The use of VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM is often quite complex, including clustered environments with many dedicated image generators, master PCs, multiple cameras, etc. To reflect that, VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM has a sophisticated licensing mechanism.

Licensing in legacy configurations

Licensing per Image Generator

In a networked environment, the licensing works per Image Generator. This means that each IG needs a license according to its number of connected projectors. If a dedicated master is used to handle all IGs in a network, this master PC requires a master license.

Example:

In this example, the system requires:

• 1x VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM Master *
• 1x VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM Dual
• 1x VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM Single

*) From 2020: The VIOSO VR&SIM Master license is a 0-license (see below) and comes free of charge

A license is stored in a license container that is connected with a specific PC. The license contains the number of channels, which represents the maximum number of projectors that can be calibrated from this PC.

There are two forms of license containers:

1. PC-Locked serial:
   The license comes as a serial key that is activated on a specific PC. For the activation procedure, internet connection is required. Once activated, the serial key cannot be used on any other PC. The main benefit of a PC-locked license is the instant delivery to the end customer’s PC.
2. USB dongle:
   The license is stored on a USB key. VIOSO software solutions are operational as long as the USB key is inserted. The main benefit of a USB dongle is that multiple PCs can share the same licensing, though only one PC can run a VIOSO solution at a time. In the example above, the master and each IG require either a dedicated serial or a dedicated USB key to store their license.

More answers:

1.  Is it possible to pool licenses on the master (no licensing of the individual IGs)?
   • No, in the standard configuration each IG needs to carry its own licensing.
2. Is it possible to transfer a PC-locked license to another PC?
   • Yes, see here: Transfer PC-locked license
   • But it is not possible to swap licenses during a calibration, so this is not meant to be used for sharing/pooling licenses.
3. Can multiple USB keys be used, combining their channels?
   • No. Only one USB key is detected at the same time.

VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM – Abstract Display Configuration

Licensing executed on a Master IG only

There is a way to centralize the licensing on one IG (usually referred as a “Master”). In this scenario, there is only one license container required that hosts all required channels. IGs are licensed with a 0-license that comes without costs. Please note that there is NO dedicated master license required for this scenario.

Example:

In this example, the system requires:

• 1x VIOSO Anyblend VR&SIM Triple

All licensing is stored in a license container that is connected with the PC that acts as the calibration master. The license contains the number of required channels for the total system. Please note that the master CAN be a dedicated device, but can be also one of the IGs. In both scenarios, the licensing costs are identical.

There are two forms of license containers as well:

1.  PC-Locked serial:
   The license comes as a serial key that is activated on the IG that acts as the calibration master. For the activation procedure, internet connection is required. Once activated, the serial key cannot be used on any other PC. All other IGs use a 0-license that requires neither a serial key nor any activation. The main benefit is an easy rollout and replacement of IGs.
2. USB dongle:
   The license is stored on a USB key, which needs to be inserted into the IG that acts as the calibration master. All other IGs use a 0-license that require no USB key or anything else in terms of license management. In the example above, the master requires one VIOSO Anyblend Triple license and each IG uses a 0-license that comes free of charge.

More answers:

1.  Is it possible to switch from “Standard” to “Abstract display” licensing?
   • Not easily. The system requires a complete overhaul.
   • First, the current licensing scheme must be evaluated (how many IGs, how many PCs per IGs, what licensing containers used, etc.) and the existing licenses must be revoked and replaced with a new license that carries all required channels in a single license container.
   • Second, the Anyblend VR&SIM calibration must be reconfigured to use abstract displays. This also requires to adapt scripts and export settings. Contact support@vioso.com to evaluate the required steps for your specific project.
   • Finally, a new calibration from scratch is required since the system configuration has fundamental changes. Some work from the previous calibration can be re-used (e.g. masks, mapping, etc.) but consider a noticeable amount of work required to re-create the system behavior. Again, contact support@vioso.com with as many details as possible.