Command-line tool
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
With the release of anima 5.6.0, the Render Node installations will no longer require a license and will be free for everyone to use. However, older versions of anima will still require the use of a Render Node license.
To use the free version, please download and install anima® 5.6.0 or newer in Render Node mode. If you want to keep using anima® Render Node version 5.5.0 or older, please follow the activation methods described below.
What is the anima® Render Node?
The anima® Render Node version can be used to load and render anima® scenes without any of the limitations of the LITE version.
It is 100% compatible with all types of models, including the ones from the subscription (anima® ALL), and it has been designed to be installed and used in computers that are mainly used only to render images (also known as render farms).
The Render Node version must be installed using the same anima® installer but selecting the RENDER NODE option instead of the WORKSTATION option (which is the one selected by default) and then activating the node license.
The installation of the anima® in RENDER NODE mode is a limited version of the WORKSTATION mode (used by anima® PRO and anima® ALL). The difference between both modes is that the RENDER NODE mode does not include the standalone application (anima® Designer) to create and edit anima® scenes and also has some functionalities blocked in the plugins, like the alive™ connection or the animaDrop® panel.
When an anima® PRO license is purchased, 3 render node licenses are included in the PRO package. Also, extra Render Node licenses can be purchased individually and can be used to render anima® scenes without limitations using all the computers available in your own render farm.
On the other hand, when a subscription seat is purchased (for anima® ALL), there are no render node licenses included in the package. However, you get 4 devices per seat, and it is possible to use those pre-authorized devices to render scenes in "node mode". But please notice that this method does not use the anima® RENDER NODE installation mode, it uses the WORKSTATION mode. You can learn more about how it works in the following article:
The anima® Render Node version is compatible with 3dsMax®, Maya®, and Cinema4D®, but it is not compatible with Unreal Engine®.
ONLINE Activation Process
After the RENDER NODE installation process is completed, you can proceed to activate an anima® Render Node license by following the process described below:
- Open the anima® Render Node shortcut from Windows > Start
- Enter any of the Purchase Code of your license, which is included in the email you received after purchasing your license. Also, all your Purchase Codes can be seen in your user account, in the Licenses section.
- Enter the email address used to place the order and Click on Retrieve.
Please, make sure to leave the activation code field EMPTY, it will be retrieved automatically from our servers.
4. Chose any of the licenses available in your account and click on “Use License“:
If you don’t have any license available, select any of the “Already used” ones and click on “Reset”. This will automatically apply a Reset to your license to remove the current System Code stored in our servers and insert the new Hardware ID that has been generated for your current machine:
Notice that you must have enough Resets available in your account for the Reset to process to work, you can check that in the Licenses section of your user dashboard.
5. Then, our license servers will generate a new Activation Code and send it to your machine, where anima® will receive it and automatically fill in the corresponding field of the license dialog:
Notice the "Valid license" message at the bottom left of the dialog.
Your Render Node installation of anima® is now licensed, so you can close the license dialog and restart your 3D application to let the plugin refresh its license validation state.
OFFLINE Activation process
We offer the option of generating the Activation Codes offline. Please, contact our Customer Support service and send us a list of the anima® Render Node Purchase Codes that you want to activate with their corresponding hardware System Codes.
You'll find the Purchase Codes in the user control panel, under the Licenses Tab, and you'll find the System Codes in each anima® Render Node application, once it has been installed (see the picture above).
Then we will send an email to the owner account with the list of Activation Codes, and you'll be able to copy/paste them into the Activation Code text field of the anima® Render Node application.
Common Issues
There are a few things that you should keep in mind when following this activation process:
- Do not fill in the Activation Code field because this is only needed if you are not connected to the internet and following the Offline activation process. If you need to activate your license again, it means that your System Code has changed, so any Activation Code that you may have stored in your user account will not work. It must be generated again, which can only be done following the process described above or generated manually by our Customer Support service as is described below.
- Make sure that you are using the correct type of Purchase Code. The codes for anima® PRO version and the anima® Render Node version are different and they will not work when used with the opposite installation modes. So, if you install anima® in Render Node mode, then you must use an anima® Render Node Purchase Code, and vice-versa.
Command-line tool
If you work in a large company that has a large number of render nodes, licensing anima® one machine at a time is not really an option. So, we have developed a command-line deployment tool that allows you to license anima® using console scripts.
To learn how to use the deploy tools, please follow the instructions described here: