Legacy Licenses
Since the release of HDR Light Studio version 5, May 2015, customers would purchase a license for HDR Light Studio and for each plug-in Connection required.
For example if you wanted to use HDR Light Studio connected with Maya and 3ds Max, you would purchase HDR Light Studio, a Maya Connection and a 3ds Max Connection.
The customer would then receive 3 license files for these products using their activation code.
To use HDR Light Studio standalone would use only a HDR Light Studio license.
To use HDR Light Studio connected to Maya would use both a HDR Light Studio license and a Maya Connection license.
To use HDR Light Studio connected to 3ds Max would use both a HDR Light Studio license and a 3ds Max Connection license.
We will now refer to these license types as legacy. They will continue to be supported in future HDR Light Studio versions for our customers with permanent licenses and purchasing maintenance for those licenses.
New Licenses (introduced in Tungsten release May 2019)
For Tungsten and newer software, we have made changes in how HDR Light Studio is sold. Customers now purchase single products that bundle HDR Light Studio and a selection of Connections.
These new products are enabled with a single license file.
HDR Light Studio - Indie
In the license file, the product is called: hdrls_tier1
This allows HDR Light Studio to run both standalone and connected to our 'tier 1' connections, these are (at the time of launch):
3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, MODO, LightWave3D, Houdini, Maxwell Studio, Rhino 3D, Octane Standalone, SOLIDWORKS Visualize
In the license file, the contract (terms) is: indie
The combination in the license file of hdrls_tier1 and indie means this is a license for our Indie product.
HDR Light Studio - Pro
In the license file, the product is called: hdrls_tier1
This allows HDR Light Studio to run both standalone and connected to our 'tier 1' connections, these are (at the time of launch):
3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, MODO, LightWave3D, Houdini, Maxwell Studio, Rhino 3D, Octane Standalone, SOLIDWORKS Visualize
In the license file, the contract (terms) is: pro
The combination in the license file of hdrls_tier1 and pro means this is a license for one of our Pro products.
HDR Light Studio - Automotive
In the license file, the product is called: hdrls_tier2
This allows HDR Light Studio to run both standalone and connected to our 'tier 2' connections, these are (at the time of launch):
3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, MODO, LightWave3D, Houdini, Maxwell Studio, Rhino 3D, Octane Standalone, SOLIDWORKS Visualize
Plus VRED, DeltaGen and PatchWork 3D.
In the license file, the contract (terms) is: automotive
The combination in the license file of hdrls_tier2 and automotive means this is a license for one of our Automotive products.
License Use Logic
Here is the logic for how HDR Light Studio will try to obtain licenses in Tungsten and newer versions.
Standalone
If HDR Light Studio is run standalone it will look for a hdrls_tier1 license first,
if it can't obtain one it will look for a hdrls_tier2 license,
if it can't obtain one it will look for a legacy hdrlightstudio license.
This is why when you start the software unlicensed now you will see these messages
Connected to Maya
If HDR Light Studio is started from Maya (which can run from a tier 1 license) it will look for a hdrls_tier1 license first,
if it can't obtain one it will look for a hdrls_tier2 license,
if it can't obtain one it will look for a legacy hdrlightstudio + maya connection license pair.
Connected to VRED
If HDR Light Studio is started from VRED (a tier 2 connection) it will look for a hdrls_tier2 license first,
if it can't obtain one it will look for a legacy hdrlightstudio + vred connection license pair.
Behavior mixing legacy and new licenses
There are certain situations where this license logic may be undesirable. For example when there are a mix of legacy and new licenses on a single floating license server.
For example, if you have 5 sets of legacy licenses for HDR Light Studio and Maya on an RLM server. But you also have a single license for HDR Light Studio - Automotive (hdrls_tier2) on there too, to use with VRED.
Which ever client in the office starts HDR Light Studio first, be that standalone or with Maya, they will use the Automotive license first (HDR Light Studio looks for tier1, then tier2, then legacy last). This will prevent any other user from obtaining this Automotive license which is the only one that can be used with VRED. In this scenario, it would be best to install the Automotive license on a separate RLM session on a different port - keeping the legacy and new licenses separate from each other.
If you would like to ask more and have an issue you would like to discuss, please contact: support@lightmap.co.uk
