Land Desktop is Dead!

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time, but with the release of 2013 products, Land Desktop is officially dead.  Autodesk has provided information about the transition here.  Apparently, no more activation codes or license files will be issued by Autodesk for Land Desktop.  If you get a new computer or your license server crashes, you won’t be able to run the software.

Migrating to Civil 3D from Land Desktop

For those of us who have moved to Civil 3D and have been enjoying the advantages, this is welcome news.  However, those still clinging on to Land Desktop are probably not jumping for joy.  No one likes change when it’s forced on them.  We all know that there’s something comforting about a technology that hasn’t changed in many, many years.

If you can find the time to make the change, you’ll find that there are a lot of advantages to Civil 3D over AutoCAD.  If you have not tried Civil 3D since some of the earlier releases, it may be time to try again since Autodesk has continually fixed a lot of the problems that limited Civil 3D’s usability.  What kinds of issues are keeping you from switching to Civil 3D?  If you’d like help or have questions about making the move, please contact us.

Portable License Utility

For those desperate to hold on to your Land Desktop license a little longer, the Portable License Utility (PLU) may be used to transfer a standalone license from one computer to another if you’re in need of a new computer.  Here’s how:

1. Install the same version of Land Desktop on the new computer.
2. In Windows, click Start->All Programs->Autodesk->Autodesk Land Desktop 200x->Portable License Utility.
3. In the Computers tab, note the Computer Name and Identification Code of the new computer.
4. On the old computer, launch the PLU.
5. In the Computers tab, Add the new Computer’s name and ID code.
6. In the Licenses tab, click the Export button.  Specify a location to save the file and click Transfer License.
7. Copy the .plu250 file to the new computer.
8. In Licenses tab on the new computer, click Import License.  Select Use transfer file, browse to the location of the file, click Import, and you’re done.

The PLU was notoriously problematic and has been replaced in newer versions by the Online License Transfer Utility.  If the new computer name changes or hardware changes, the license may become invalid.  The most reliable solution is to start using Civil 3D.