W. F. H. (Work From Home): Here's who's helping you

Issue #1,048   |  March 30, 2020

 

by Ralph Grabowski   With an estimated three billion people asked/ordered to stay at home, many of us in the CAD industry are fortunate to be able to continue working remotely. Someone like myself has been doing this for 29 years, originally launching with CompuServe and faxes for my remote communications. But for most, WHB is a new thing. While initially enthusiastic, white-collar corporations have long backed away from telecommuting. Not only do they prefer their workers in their offices, the licensing terms of software have become more stringent. This has led to a clash between workers unprepared for working at home and the inability to access their software tools.  - - - A reader describes the clashes he experienced:   "When you scan the forums for most CAD systems, you find a big rise in questions about home working. There are people with problems they don't quite understand, and lots of people who understand their problems, but their CAD suppliers don't! "When it comes to working remotely, many may have done it a bit once in a while, but only when you really need to do it for whole days and onward do you really need to iron out the wrinkles.  "My issue was a technical issue with Solidworks' PDM [product data management] software. The licensing server is not IPv6-compatible [Internet protocol version 6] and so they had to issue temporary license keys to users without IPv4 VPN [virtual private network] connections. (I feel like I'm typing random characters on that, really!) [Note from another reader: do not take out licenses over a VPN, as this can create problems returning the license later.] "Logging into my PDM, do I log in normally or create a special ID for my remote personality? Using the same ID can lead to really confusing out-of-sync local-file cache problems. So I used a separate ID for my remote access. "A couple of years ago, the CAD vendor nicely removed our ability to have two installs with one license, really upsetting a lot of users, so that was the first hurdle.  "If your software is using machine-locked licensing, then you need to be at the unused (potentially contaminated?) computer to release the license, before you can activate on the home machine.  "If you have online licensing, then when you activate on the home machine, it grabs the license off the office computer over the Internet. You just have to be in a bit of a sweat about any unsaved data on the one you are kicking off. If the home machine has no Internet, then it's no-go. "Once up and running, the software polls the Internet regularly, so if your connection is down, you can't work at all -- even when your files are local. It is better to check every few minutes that your paying customers aren't cheating you, than to trust them for a day or a week to use the software for which they are paying thousands of dollars a year. [Some CAD vendors check for valid licensing once a month - Editor] "I work on my laptop at home by remotely accessing my desktop machine in the office. The performance of my laptop is not quite as good as with the desktop, so with complex assemblies it is better to work with the variable mouse lag/screen update driving the remote machine, but most stuff is better loaded locally. Switching between the two [local and remote computers] is a pain and confusing, especially as the CAD program cannot be open on both. "My favorite CAD topic is how to access our data in a vendor doomsday scenario. This is something none of them will discuss to any degree, but which should be a requirement by every customer. Here's hoping it doesn't quite get to that this time."     - G. R.   How Employers Can Help Alexey Ershov describes how he set up his employees for working from home:   'LEDAS is, so far, fortunate in experiencing no cases of COVID-19 in our neighborhood. We decided nevertheless to improve our capabilities for working remotely: We increased our Internet channel to 500MB/sec. High-speed fiber optics go directly into our DMZ [firewalled] sub-network to provide an additional level of security to our servers.  Using VPN [virtual private networking] from home on their work laptops, LEDAS employees access the powerful servers in our office.  Our intranet Web and desktop services for everyday work –- consisting of Git, Subversion, Jira, Phabricator, TeamCity, and Jenkins –- are working securely and are now fully accessible to our project teams. 'An efficient infrastructure for remote work implies high-speed Internet connections, as well as local networks free of bottlenecks. These physical-level requirements need to be accompanied by secure protocols with a stable and efficient stack of technologies, and on top of them the appropriate administration of access rights."      - Alexy Ershov - - - Most CAD vendors always have 30-day free trials that might get you over the hump. Some have reduced-function versions that are always free, such as Shape from Bricsys. When CAD software is intertwined with data, it can be difficult to access the data remotely when the software is installed on a computer home that can't necessarily access the data server back in the office.  One solution is to use remote control software, such as Chrome Remote Desktop or TeamViewer, which displays the screen of the office computer on your home computer's screen. You work as if you were in the office. I used this approach successfully when I needed to work on a book project while in Belgium, running InDesign (and accessing all my document files) on my work computer back home in Western Canada.  (Over the last year, TeamViewer has become more stringent in cracking down on what it suspects is commercial use of free home-use licenses.) Accessing CAD software on a remote computer with TeamViewer   Cloud storage services abound and some are integrated with certain CAD packages. They may, however, corrupt CAD databases as you try to synchronize files. Design Masters has some advice at http://www.designmaster.biz/support/blog/2020/03/working-remotely-with-design-master/. Here are two articles I posted on my WorldCAD Access blog last week: How I work from home: Spare not the efficiency What determines the end-game: Is there one? Who's Helping You and How I surveyed a number of CAD vendors' Web sites to see how they were helping customers. I first looked for information on the home page; if nothing was there, I looked for the site's news section, and then did a site search. If I could find no information, I noted it as "No link, no news." Some CAD programs allow you to move licenses between computers, without needing special permission from the vendor. Of the ones with which I am familiar, I note this below. If you have difficulties, contact the CAD vendor or a local dealer directly. Caveats: By no means did I survey all CAD vendors, and so not all are listed below. Some CAD vendors may instead have sent explanatory emails, or had local dealers make contact with customers directly, but have not yet posted the information to their Web site. Some CAD vendors are slow at setting up a WFH policy, and so they might have one in place later. When an expiry date is listed, check back with the vendor to see if it has been extended. Coronavirus information placed directly on a home page   Here is what I found from 20+ vendors. (Updated Friday afternoon.) AgaCAD aga-cad.com/blog/regarding-agacads-services-in-the-context-of-covid-19 Free 3-month licenses for teams of 3/5/10+ users. Online training. Alibre No link, no news. Ansys engage.ansys.com/covid-19 Fill out an online form with your request for assistance. Autodesk knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/simplecontent/content/extended-access-program-for-cloud-collaboration-products.html  Free access to commercial versions of BIM 360 Docs, BIM 360 Design, Fusion 360, Fusion Team, AutoCAD Web and Mobile, and Shotgun; ends 31 May. Users can transfer some desktop licenses to other computers. Bentley Systems bentley.com/en/resources/working-from-home-faq To access Bentley software without incurring unanticipated term licenses, download the latest version of the CONNECTION Client.  Bluebeam bluebeam.com/covid-19 Use the trial version of Revu for an extra 60 days Added training, like Webinars Bricsys No link, no news. Users can transfer licenses to other computers. Dassault Systemes 3dexperiencelab.3ds.com/en/projects/fablab/open-covid-19/ Support for people working against coronavirus, but not for at-home users (but see Solidworks, below). Graebert graebert.com/blog/featured/covid-19-graeberts-cloud-based-cad-software-free-of-charge-for-all-until-end-of-may/ ARES Kudo free of charge until end of May. Users can transfer licenses to other computers. Graphisoft graphisoft.com/covid-19/ Free 30-day emergency license. Free 60-day access to BIMcloud. Comprehensive online assistance from Graphisoft Hexagon hexagonmi.com/en-US/about-us/covid-19-coronavirus/work-at-home-smarter Free offline licensing and remote access options while working from home until June 30. IMSI Design No link, no news. IronCAD No link, no news. Kubotek3D (CadKey) No link, no news. McNeel & Associates No link, no news. MSC Software mscsoftware.com/work-from-home/assistance-programs Use software at home through VPN and if in same country. Access to eLearning (to come). PTC ptc.com/en/product-lifecycle-report/ptc-commitment-customers-covid-19 Work with you to offer temporary, no-cost licensing options.  Offers Vuforia Chalk at no cost until June 30. LiveWorx will be free as a one-day virtual event. Free Onshape for high schools and universities. Free eLearning for duration of epidemic. Siemens community.sw.siemens.com/s/question/0D54O00006O4L9NSAV/solid-edge-customer-support-for-covid19-social-distancing Guide for running Solid Edge and accessing data remotely. new.siemens.com/us/en/company/press/siemens-stories/ceo-perspective/staying-true-to-our-mission-to-fight-covid-19.html Certain software free to students. SketchUp blog.sketchup.com/home/engage-with-sketchup-while-you-re-at-home Tips on working better with SketchUp while at home. Solidworks blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2020/03/office-closed-due-to-coronavirus-heres-how-to-use-solidworks-at-home.html Transfer your license to another computer or check out a network license through a VPN. If you do not have access to your computer and cannot transfer (deactivate), contact your Solidworks dealer. Neither coronavirus nor corvis found on a CAD vendor's Web site   Trimble No link, no news (but see SketchUp, above). Vectorworks blog.vectorworks.net/how-vectorworks-is-helping-customers-during-covid-19 Free virtual training until June 30. Increased all licenses by 1. ZwSoft event.zwsoft.com/en/zwsoft/2020-home-license/ Free licenses for 2D CAD ZWCAD (IntelliCAD-based), 3D CAD/CAM ZW3D (former VX), and 3D CAD viewer CADbro until May 31. Look for Updated Policies CAD vendors are updating their policies even as I write this. Hexagon, for example, came in just under the wire for inclusion of their usage-at-home policy in this article; until then, they had been offering only reassuring messaging.   CAD publications keeping you up to date   As some CAD vendors make it hard to find their policies, try checking social media, your email, and other publications for updates, such as this one from Design Engineering magazine: design-engineering.com/mechanical-design-in-the-age-of-covid-19-1004034603/   Thank You, Readers! Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine: David Moore: "There's no better discussion of this industry anywhere. Keep it up." Rob Snyder To support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are these: $25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25 $150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150 $750 for for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/750 Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, then please use www.paypal.com and the account of [email protected]. Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.

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Comments

[Anne Niemeijer]

All Tekla licenses can already be accessed remotely. For information and to read our articles that support accessing licenses from home click here: http://tek.la/-k #teklastructures #trimble

[Jeff Zobrist]

For a complete view of all Siemens Digital Industries areas of support and action for our customers and partners - feel free to reference this dedicated blog site: https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/covid-19-response-resources/