School of Architecture - Licensed Software through Software Center

School of Architecture - Licensed Software through Software Center

Beginning Summer 2024, licensed installations of Rhino and Autodesk applications for the School of Architecture will be available through the Software Center for faculty and staff. Additionally, faculty and staff with Rhino 7 installed will see it in the Software Center to facilitate on-demand uninstallation.

Autodesk Applications

The School of Architecture licenses several Autodesk applications, and starting with the 2025 versions, these can be individually installed via the Software Center by faculty and staff.

Installation

Autodesk applications can be installed using the standard process through the Software Center. Some Autodesk applications and optional plugins may require the Microsoft .NET 6 system component; it is recommended to install this through the Software Center before proceeding with Autodesk installations. Please note that Autodesk applications are quite large and may take considerable time to download and install.

Updating

Autodesk applications do not automatically install updates. However, the Information Security Office may require COLAITS to deploy updates for Autodesk applications when they contain security fixes. To avoid disruptions or changes to your workflow, it is recommended to regularly check for and apply updates to Autodesk applications yourself.

All Autodesk applications will also install a companion application, Autodesk Access, which can be used to check for updates for all installed Autodesk applications in one place. During the installation of an Autodesk application, you will see a notification indicating the installation of Autodesk Access in the Toast Notification area.

To check for updates

  1. Launch Autodesk Access from the Start Menu

    1. The application can also be launched from the icon in the System Tray

Autodesk Access in the Start Menu
Autodesk Access in the System Tray
  1. This will bring up the Autodesk Access window where available updates are listed and can be installed

  2. Some updates may require a system reboot. It is recommended to do one update at a time and wait for completion before proceeding.

Updates in Autodesk Access

Rhino

The School of Architecture now has a license for Rhino 8 available. The Rhino 7 license remains functional, and both Rhino 7 and Rhino 8 can run on a single computer. However, some Rhino plugins do not correctly install with both application versions present, and it is recommended to uninstall Rhino 7 before upgrading to Rhino 8.

Installing Rhino 7

Rhino 8 is available to all School of Architecture faculty and staff, and can be installed as a standard application through Software Center.

Uninstalling Rhino 7

School of Architecture faculty and staff with existing Rhino 7 installs will also have Rhino 7 listed in Software Center as an installed application.

To Uninstall Rhino 7

  1. Open Software Center to the Installation Status section

  2. Select Rhino 7

Rhino 7 in the Installation Status view of Software Center
Rhino 7 detail view in Software Center
  1. Press the Uninstall button to begin start the uninstall process

  2. Rhino 7 will launch a simple Uninstall wizard outside of Software Center

Starting the Uninstall process in Software Center
Rhino uninstall wizard
  1. Press Uninstall in the lower right, and wait for the uninstall process to complete

  2. Once complete, click the ‘Close’ button to close the uninstaller and finish the uninstall process.

Rhino Uninstaller complete
  1. Once the process is complete, Software Center will switch to showing an “Install” option to reinstall Rhino 7.

Note: If needed, Rhino 7 can be reinstalled for a short period after being uninstalled, but it will be removed from the Software Center within a week of uninstallation.

Rhino 7 available in Software Center