Regarding the email we received about the license changes coming with 4.1 in Q3, is the floating license model affected? For example, will l need to change the way our users currently access the product? Right now I deploy a license file to their computer and the users don’t need to think about anything license related.
Hi @BSG , allow me to re-share a part of the e-mail we have sent out and add some details alongside:
Which means that you will not have to rely on any specific keys to input manually anymore but instead this is managed via the Chaos license server.
Additional details to refer to when it comes to this adjustment can be found here:
https://docs.chaos.com/display/LIC5/License+Setup
When it comes to the actual interface and assigning a license to each machine you can check out an example here:
https://docs.chaos.com/display/LIC5/License+Server+Interface
After 4.1 has been released, we will offer additional information on top of that and you can also always reach out to our licensing team directly via our help center/support button in case you ever have any more specific questions or experience problems with this in the future. We will be happy to assist you from there.
Great, thanks for the response.
To clarify:
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Currently we can paste the Enscape license key onto a machine, which allows any user on that computer to use Enscape. That is going away, correct?
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Currently we can also get an Enscape license by signing into an Enscape account from within Revit. Will that go away?
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Will all Enscape customers need to install the Chaos License Server software on a local computer/server in order to use Enscape?
Thanks.
To my understanding, you must use the Chaos license server beginning with 4.1, whether that be locally on each user’s machine or on a server. Gone are the days of simply injecting your license key into the registry with your install script.
This is annoying as we now have to stand up a license server to host our floating licenses. Our choices appear to be “use a license server and point your Enscape installations towards it” or “give your users your Chaos account info so they can sign into the Chaos license server”.
Option two would open up a potential security issue that we’re not going to risk, so that’s not an option, as there doesn’t appear to be a method of provisioning individual Chaos accounts for each user that can use our “pool” of licenses.
Both options are not ideal, as remote users will now be dependent on our VPN to check out an Enscape license, when this was not an issue before, but at least hosting a license server shouldn’t change the behavior a user would see, even if it is an outdated practice.
From the IT side, we’re not super happy with the way Chaos has handled the Enscape acquisition. The installation process is nowhere near as simple as it used to be and starting with 4.0, the package has more than tripled in size with the Chaos components.
It also doesn’t help that Enscape is essentially broken with RTX 40 series GPUs, and downgrading to 3.5.6 isn’t necessarily an option when you’re using SketchUp 2024. The devs are “working on it”, but that doesn’t really help our visualization folks out that much, especially when you have tight deadlines to meet.
Hopefully things get better from here, but we’re going to miss the “old” Enscape.
Hey @colin_mccroskey
- Yes, Enscape 4.1 does not use license keys anymore. Instead it requires a login with your Chaos Account (or your existing Enscape account). Alternatively, Install the Chaos License Server on a centralized machine in your office network, which is accessible by every user, then authenticate it with your Chaos Account that holds your floating licenses.
Enscape users (or your IT administrator) within your network simply need to configure their copy of Enscape to connect to the License Server, which can be done during installation or with an external utility, which is installed alongside Enscape.
For more information, see the documentation.
- I assume you’re referring to activating your Enscape license by signing into an Enscape Account from within the Enscape toolbar in Revit? This should stay the same as is, including the same credentials being valid. Did I get this right?
- The license server is installed and started by the Enscape installer so they shouldn’t need to install anything but Enscape. If they are using single fixed license they’ll need just to sign into their Chaos account.
I hope this helps!
We don’t run a Chaos license server locally and have no interest in spinning up a dedicated server VM to do so, which would also require our remote users to access it via VPN. Will there be an option to activate and manage our pooled Enscape licenses via the web like all other software developers these days, or is the ultimate plan to eliminate pooled licensing altogether? This will definitely impact our decision to use Enscape versus other rendering options. D5Render runs well on the most recent spec machines we are purchasing which has been the primary impediment to its use in our office.
Thanks Kaj,
Although I am still confused:
I received conflicting information from Enscape support about sign-in from within Revit. I am trying to clarify with them…
I do not want to set up an entire server in our office just to handle Enscape licenses.
I am still confused:
I received confirmation from Enscape Support that signing into an Enscape Account from the Revit toolbar will NOT be possible with Enscape 4.1.
Specifically, the process shown in this screenshot will no longer work:
From Enscape Support:
"This will no longer be an option. You will be able to log in through Revit to the Chaos license server page but the Chaos license server must be installed locally on the machine that wants to use Enscape.
Your other option is to install the Chaos license server on a dedicated server machine then configure all users to obtain the license from that server. Users must have local network access to the server machine."
