Ridiculous, Unable to use Maya licensing errors + inferior Service Packs

[timothyfox]

     I need to use Molecular Maya plugin for Maya, which requires Maya 2016. I didnt figure this out until after downloading Maya 2017. Upon removing all files and installing Maya 2016 I was getting the Licensing error 20. After hours of repeatedly finding every file of Maya and deleting it and reinstalling I finally was able to find out that I could prevent this error by using an updated extension.

     I installed Maya 2016 Ex 2 Sp1, and it worked! But upon trying to install the molecular maya plugin I was told I needed mental ray plugin. So I tried to install mental ray, and it turns out mental ray doesn't work for Maya Ex 2. So I installed Maya 2016 Service Pack 6, and well it turns out that when you do this it goes back to the licensing error 20.

     The management of the versions and service packs is ridiculous. It's impossible for me to use molecular maya because of accidentally downloading Maya 2017 first.

tl;dr

>Need Molecular Maya (mmaya) plugin

>download Maya 2017

> mmaya needs Maya 2016

>clear 2017 files, download 2016

>licensing error 20

>advised by autodesk support to use Maya 2016 Ex 2

>mmaya needs mental ray

>mental ray needs Service pack 6

>service pack 6 brings back licensing error 20

[Otto]

Hello timothyfox and welcome to the Autodesk community!

It looks like you are seeing License was not obtained: error 20. The following articles should help you resolve the problem:

License was not obtained: error 20

How to force re-activation of a product

[timothyfox]

These steps were already taken

[natasha.l]

Hello @timothyfox,

Try starting the service by locating Microsoft "Services" Management console. Locate the service called "FLEXnet licensing service" and "FLEXnet licensing service 64".

Be sure you are logged in as Administrator.

Keep us posted. 

Please "Accept As Solution" if a reply has helped resolved the issue or answered your question, to help others in the community.

[timothyfox]

Hi Natasha,

I seem to have neglected to say that I'm on Mac OS El Capitan

Regardless I don't know what you mean by starting the service from the FLEXnet licensing service. The only file in the Flexnet folder is a terminal command that doesn't do anything noticeable. 

[timothyfox · Accepted solution]

Sloved

In hopes that nobody else has to go through this I'm going to outline the issues iv'e encountered and clear up some things that aren't obvious when coming across Maya for the first time.

-Maya 2016 Service Package 6 is not the newest version

-Maya 2016 Ex 2 (which sounds older) is an important update for solving licensing issues 

-Plugins are version specific, the reason my mental ray plugin was not working is because it was for Service package 6

-If someone tells you your plugin is not showing up because you need another version, check first that the version coincides with yours

I know they are simple fixes to anyone who has used Maya for sometime, but these simple misunderstandings really halted my day.

[natasha.l]

Hello @timothyfox,

Thank you for contributing and providing the community with this information it will help someone with a similar issue in the future.