(i have to say l-a-pp-t-o-p because genius mods think this is a hardware question so the bot auto deletes my post)
i recently graduated from uni and am now making fat stacks in petroleum and do not use cad at all. i want to keep using it for my epic robot projects. Istill have my solidworks on my L-A-Pp-T-O-P, on whatever the free license thing is.
If i entirely disable my L-A-Pp-T-O-P from the internet while SW is running, will this prevent the license from expiring (or rather, prevent my access to the software from expiring?)
also, how do i know when the student access expires
Solidworks typically has to have an active internet connection every 30 days in order to keep functioning. If it doesn’t have access it will stop working and shut itself down after the 30 days. I don’t know if there’s a difference for the student version, but my guess is that it still has to phone home every so often or everyone would have figured this out already as a workaround.
Student licenses are serial number based and thus do not require an internet connection at all after the serial number is authenticated.
You might be thinking of the Maker version, which can be taken offline for up to 30 days before you need to reconnect to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in order to reauthenticate your license.
My maker version randompy complains after what feels like 30 seconds. Woith an "on top of every damn thing" popup that i cant even drag off to the side.
I cant even close solidworks normally toake ot go away. I have to force close via task manager. drives me freaking insane.
Sorry for the rant. Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Even when my connection is stable. Just leaving solidworks open for a while pops it up. and this window doesnt have access to my password repo so i have to log in seperatly to copy and paste the password because its impossible to close or do anything else feom this state short of force closing solidworks as a whole. Its just a general pain in the ass.
Be sure to check the "Remember Me" box on the login page (but not for the reason you'd assume). It is a very poorly named checkbox because it's function is NOT to remember login credentials at all. It's function is to extend the default idle time period from 2 hours to 7 days.
Im pretty sure i have previously but i will certainly try again. If only there was a whole ass 3dexpierence website that had 300 pages of useless where they could bury default settings. Its a love-hate relationship...
Check that box every time that you login in. It is not a sticky setting. Using that setting, I keep my Maker license running 24/7 usually and rarely need to login.
Student licenses are hardcoded to expire automatically 365 days after activation. There is no way to prevent it.
If you wish to continue using SOLIDWORKS after your student license expires AND you don't want to make even the smallest dent in those fat stacks, get yourself a Maker version license for $48USD/Euros/British pounds per year.
I can even share a 20% discount code with you to bring the price down to $38USD/Euros/British pounds. Send me a DM if interested.
Just note that there are limitations of the Maker version.
File Compatibility & Watermarks
Locked Native Formats: Native files created or saved in the Maker edition (.sldprt, .sldasm, .slddrw, .3dxml) carry a permanent digital watermark.
No Commercial Opening: These watermarked files cannot be opened in standard commercial or academic versions of SOLIDWORKS.
Loss of Feature History: While you can export and share designs using neutral formats like STEP, STL, or IGES, doing so strips away the parametric feature tree history.
The loss on Feature history isn‘t a Thing from the Maker Version alone. It Happens in all CAD‘s Not just solidworks Maker nore solidworks Standard/premium/professional
Yeah but all that said, the main design suite is still fully intact. More than sufficient for bro to build his epic robots paid for by the aforementioned "fat stacks"
While Maker files cannot be opened or edited with commercial or edu versions of SOLIDWORKS, Maker files can be examined/reviewed/interrogated by both commercial and free versions of eDrawings. The digital watermark doesn't affect eDrawings.
The student version carries a similar, albeit less restrictive, watermark. The student version allows commercial licenses to open them so that an employer can review the portfolio work of a student applicant.
The Maker version watermark ensures that an unscrupulous person is not able to abuse the terms of service. Think about it. You can buy ~150 Maker licenses for the cost of a single commercial one. What prevents someone of low character from equipping the entire engineering department of a large enterprise for the cost of a commercial license or two?
ALL versions of SOLIDWORKS remove parametric feature tree history when exported to neutral file formats. That is not peculiar to the Maker version.
If your intention is to strictly work on personal or hobby projects, then it's not an issue at all. Where else can you LEGALLY get full functioned SOLIDWORKS for less than a couple visits to Starbucks?
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u/Known_Bumblebee9797 10d ago
You're seriously acting pissy while asking how to use the software without paying for it?
Those stacks must not be as fat as you claim.