei ist.

Ich wünsche viel Erfolg und 

wenn es dir geholfen hat klicke als Lösung. 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen 

Mathias Beyer 

[jeff.brower]

If you have good internet at both places I have found it to be much better to remote control your work computer from home using something like  RemoteUtilities, or Splashtop, or AnyDesk, or AeroAdmin, or Remote Desktop. This way everything stays at work and you don't have to worry about where the files are or if you brought everything home with you. It's best if you have the same or higher resolution monitor at home so you can see the entire remote desktop. RemoteUtilities works well and is free for commercial use.

Copying files back and forth between work and home computers is a pain in the neck, you always have to make sure you copy the right direction, keep the newest, overwrite the old, if you make a new tool you have to export the tool database and import it into the other system, so it's not just the .FM file you need to copy, it's the posts and the configuration files so that the milling and drilling settings, and the toolbars are the same between your computers. And when the software updates you have 2 computer to update. (I've done this a lot over the years and liked SyncBack for keeping stuff in sync, but it's still a pain to manage)

The next best option would be to use a laptop as your main computer at work and bring it home as needed. Keeping all the settings and configuration files on one computer. If this is a one time thing how about taking your work desktop home.

With remote control you can support the shop better, you can update and post a file that the shop can access on the network without you having to drive it into work or email it to your shop.

[Anonymous]

ill try explain my situation a little bit more give you an idea of what I’m asking. At the moment where I work it’s really busy, I can only do 8 hours a day as I have to be home for the school run. I’ve been approached by my manager about doing some overtime at home, and he’s basically said he will buy whatever laptop is needed. So it is genuine, and obviously if I’m logged in to autodesk at home I won’t be logged in at work. Basically I’ll be doing extra hours in overtime at home on an evening to keep up with the workload. I actually have featurecam training tomorrow for turn mill so I’ll be able to ask my supplier what I can and can’t do. From what you say it Doesent seem straight forward regarding transporting my interface setup/ tool crib etc from my work pc onto the laptop. I’m obviously wanting exactly the same featurecam I have at work also on my laptop. 

Ps I appreciate your help 

[jeff.brower]

What you want to do is easy, you need to export your tool cribs, machine configurations, material speed and feed files, and the other FC configuration files from your work computer to your laptop. You should be able to get a list of all the files from your training session, there may be a list on this forum somewhere. If you add tools or change speeds and feeds one system you need to export the files and import them into the other system so the programming is consistent no matter where the file is posted from.

The pain that I experienced doing programming at home came from managing the two systems after the initial setup. Synchronizing the data and tool cribs between two computers isn't difficult it's just not value added. It's faster, easier, and more secure if you don't have to do it. That's why I think remote control is a better solution for working at home. There are drawbacks, if the internet goes down, or if your work computer crashes you have to deal with that, and there is a little lag but my computer is way faster than I am so it's not an issue for me.

If the company want's to buy a laptop I'd go for it, get a nice dell mobile workstation. The user interface will be slightly different with different resolutions, so it's helpful if they are the same. Get as high resolution screen as you can find, or maybe a second big monitor with high resolution to connect to the laptop. Another option would be to use the laptop as your main computer so you only have to sync the data files and not the tool cribs and other configuration stuff. One of our programmers does this and it works well for him, he takes his computer home every night, another has a laptop as his primary computer and rarely takes it with him and I have a desktop that stays at work.

[Anonymous]

The lag would wind me up a little I think. I will ask my trainer on Monday what he thinks. Thanks for the advice it’s much appreciated. 

[jeff.brower]

You are welcome, glad to be able to help.

The lag is less than most people think, even with dual 1920 x 1200 resolution monitors I’d rather work at home than commute. Some remote control software is better than others and a poor internet connection or too much lag would prohibit my use. Because most software is free to try it’s worth testing with your particular setup.

[kelbie.ockey]

Hey, jumping in on this late to just give you a good overview of the necessary steps concerning your desire to have the same settings, tools, configurations, etc. on this home laptop. As far as the licensing is concerned, you will be totally fine in doing what has been outlined in this thread.

If you are storing your tools locally, and not on an SQL or MSAccess DB at work, everything you need will be located at C:\ProgramData\FeatureCAM. I would just copy that entire FeatureCAM folder, and drop it in the same location on your new laptop - after FC has been installed. For clarity, here is a list of the important components of this folder:

• EZFM_ui.ini - This file contains all of your personalized UI settings 
• EZFM_mfg.ini - This file contains all of your personalized configurations, attributes, and machining data
• EZFM_ui.xml - This file contains any personalized ribbon changes that you have made
• DATABASEx64 folder - This folder contains all of your personalized (locally stored) tools, feeds, and speeds
• Part Library - Just what it sounds like...your part library
• Any add-in .ini files - These store default settings needed for any add-ins you use

Saving that entire FeatureCAM folder will bring all of this over for you. The only thing left would be any specific files and posts that you need. 

Hopefully, this is helpful. Let me know if I can help answer any specific questions. 

[jeff.brower]

Thank you for the clarification of config file location.

Will the strategy of copying that folder work for existing installations? In other words if I'm able to sync that folder between two computers will it keep them in sync?

I've had issues trying to copy the tools db as a file and have to export / import it to keep several systems in sync.

[kelbie.ockey]

In my experience, I haven't had any issues just dropping that entire file into any system, no matter the version of currently installed FC. I think what you're getting at here is that this does not sync between systems and is a manual process. 

If you are trying to sync through some external solution, it may work, but I wouldn't totally guarantee it. If you are more worried about syncing tools than you are configurations settings, etc. then I would recommend taking a look at the network tool database options. More than likely, MSAccess is the best (easiest) solution for you. 

Hopefully, that answers your questions. Let me know if I can help any more.