Legacy Licensing Decommission FAQ

Important dates

June 26, 2018

  • Alibre, LLC will terminate the legacy Alibre Licensing Server for all Alibre products released prior to March, 2014
    • Includes all legacy Alibre Design versions through Alibre Design 2012 (3.x – 14.x)
    • Includes the first release of Geomagic Design (15.x)
  • To find out your version, go to the Home Window > Help > About and you will see a line similar to: PRODUCTVERSION 14,0,4,14056. This will tell you the version you are on. 

General information

What is happening?

Alibre, LLC is terminating the licensing mechanism used for legacy Alibre Products. This change affects Geomagic Design 15.x, and Alibre Design 2012 (14.x) and earlier products. This change will take place on June 26, 2018.

I don't use the old Alibre Design anymore. I have a newer version. Why am I seeing this?

Only customers using Geomagic Design 15.x and Alibre Design 14.x or earlier are affected by this change. In some cases it is possible that you are duplicated in our system and you are actually using a later product that is unaffected. If that is the case, we apologize for the confusion and you can ignore this message. If you have any questions or want further clarification, please email hello@alibre.com

You can also find out what version you are using by opening up Alibre Design. Go to the Home Window > Help > About and you will see a line similar to: 

PRODUCTVERSION 14,0,4,14056.

This will tell you the version you are on

Why is Alibre doing this?

The legacy licensing system has been in operation for nearly 20 years. It was not designed to operate for this long, and like any software it has come to its end of life. It uses old, deprecated technology and requires costly maintenance of both time and resources to keep running. We want to be sure we’re pouring all our resources into making new, exciting features and squashing bugs.

How will this impact me? Can I keep using the software I have today?

The termination of the legacy licensing server will impact users of Geomagic Design 15.x and Alibre Design 14.x or earlier in the following ways:

  • You will be able to continue to use the software if it is licensed already as of that date.
  • You will be unable to acquire new licenses for the product after the decommission date. For example, if you need to install it again, you will be unable to do so.
  • Depending on the version you have, there may be a small to several minute delay during startup. This delay is the product trying to reach the licensing server, but failing. Eventually, the product will start, assuming you have a valid local license.
What does Alibre suggest I do?

This depends on your situation. If you feel it is unlikely you will need to upgrade your hardware or change computers, and the current version is working for you, then you can probably get away with staying on the version you have now.

The best way to ensure continued use, and get several years worth of new features, is to get back on maintenance and get the newest version, which uses the new licensing mechanism. To do this, you can reach out to hello@alibre.com, call 877-7-ALIBRE, or reach out to your Value Added Reseller if you are outside the US or Canada.

I have a product that Alibre currently doesn't have. What happens to me?

Currently Alibre offers Alibre Design Professional and Alibre Design Expert. If you have a product that Alibre currently does not have, such as Personal or Basic Edition, you will receive a free upgrade to the product closest to yours. For example, if you currently have Alibre Design Personal Edition, you will pay maintenance and get a free upgrade to Alibre Design Professional. The ability to get a free upgrade will terminate as of the decommission date or if Alibre releases a similar product to yours before the decommission date, so act soon if you want to take advantage of it.

What to know before upgrading

Please be aware that Alibre Design 2017.x currently supports the following operating systems:

– Windows 7  64 bit
– Windows 8  64 bit
– Windows 10  64 bit

If you use a 32 bit operating system, or if you have a version of Windows prior to Windows 7, you will be unable to upgrade.

I have decided to get back on maintenance. Will I be penalized since I've been off maintenance?

No. Usually there is a lapsed maintenance fee. However, we want to make sure that everyone who wants to migrate can do so. For this reason, the lapse fee will be waived until the date of the Legacy Alibre Licensing Server decommission date.

How can I get back on maintenance?

Reach out to hello@alibre.com, call 877-7-ALIBRE, or reach out to your Value Added Reseller if you are outside the US or Canada.

I have questions. Who can I talk to?

Please email us at hello@alibre.com or call 877-7-ALIBRE if you are in the US or Canada. If you are outside the US or Canada, or are working with a Value Added Reseller, please contact them.

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