Installation for administrators

Create deployments from the classic installer


For most Autodesk Windows-based product releases of 2021 or earlier, use the classic installer to create deployments. For product releases of 2022 and later, create deployments from your Autodesk account; see Create deployments from Autodesk Account.

 

Note: A few Autodesk product releases earlier than 2022 also support deployments from Autodesk Account:

  • 3ds Max 2021
  • Maya 2020
  • Maya LT 2020
  • Revit 2021.1
  • VRED 2021

Set deployment options

  1. Name the administrative image to be created during deployment. Choose a name that uniquely identifies the deployment and clearly differentiates it from other deployments.
  2. Browse to the network share folder you created for the administrative image and enter the unique name there.
  3. Decide whether to include only those products that the configuration requires. If you select this option, you can't modify the deployment to include other products later. If you don't select it, you can modify the administrative image.
  4. Choose whether to run installations in silent mode. If you run in silent mode, people have no visibility into the deployment when products are installed on their computers.
  5. Choose whether to create a log file in the Temp folder for each computer. If you create a log file, people can access the file to review and troubleshoot their own installations.
  6. Choose whether to create a network log file in a central location. Use this file to review data from all installations. If you create a network log file, put it in a shared folder and give people read/write access.

Provide product and licence information

After you review and accept the Autodesk software licence agreement, you can enter product and licence information.

  1. If a language choice is available for your product, select it.
  2. Specify your licence type. For most deployments, the licence type is Network.
    • Choose Autodesk ID to allow named users to access a licence with their Autodesk Account.
    • Choose Serial Number (standalone) to use a serial number and product key for a licence assigned to a device.
    • Choose Network if you're using the Network Licence Manager (NLM) software to manage product licences on your network workstations.
      • Specify the network licence you've chosen: single licence, distributed licence, or redundant licence.
      • Then, browse to select the server on which you previously installed NLM.

Customise product installation

When you create a deployment, you can accept the default settings for any product you install or configure the settings to create a custom deployment. Configuration settings apply to every installed instance of the product. After you create the deployment, you can't change these settings unless you modify the deployment.

Note: To understand the configuration options for each product, read the product Installation Supplement in the product Help. Review these supplements to determine the right settings for each product in your deployment.

  1. Select which products to install. In addition to the primary product, other suggested products may be preselected. Deselect these suggestions to remove them from your deployment.
  2. If you're asked to select an installation type, choose Typical or Custom.
    • Typical. The product is installed with the default options.
    • Custom. The product is installed with the options you choose and configure. Some examples of configurable options are user preferences for product behaviour, installation of support files, and access to online resources.
  3. (Optional) Install other software components from Autodesk or third-party vendors. To install these components, add their EXE or MSI files to a special table provided in the installer.

Include other software

  1. Sign in to Autodesk Account at manage.autodesk.com.
  2. From All Products and Services, locate and download each update to include in the deployment.
  3. Start the installer and select Create A Deployment. Or, if you already have a deployment, go to the Tools folder in the product deployment folder and run Create & Modify A Deployment.
  4. Click Add and select each update executable you downloaded from Account.;
  5. Add a name.
  6. Add command line parameters, as needed, in the Command Line Parameters field. For example, if you want to install an MSI silently without notifications, add /quiet.
    Note: See the product documentation for supported command line parameters.
  7. Click the arrow to close the window.
  8. Continue until the deployment creation or modification is complete.
  9. On the client computer, start the deployment installation.
  10. After the product is installed, open it and check the version in Help > About. Then select the Product Information dialogue box. You should see the updated product version, indicating that the updates have been successfully installed along with the product deployment.

Select updates

  1. Sign in to your account at manage.autodesk.com.
  2. Go to Products and Services > Product Updates.
  3. Review available updates for each product and select those you want to download.

Distribute the deployment

To install the deployment on a workstation, either run the installation manually using the provided batch file, or use a tool such as Microsoft Configuration Manager (see Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager documentation.

Test the deployment

Before you distribute products to workstations, run the deployment on a test workstation to make sure that everything is working properly.

  1. Using a typical user profile, sign in to a client machine with a profile that hasn’t got admin permissions.
  2. Run the product to verify that:  
    • There are no licensing errors.
    • Major features critical to your work are functioning as expected.
    • All updates, customisations and add-ons have been correctly applied.

Need help? Ask the Autodesk Assistant!

The Assistant can help you find answers or contact an agent.


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