Uninstalling versions of Alibre.

[jcdammeyer]

I'm trying to clean up some space and organize. I find I have two copies of Alibre.



And in C:/Program Files/



Running from the Program/Alibre Design.exe for each version I get the request to enter license key so I've correctly released the license as per the instructions. But under the add/remove programs when I try and remove either of the above version, 976 or 988 MB, I'm told I still have a license active and I should release it first.

What do I do to fix this so I can remove say just 25.0.0.25033 or both it and 25.0.1.25037 and reinstall?

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Afaik the uninstaller doesn't know IF the license is active or has been released - it only cautions about it. However the license doesn't need to be released if you plan to still run Alibre Design on that pc.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I guess the question now is who creates this dialog in WIN10? Alibre or WIN10? If it's WIN10 how does it know Alibre even needs a license. If it's Alibre why doesn't it know the license has been released. I'm finding it difficult to believe that I'm the only one this has happened to and if so then it's a genuine bug?

 

[HaroldL]

I just click "Yes" when I get that dialog and it hasn't caused me any issues running Alibre.

 

[jcdammeyer]

OK. I'll take the risk then.
Thanks.

 

[BobSchaefer]

I guess the question now is who creates this dialog in WIN10? Alibre or WIN10? If it's WIN10 how does it know Alibre even needs a license. If it's Alibre why doesn't it know the license has been released. I'm finding it difficult to believe that I'm the only one this has happened to and if so then it's a genuine bug?

View attachment 38491

I don't work for Alibre, but I have done installer development in my past and I can tell you, while what you're asking seems like it would be easy, its actually not. Not from the installer's perspective. From the looks of it, this dialog is just a warning to remind you that you should release the license if you haven't. That dialog is coming from the installer routine, not windows, so they're just trying to make sure you know what you're doing. If you've released licenses or have current active maintenance, you should have no problems.

Again, all spoken as a software developer who does not work for Alibre, so my opinion only.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I don't like it when a question posted with suggestions is never completed with the results. Makes searching forums tedious at times.
So here it is.
With the license removed from both versions the "add remove programs" application did indeed remove both. I then installed a version from 2019 and gave it my license number. It did properly work aside from the fact that it can't open any of the files from a later version.
Next I used the update feature from within the program to bring in Alibre25 without the service pack. It automatically removed the 2019 version and transferred the license.
Finally I downloaded the Alibre25 with service pack (25.0.1.25037) and ran it. During the install it asked me if I wanted to remove 25.0.0.25033 or keep. I chose keep which is probably what I did the first time I upgraded to the service pack version. It too has the correct license value installed automatically.
And looking in "add remove programs" I'm back to the same snapshot of both programs.
If I run either one of them I can check the install and see the correct version. If I want to remove one I'll have to release the license.

So yes, with the licensed released it's possible to ignore the message and remove it anyway. Then re-install without problems.

It does leave an interesting question though. Some time in the past was an upgrade, like the one from AlibreDesign2018_2_setup_x64_19.2.0.19071.exe to say AlibreDesign2019_setup_x64_20.0.8.20072.exe, done with Alibre19 removed automatically (like mentioned above) while still holding a license and no warning message? Is it then possible that some obscure parameter hidden deep inside the registry counts the number of registrations and because it's not 0 then launches that dialog?

And if that number exceeds a threshold it then won't install or run resulting in a call to support. And that's why the upgrade now presents a run beside or remove message? Or if the Alibre application folder was removed and the license never released then that counter is also not decremented.

 

[DavidJ]

As long as you'll be re-installing on the saem computer, there is absolutely not requirement to release the licence before uninstalling.

The reminder is only because if you are moving software to a different computer, you need to release the licence so that it becomes available for the new computer.

If you have more than one version installed 'side by side' now that is supported, they all use the same licence activation.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Hi David,
Thanks for the reply. Any chance that we will ever see a SaveAsVersion feature? I've not upgraded to Alibre26 because even now the Alibre25 files at time don't get along with AlibreCAM Rev20. And I refuse to continue with MecSoft Visual CAM since they cannot import AD_PRT files the way AlibreCAM does. The Null pointer errors are annoying at times.

And what's probably most frustratingis no one else imports AD_PRT files so only STEP files with their fragmented arcs etc are transferable to others with different CAD packages. Is the AD_PRT file so top secret or badly convoluted so that no one can or wants to import the files?

 

[DavidJ]

AD_PRT is actually STEP, plus a few extras. Some CAD systems will even open AD_PRT files if you tell them it's a STEP file.

At one stage the old Alibre, Inc. did actually publish the specification for their part files (but that hasn't been around for ages) - Probably somebody versed in the ways of the Wayback Machine could locate the information. Some items would be outdated.

No - there is unlikely to ever be an option to save as earlier version. It would be too much of a diversion of Development effort and is actually far more difficult than you might first think. For example - how do you convert a file to work with an earlier version of ACIS (that doesn't include a tool used to create the part), a different way of defining thread data, etc. ?

I don't get your reference to fragmented arcs - I don't believe that to be inherent in STEP.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Importing a STL file into Fusion360 and saving as STP. Fragmented arcs.


And drawn in Alibre25 and saved as AD_PRT. One click selects the entire circle.


And the same AD_PRT file, saved as .STP, and then imported back into Alibre25. What was a circular arc is now two.


Step files are ascii. AD_PRT files are binary.
So we know Fusion360 did this one:
FILE_NAME(
/* name */ 'from John J2 Arm.step',
/* time_stamp */ '2023-02-08T22:27:26-08:00',
/* author */ (''),
/* organization */ (''),
/* preprocessor_version */ 'ST-DEVELOPER v19.2',
/* originating_system */ 'Autodesk Translation Framework v11.17.0.187',


And Alibre did this one:
FILE_NAME('C:\\Users\\johnd\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\Alibre Design\\25.0.1.25037\\export-CA555392-3853-418F-8884-9FABD6A6B12A.stp',
'2023-02-10T12:07:26-08:00',
('john'),
('Alibre'),
'HOOPS Exchange 2022.0',
'Alibre',
'Unknown authorisation');

So perhaps the AD_PRT file is a binary version of step files but in either case no other system has the file type on the list.

Edit: Once you move past the binary information at the front there is text in the AD_PRT file:
HEADER;
/* Generated by software containing ST-Developer
* from STEP Tools, Inc. (www.steptools.com)
*/

FILE_DESCRIPTION(
/* description */ ('Alibre Inc.'),
/* implementation_level */ '2;1');

FILE_NAME(
/* name */ 'tempDesign0',
/* time_stamp */ '2023-02-09T20:31:49-08:00',
/* author */ (''),
/* organization */ (''),
/* preprocessor_version */ 'ST-DEVELOPER v14',
/* originating_system */ 'Alibre',
/* authorisation */ '');

 

[mjh11_4_Alibre]

Hello John,

"Fragmented arcs" Truly fragmented arcs are definitely the result of exporting in STL format, as STL only knows straight lines.
I did some quick exports (STEP) and re-imports of files with several arcs. It looks like, once a file was an STEP file, arcs (need to?) start at 0° (i.e along a major axis). This can split the arc into two components, depending on the geometry. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be a rule. Sometimes an arc is split, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes a true circle is split exactly in half, sometimes it's a three-quarter circle to a quarter circle. Strange - but no real design issue.
In the picture below, the largest circle is a true circle, selecting the edge results in the complete circle. Next to it a an ellipse (a circular bore, 15° off of vertical), here half of the edge is selected. At the very bottom is a true circle, yet only half of the edge is selected. The smallest arc is again a circular bore, but die to the angle, resulting in an ellipse. Three-quarters of the edge is selected. Strange.


Mike

 

[jcdammeyer]

Hello John,

"Fragmented arcs" Truly fragmented arcs are definitely the result of exporting in STL format, as STL only knows straight lines.
I did some quick exports (STEP) and re-imports of files with several arcs. It looks like, once a file was an STEP file, arcs (need to?) start at 0° (i.e along a major axis). This can split the arc into two components, depending on the geometry. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be a rule. Sometimes an arc is split, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes a true circle is split exactly in half, sometimes it's a three-quarter circle to a quarter circle. Strange - but no real design issue.
In the picture below, the largest circle is a true circle, selecting the edge results in the complete circle. Next to it a an ellipse (a circular bore, 15° off of vertical), here half of the edge is selected. At the very bottom is a true circle, yet only half of the edge is selected. The smallest arc is again a circular bore, but die to the angle, resulting in an ellipse. Three-quarters of the edge is selected. Strange.
View attachment 38512

Mike

Yes. For the design part it's not really been an issue. I've taken imported step files and added (or deleted) to them and saved them as part files. Over the last week it's been really handy to dig out my GeomagicCAD USB license dongle, install onto an old ASUS laptop with WIN-7 and import STEP files to save directly as AD_PRT files. The more complex shapes have the same issues I had back in 2015 and are just strange and impossible to edit. For those I either just start from scratch or have a friend with a Fusion360 license convert them to STEP file for me. You can see the one created by Geomagic has that flaw while the one by 8 years newer software doe not.

This is what I've been playing around with.

Annin Robotics

Annin Robotics -Open source affordable robots - build your own 6 axis robot.

www.anninrobotics.com

Long term project and a great exercise to reconstruct the parts as AD_PRT files from the pdf text drawings. Been using more and more of the parameters to set the dimensions of other features. Like a musical instrument: practice, practice, practice...

BTW, where the fragmented arcs are a pain is with CAM software that insists on STEP files as the source. The segments mean multiple selections to set a tool path. Discover a tiny change is needed in the CAD drawing and all the CAM work is now wasted since importing a new step file starts from zero. At least with AlibreCAM if the changes to the drawing weren't major, all the CAM information remained and just needed a regeneration.

John