2013: Preparing for Installation of Autodesk Simulation CFD Products

This is part of a series of videos explaining the process for installing your Autodesk Simulation CFD 2013. Due to the unique nature of the Autodesk Simulation CFD products, a separate set of installation videos was created. This is a more comprehensive set of videos for Autodesk Simulation CFD 2013 products, and should not be confused for the Autodesk Design Suite series of videos that encompasses the vast majority of other Autodesk products.

In this series, you will find an overview of what you need to do before you install your Autodesk Simulation CFD 2013 products.

Autodesk Simulation CFD 2013 Installation and Licensing Notes

To align with Autodesk licensing, CFD 2013 products are fully FLEX License Manager functional. One aspect that is not consistent with most Autodesk products is that only floating licenses are currently supported. This means there will be no node-locked licenses available to the user and a license server will need to be installed.

During the install process you will be given the option between a stand-alone and network licesnse type.  In all cases our customers should be using the Network option.

Locating your Serial Number and Product Key

One important step in preparing for installation is to locate the serial number and product key for the Autodesk product you are installing; you will be prompted for this information during the installation process. The serial number and product key can be found in a variety of locations, depending on how you obtained your Autodesk product.  This video was made for 2012, but is still relevant.

Getting the Server Host Name

If you will be installing a network licensed product, you will need to know the host name of the server that will be running the Autodesk Network License Manager. There are a couple of ways to find it.

Generating your License File

Autodesk Simulation CFD products have multiple serial numbers that you will need to register to use your Simulation CFD products.  Typically this will include, but not limited to, the Design Study Environment, Solver, and CAD Connection.  So, for most users you will be registering at least 3 serial numbers.  If you have multiple CAD connection you will need to register each.  The following video will walk you through the process of using your serial numbers to generate the license file that you need to use with the Autodesk License Manager (ADLM).  Be aware that with Simulation CFD 2013 there has been some repackaging.  The parasolid CAD connection now supports: SolidWorks, SolidEdge, and direct import.  The ACIS CAD connvection now supports: CoCreate, SpaceClaim, and direct import.  Autodesk based products like Inventor and Revit are included in the Design Study Environment license for everyone.  There is still a Pro/Engineer and UGNX based CAD Connection license for those users.  CATIA users will now have to use Inventor Fusion (Free and included) as a means to launch into CFD.  Other than CATIA, your workflow will not change as an end-user.  During your migration from 2012 to 2013 please keep all old 2012 license increments (specifically the CAD Connections) in the license file until usage of 2012 has ceased.

If you had CFD 2012 and are upgrading to 2013, you will also need to copy both the increment and package sections that are sent to you when you register our 2013 serial numbers.  This will give you backwards compatibility for that specific feature.

This video was made for 2012, but again is still relevant.