This seems to say that anyone working remotely will no longer be able to use Enscape, since they will not be able to connect to an in-office Chaos License server?
Maybe Enscape could provide a short video showing how licenses will work on individual computers using Enscape 4.1?
Hi @colin_mccroskey , and thanks for your further posts and inquiry here.
You have received the same reply via your already existing open support case (yesterday) but just to ensure this is also shared openly here if anyone has a similar concern:
Remote users will be able to use Enscape licenses provided that they have access to a Chaos license server and an account that holds Enscape licenses.
Users that do not have access to an in house license server will have to install it and activate it locally on their machines. They can use the admin email and password to log in to the Chaos license server or the admin can assign a dedicated license to that person and they can activate the server using their own credentials.
When it comes to the actual setup once more, please also feel free to refer to this help article here. In case of additional concerns or questions, please ideally just reach out to our support team once again like you’ve done prior and we will gladly assist you further.
Hi Demian Gutberlet!
I got a key license from the Enscape for All contest, I used it to install 4.1 preview 5, which is fine, but installing preview 6, 7 does not accept this license. Tell me how to fix it
Thank you very much!
Hi @KEIHOUSE_ARCHI , thanks a lot for your post - Please kindly check your direct messages here in this Forum as I’ve just sent you a corresponding reply. 
You mentioned that users can ’ use the admin email and password to log in to the Chaos license server’ are we able to deploy the admin user name and password as part of a software deployment if we want to automat the login process? I would hate to give users the admin credentials or have to have IT remote in and enter the credentials for each user.
thanks
Thanks for your further post. At the moment this login process would have to tackled manually, by either using an admin account, or an account to which a usable license has been added.
Feel free to also always reach out to our licensing team via our Help Center in case of any additional specific questions that require clarity when it comes to our updated licensing system. Just mentioning this as doing so is usually the quickest and best way to receive help from said support/licensing team directly.
Still, if there is anything else you require help or clarification with let me know.
Yeah, this is an interesting move.
All the other products that we use are moving away from on-prem license servers, and our last one was about to be decommissioned.
I 100% dont see us spinning it back up (or keeping it running), for Enscape, and our team often works from remote locations, not tied or connected to VPN. Heck, the majority of the time i run Enscape is at clients offices or in meetings where i dont have Internet. There is zero chance im connecting to VPN for that. And, as much as our on prem licensing server made sense back in 2015, im happy to see it go, honestly. Its one more thing to manage.
And converting our current Floating license to “user based” would be a 6x license increase, and we dont use it all that much to make it that worthwhile. I like Enscape way more than twinmotion, but this will end up pushing us over the hill in to using twinmotion. Oh well.
Interesting Indeed…
Chaos released this statement this morning (without any working FAQ links… supposedly they will come at a later date).
| ### Multiple License Assignment & Administration- Assigning one seat to multiple users will no longer be possible. Each license seat you assign will be reserved only for the user (email) to whom it is assigned. - For instructions on setting up a Chaos license server without assigning licenses to specific users, please refer to our detailed FAQ article. - For guidance on setting up administrator and member/guest rights when assigning licenses to specific users, please refer to our Self-Service Portal User Guide*. |
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So the big question here is… Will we no longer be able to assign out a group of floating licenses to individual users so that they may access available floating licenses through this new Chaos server? On past versions our team has accessed Enscape by logging in through Revit with their own e-mail address and acquiring one of the available floating licenses. Is Enscape moving away from this and forcing teams to go with individual licenses for users who previously had access to these floating licenses?
Today I received the email from Chaos <> which seems to confirm:
"Multiple License Assignment & Administration
• Assigning one seat to multiple users will no longer be possible. Each license seat you assign will be reserved only for the user (email) to whom it is assigned."
Will the price for an Enscape “floating” license be reduced to reflect this reduction in capability?
I keep hoping I’m missing some critical piece of licensing information…
That line concerned me as well since we currently use floating licenses. But the next line says:
“For instructions on setting up a Chaos license server without assigning licenses to specific users, please refer to our detailed FAQ article.” Unfortunately, the “FAQ article” link is broken in the email. According to support the correct link is https://support.chaos.com/hc/en-us/sections/26654531073553-Enscape . That page isn’t very helpful right now. I am hopeful we’ll see more on it soon.
Help. We don’t have an office network. All our users are working remote and all our other software is modern enough to work with online authentication. This really feels like a massive regression.
This is actually crazy if they are changing from floating license to a named user license, especially with very little warning ahead of time. Instead of 10 floating seats we would need roughly 45? Not to mention the added cost of standing up a local license server and maintaining it. Wild.