Licensing hell

[danny.austin]

The licensing system for 3ds max really needs to be overhauled.

I manage a small studio and over the years I have ended up with:

multiple contract numbers

multiple serial numbers

multiple license types

We use 3ds max only! yet, licensing the software is a nightmare. I have spoken to support about tidying this up but I'm told that because of insert: "Autodesk speak for I can't do anything about it here" it can't be done.

Adobe, Chaos Group, Maxon to name a few all have really simple and effective licensing systems.

I was contacted by the Autodesk license compliance secret police telling me that I was in breach of contract despite having more licenses than bums on seats. There shouldn't even need to be a license compliance team if the system used was fit for use. Please Autodesk, join us in the 21st Century and implement a simple easy to manage licensing system. With older licence products in mind, you may want to consider giving people a pat on the back and unify products at a cost to Autodesk. This would show great forward thinking rather than the vampiric style of tax collecting that currently exists.

Concerned user and contract manager.  

[dgorsman]

Sounds like you are getting second-hand reports filtered through someone else's opinions.  Licensing is easy *provided* you do the smallest amount of management.

You *can* consolidate licenses under a single contract provided they are under active support.  I know, as I've done this through a series of multiple corporate mergers, bringing together a mix of stand-alone, network, and enterprise licenses under one roof.

This is where your reseller comes in - take the problem to them, get it laid out what your options are to get everything consolidated under one contract.  Know *exactly* what serial numbers you have, and what your entitlements are.  If they're all off support, you'll need to replace most of them with the new licensing regardless if you're going to be using one of the previous supported versions or the latest.  If you're trying to keep perpetual licenses for current releases despite being off support, that ship has sailed (and arrived at the other port...).

[danny.austin]

Thanks for your reply. I have been to my reseller and Autodesk support a few times. I've managed to make some progress but hit a brick wall with some requests.

What you've detailed below sounds exactly like what I want to achieve.. however my point is that an end user shouldn't need to get that involved in simple software licensing. I think there is room for improvement on Autodesk part here, especially as you get differing responses depending which support representative you speak to.


I got an email from one SR stating that another SR had merged two of my contracts and as a result I was now in breach of license compliance. He kindly split my contract numbers back up and I was back to square one.

[pendean · Accepted solution]

>>>...my point is that an end user shouldn't need to get that involved in simple software licensing...<<<
>>>... there is room for improvement on Autodesk part here...<<<
We end users responding to your post totally agree with you: and why we are suggesting you lean harder on your reseller or find a new reseller. A great reseller takes on this task and executes it very well, like @dgorsman post above, I've done this before and multiple times as well and a quality reseller makes all of this an easier task.

Autodesk has never been, and will never be, a company you call direct for support: they always have such lofty schemes at play ever so often, but the fact remains their Reseller Network is the place to reach out to for these types of issues, it's never easily done by the end user and Autodesk together. Never.

This is all learned knowledge by the way: we've all been where you are and we've all discovered the better solution: a quality Autodesk Reseller.

Good luck (and move away from dealing with Autoesk directly by yourself).