FAQ - help us populate it before it goes out

[Max]

Hey everyone,

We're making a FAQ for the launch / acquisition / etc. If you have a question, please post the question here and we'll try to get them all in. We won't answer questions here to keep this exercise free of clutter. This post will be deleted near the launch date.

Thanks,
Max

 

[wildwood58]

What if I have let my Maintenance lapse under GM ? Can I get reinstated ? without penalty?

<Max> added to FAQ. You have until August 31 to purchase maintenance from Alibre without a lapse fee.

 

[TylerDurden]

Hi folks,
Assuming the FAQs are to be related to the transition (as opposed to general program faq), here are some possible candidates:

Before I upgrade to new Alibre Design:

• I'm in the middle of a big project - do I need to update to the new Alibre Design right away? <Max> Added to FAQ - no you don't.
  Will my legacy Geomagic Design continue to run? For how long? <Max> Added to FAQ - 3DS suspends licensing support on 6/26/2018.
  Who should I contact for support for legacy Geomagic Design? <Max> Added to FAQ - contact Alibre, LLC
  I occasionally move my legacy Geomagic Design license (virtual dongle) between computers - will that still function? <Max> Added to FAQ - yes, until 6/26/18

When I'm ready to upgrade:

• I had a 3DS account to manage my subscriptions and support, will I need to open a new account for Alibre LLC? <Max> Added to FAQ - No, we have your information already.
  When I update to the new Alibre Design Expert, will all the Geomagic Design functionality be retained? <Max> Added to FAQ - we removed TeamPlatform, Cubify Cloud Print and Sense Integration.
  I occasionally move my legacy Geomagic Design license (virtual dongle) between computers - will that functionality be available with new Alibre Design? <Max> Added to FAQ - yes, it will.
  Will my computer need to be connected to the internet each time I run new Alibre Design? <Max> Added to FAQ - depends on your license type. Please see FAQ.
  If I have problems with the new Alibre Design, will I be able to roll-back to legacy Geomagic Design? <Max> Added to FAQ - yes, subject to the 6/26/18 licensing cutoff date

 

[GIOV]

I have an Original Alibre Account with all my existing Alibre Design with add in perpetual licenses that right now is hidden.
When will be feasible have access to them?
for example, I have tried to log into access via help link and suddenly appear this message from the Firefox & Chrome Browser:

<Max> Hi Giov, please reach out to support@alibre.com.

 

[rockfusion]

What will happen with Dynamics and Simulate? <Max> Added to FAQ

I really need a CAD management solution, will the new Alibre be bundled with the Vault? If not, are there other vault options Alibre will explore in the future? <Max>Vault hasn't been bundled with the software for many years, and Alibre, LLC has no business relationship with M-Files. That said, you can get a new version of M-Files and import an Alibre Vault into it and use that with the integration we have today. Our focus will not be on finding a file management solution in the near future.

Can Alibre users view a list of bug fixes and improvements that are actively being worked on? <Max> That's not a bad idea, we will consider it. There has to be a balance between visibility and some level of confidentiality about upcoming products. But we will figure out ways to engage you all in the process.

 

[albie0803]

Will existing Vault users be issued new yearly licences? <Max> No, we have no business relationship with M-Files. You would need to contact M-Files directly.
Will we ever get a Vault preview engine? <Max> It is very unlikely since we do not sell or support the Vault or M-Files products.

 

[ftkalcevic]

We lost the ability to have a copy running on the Desktop and a copy on the laptop when GD took over. Will we get this back?

 

[ftkalcevic]

I noticed the new trial version is now called Alibre Design Expert - are you moving back to different levels ?

<Max> Yes, we will have 2 versions. Please visit http://www.alibre.com > Features > Feature Comparison

 

[nvanlaar]

Can I run/install Alibre side-by-side with Geomagic? <Max> Added to FAQ - No, you cannot.

 

[MikeHenry]

What if I have let my Maintenance lapse under GM ? Can I get reinstated ? without penalty?

I'll second this one. My Alibre license expired a little over a year ago and I'd like to see some indication of what the next major update of Alibre will bring before committing to another year of maintenance. How long will I have to renew maintenance without penalty? Discussed further up, but Aug 31, 2017 is the last day you can buy maintenance without penalty.

 

[randyshoemaker]

Will the "Printability" tab still be available in the new release of Alibre Design

<Max> Yes, it is in there for now. However, this feature uses some proprietary 3D Systems technology, for which we have a term-limited license. After that, we will have to negotiate its continued use, and it remains to be seen how those negotiations will go. I cannot promise you it will be there forever. However, if it is highly used by many people, we would consider a replacement technology if and when it is required.

To be transparent, another similar feature is the Mesh > Solid conversion feature. This uses proprietary technology from 3D Systems and was not part of the acquisition. We have a time limited license for this as well and, subject to negotiations in the future, will or will not be able to continue providing this feature in newer versions. Similar to above, if we find it is highly used by enough people, we will consider a replacement technology if and when it is required. Note, this does not affect importing a mesh as a mesh - only conversion of a mesh to a solid body.

