Autodesk licenses


There are two types of Autodesk licensing:

  • Floating license server
  • User login licensing



Floating licenses with license server



If you have not setup the license server yourself on each machine, then you can define 

ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE = @MyLicenseServer

in one of the setenv inhouse files of RR:

Arnold Standalone (render .ass files)

\render_apps\_setenv\all\arnold__inhouse.rrEnv
\render_apps\_setenv\all\arnold-singlefile__inhouse.rrEnv

Arnold/HToA plugin used in Houdini

\render_apps\_setenv\all\houdini__inhouse.rrEnv

Maya

\render_apps\_setenv\all\maya__inhouse.rrEnv

3dsmax

\render_apps\_setenv\all\3dsmax__inhouse.rrEnv




Note: 
A # in front of the line disables the line.




User login licenses




1) You have to login at the machine with the same user you use for the rrClient.

If you have forgotten the user name that you have set for the service, then you can take a look at any render log file of any job:

E  0|  ++++++++++++ Environment +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

E  2|  rrClient application is running with user dd 

E  3|  Render environment user is     dd 



2) Now you need to login into Autodesk to assign the license to this user/machine.




Maya Note: 
A Maya license is not required if you render maya scenes with Arnold.
The Maya batch executable does not require any license itself, only the renderer requires a license.



Arnold Notes:
Arnold within the Maya UI does not require a license as it is included with the Maya license.
But if you want to batch render, then no Maya license is used (see above) and you have to assign an Arnold license to the machine.
Arnold requires a separate login.

For further instructions, please refer to the Autodesk help page Signing In to Activate Single-User Arnold.


In case the web page goes offline, this is a copy of the text:

If you use Maya or 3ds Max, you can Sign In in those applications, but you'll still need to use the Arnold License Manager to register Arnold for single-user licensing.

And, depending on whether you also use network/floating/multi-user licensing, you may need to switch to single-user licensing.

  1. Open the Arnold License Manager (in the Arnold menu for your Arnold plugin, click Licensing > Arnold License Manager)
    Royal Render note: You can find this application in the Arnold plugin folder on your disk as well.
    e.g. C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Arnold\maya2024\bin\ArnoldLicenseManager

  2. If you don't see a Single-user tab, click License > Switch to Single-user Licensing

  3. If prompted, install single-user licensing and register Arnold.

  4. Click Sign In and enter your Autodesk ID and password.

  5. You'll see the status of your single-user license. Happy rendering!



License issues - Test Arnold license


If Arnold is used as a plugin in some other main render application (Maya, Houdini, 3dsmax), then it might be difficult to get a good error report.

But you can test the Arnold license with this command:

Linux/mac: kick -i /dev/null

Windows:   kick -i NUL

Look for the [clm] authorized   or   [rlm] authorized  or   rendering with watermarks because of failed authorization.

For further information about any error code, please continue reading with this help page to the end.



If you want to test it within a Royal Render job, then you can enable the license test within our setenv/rrEnv files.


Maya

Please edit [RR]\render_apps\_setenv\all\maya__inhouse.rrEnv with baEnvFile_Editor (or a text editor).

Change the value of RR_MTOA_LICTEST to 1.

Submit a job and open the render log file in rrControl.

Search for a line like   ARNOLD Autodesk CLM , RLM license check.

Any other

Please edit the file setenv inhouse file of the render application you use.
They are located in \render_apps\_setenv\all\

Add the lines:
        echo * ARNOLD Autodesk CLM , RLM license check

        [If] <rrExeOS>  [==] win

            [Exec] "<RR_MTOA_BASE_LOCAL>\bin\kick" -i NUL

        [Else]

            [Exec] <RR_MTOA_BASE_LOCAL>/bin/kick -i /dev/null

        [EndIf]


<RR_MTOA_BASE_LOCAL> has to be replaced with the path to your Arnold plugin.




License Registration

If Arnold is using the Autodesk license (ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE) and this clm authentication is failing with 
Product Key Not Found (44)

or 
[clm.v2] SERVICE (4): this product has not been registered with the licensing service yet 
then you have to register the Product within your local Autodesk license server.
Otherwise the license server does not know that this software is an Autodesk product that requires a license. (Stupid, I know...)


The Autodesk license has to be registered in the Product Information file (aka the PIT file).



Arnold version less 5.3 (Autodesk product version "2021" and earlier)


To register Arnold on all clients using RR:

    • Locate the file pitreg.exe in the Shared Exe folder, locations are [arnold]\pit\pitreg.exe, or [arnold]\license\pitreg.exe.
    • Launch rrSubmitter, click Load Scene File, use the file browser to open the pitreg executable.
    • Choose OnceEachClient as renderer, and assign the job to the Arnold clients.
    • Submit the job.



Arnold version 5.3 and later (Autodesk product version"2022")

Windows

  • Create a batch file "Register_Arnold2024.bat" and add this commandline:
    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\AdskLicensing\Current\helper\AdskLicensingInstHelper.exe" register --pk <PKEY> --pv <VERSION> --lm <LICTYPE> --cf "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Arnold\maya2022-5.0.0.2\license\ArnoldConfig.pit"

  • Change the path to the .pit file in the commandline according to the MtoA path that you use.

  • Change <PKEY> to the product key of your application. 
    The product key is shown on the download page on manage.autodesk.com. (see screenshot below)

  • Change <VERSION> to the Autodesk version. 
    Note that Autdesk uses the year as version number while Arnold has a version of the renderer itself and a version of the plugin (e.g. HtoA, MtoA, ...)
    You have to use the Autdesk version. 
    You can view the Autodesk version on the downloads page on manage.autodesk.com. (see screenshot below) 
    Then add ".0.0.F" to the version.
    Examples:  "2020.0.0.F", "2022.0.0.F"

  • Change <LICTYPE> to the license type. It may be "USER" or "NETWORK". 

  • Launch rrSubmitter, click Load Scene File, use the file browser to open the batch file you created.
  • Choose OnceEachClient as renderer, and assign the job to the Arnold clients.
  • Submit the job.



Linux


The commandline you have to use is:
sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/Current/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper register --pk C0PL1 --pv 2020.0.0.F --lm NETWORK -cf /opt/Autodesk/arnold/maya2019-4.2.0/license/ArnoldConfig.pit
(Follow the description for Windows to edit the commandline and send a shell script to your farm)

As you have to use sudo, it may not be possible to run this command via RR.
You may try to use this commandline in a .sh shell script and pipe the password to sudo. 
$echo <password> | sudo -S <command>

The disadvantage is that the password is written to a text file and visible in the render logs in rrControl.


manage.autodesk.com





License issues - Any Autodesk product



If the the Autodesk License application returns an error with the license, it does not tell the Autodesk Product (Arnold, Maya, 3dsmax) why the license failed. (Stupid, I know...)

So you have to check the log file of your local Autodesk License App.


Adlm.log


If you need more information about the issue, then you have to open the Adlm.log (and AdClmHub...log) file.
It is located in...

  • On Windows, look in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Autodesk\Logs
  • On OSX, look in $TMPDIR
  • On Linux, look in /var/tmp



An Adlm.log file looks like this:

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        Reason=Fatal error

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        ComputerName=ELLIOT10

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        OS=6.2.9200.

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        File=AdlmIntNWFBLicense.cpp,Line=944

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        VendorID=3

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        VendorError=-5


2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        Reason=Fatal error

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        ComputerName=ELLIOT10

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        OS=6.2.9200.

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        File=AdlmIntNWFBLicense.cpp,Line=828

2025/04/24 17:34:01 43224        AdlmIntError=20



Common VendorError values are


-4

Licensed number of users already reached

-5

No such feature exists (no Arnold licenses on license server)

2

This is NOT an issue. 
This is a false "Reason=Fatal error" report.

-15

Communication error.
It may be one of these issues:

  • Issue at render machine:
    Cannot connect to license server application .
    or the wrong port@host or license file is being used
  • Issue at license server:
    License server app is not running (process name lmadmin or lmgrd).
    It was not started or it closed itself (e.g. wrong license file like or host name in the license file has been changed)
  • Issue at license application:
    You have to update the license server version to use this licenses.
    Please see if the AdClmHub...log file contains some message like "Communication error".

-96

License server machine is down or unreachable

12

Arnold not registered in pit file.

24

Unable to locate the Product Information Table File.

You'll also see "AdlmIntError=41 [Product Information Table file is not found] "

25

Corrupt ProductInformation.pit file





Optional: 
Open the latest log file AdClmHub...log in the same folder.

It might contain some human readable error message or a more detailed error message.