 

[domcm]

1) What are your focus areas for future Alibre enhancements?
2) When will the next Alibre version with significant enhancements be released?
3) Will you be updating the ACIS solid modeling kernel to the latest version with the next Alibre version?
4) Will Alibre users get Keyshot 7 when it is released?

<Max> - For questions 1-3, the short answer is we are about to work on that. Our focus has been primarily to get a functional business operational and get this release out the door. Shortly, we will begin prioritization of new features / bug fixes, and we will use input from our customers to help drive that process.

Question 4 - yes, if you are on Alibre Design subscription you get all the new Keyshot stuff.

 

[Fx.CAD]

-How many concurrent installs will be possible for one user license ? For instance: Someone has one computer in his office and two notebooks, he is the only user of these computers. Will he be able to use Alibre on them without having to play an activate/deactivate circus ? <Max> If you have a need to be able to very nimbly move between many machines, you could consider upgrading to a Concurrent license. This does the license checkin/out automatically for you. Please be aware of the Internet requirements for this license type.

-Maintenance prices for AD are wildly different (read: about 1.5x to twice the U.S.price) depending on where we live. Will there be some changes to align on the U.S. pricing ? Will it be possible for intl. customers to buy licenses, upgrades , directly on the U.S. online shop ? <Max> - Alibre cannot set a price ceiling for resellers' products or services - that is against US law. We have no current plans to allow direct purchases for customers that live in a territory covered by a reseller.

-Feature set: If we upgrade from GM to AD, will we keep ALL the features we currently have ? <Max> - answered in FAQ

 

[simonb65]

-Maintenance prices for AD are wildly different (read: about 1.5x to twice the U.S.price) depending on where we live. Will there be some changes to align on the U.S. pricing ? Will it be possible for intl. customers to buy licenses, upgrades , directly on the U.S. online shop ?

+1

Just asked my local re-seller this same question and was told its because of local support and their percentage 'cut' ... BUT I JUST WANT A LICENSE, BUG FIXES AND UPGRADES! I get my support queries from the forum and other users and any support ticket is raised on the website, not with the local re-seller! So please also allow global purchasing of licenses/updates from the website please, after all, it is 2017!

 

[simonb65]

- Does Alibre LLC plan on regular customer updates to keep the community informed on bug fixes, new tutorials, up and coming releases and events? <Max> - yes.
- Does Alibre LLC plan on offering a shop window to 3rd party Add-ons through its website or maybe links to 3rd Party websites who offer Alibre Design value added products. <Max> We will have some kind of section for add-ons - it is not determined yet what it will look like, and what its functionality will be, but at a minimum it will show you what's out there and where to buy it.
- Will the Alibre Design API be updated and further developed, either publicly or even for 3rd party Add-on partners. <Max> The API is generally developed on an as-needed basis. We plan on being actively engaged with add-on developers, and will make sure they have what they need. If you develop software that consumes the API, and do not have something you need, let us know.

 

[julia]

I running Alibre Design Version:[ PRODUCTVERSION 13,0,0,13062 ] 64-bit

What are my options?
Will this version continue to work when the licence server is changed?
<Max> I would suggest upgrading (obviously ), but your version does not use Flexera and as such is unaffected by the licensing technology change.


Can I run multiple version of Alibre on the same computer?
Lack of this facility has prevented me upgrading!
<Max> - No, unfortunately you cannot.

 

[Sunprojekt82]

pleas visit!!

https://www.alibre.com/alibre-llc-faq/

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Legacy M-Files / Vault – Existing installations of the Alibre / Geomagic Vault should continue to work on Alibre Design 2017.

Can anyone comment to clear up:
Is M-Files not included in new sales? <Max> - No. You can buy M-Files from M-Files and import an Alibre Vault into it though, and the integration should work.
Will M-Files integration being removed from future releases (beyond 2017) of Alibre Design? <Max> I won't say never, but it's something people use and works, and I see no current reason why it would make business sense for us to remove it.
What is EOL plan for M-Files integration? <Max> There is no plan to remove it. That said, it relies on the M-Files API. If M-Files were to make dramatic changes to their API in, say, 3 years, causing our integration to stop working, and we didn't have many people still using M-Files, that might be a reason to EOL it. But again, this is all theoretical and we have no plans to remove the existing integration.

 

[HaroldL]

I think it's clear enough in the answer to the next question in the FAQ. . .

Will Alibre, LLC still include add-ons with Alibre Design sales or maintenance?

Which I understand to mean that ONLY Keyshot is included with Alibre Design 2017, and its updates will be included if you're on maintenance.

For everything else you need do talk to the add-on supplier.

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Ok, I assumed that, but it's unclear what will happen -hence my other 2 questions.