From http://autodesk.com/softimagemanualactivation
Software Retirement Notice
In order to maintain a high level of support for our Autodesk® Softimage® software customers moving forward, please be advised that historical versions of Softimage products (versions prior to Autodesk Softimage 7.5) will be retired effective August 1, 2011. If you intend to move a historical version of Softimage from one workstation to another, please do so prior to the retirement date to make sure that you will be able to re-activate your license.To learn more about getting current with Softimage, please visit: http://www.autodesk.com/softimage.
eX-SI 
Will this also change the so-called “Previous Use” conditions? And, if so, when and how? 😉
Nope, it won’t.
Previous use gives you rights to use the previous three versions.
Current version is 2012. You have previous version rights for 2011, 2010, and 7.5.
I probably misunderstand something, but the “previous use” page in the Subscription Center states: “Autodesk Subscription customers may now use previous versions up to three releases back from the 2009 product release up to the total number of licenses of the product currently under Subscription.”
???
To highlight that a little better: “three release BACK from the 2009 product release”
I’m not sure what page you mean, but it sounds like an out-of-date page.
If you are on Subscription and have previous version usage rights, you can use the current version, or any of the three previous versions.
In the Sub Center, the Subscription Program Guide page says “Customer may install and use up to three Previous Versions back from the most current version”
That’s weird, if I go to my Subscription Center NOW and go to “Downloads > Product Enhancements > Autodesk Softimage Previous Downloads”, this is what I get:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/ss20110603170114.jpg/
Just to show I am not making this up…
Are there any more Autodesk pages that cannot be trusted?
Let’s quickly at least add a smilie: 😉
Okay, I concede: what you say is obviously true (“FAQ: Software Upgrades for Autodesk Subscription Customers”) but it’s “weird” that the page I referenced didn’t get thrown out at the same time…
Sorry for bothering you!
No problem. I can’t get to that same page; -)
After I click Product Enhancements, I just have a long list of downloads (for many products, because I have a general “Autodesk” account). So I don’t have a Previous Softimage Downloads link.
Yes, this proves once again, the Subscription Center is a mysterious place… I guess the announced next maintenance of the Subscription Center will clear the offending page once and for all…
😉
Um. I’m a user of XSI 6.1 FND. I will never upgrade since it costs waaay too much, and I don’t want to be on the never-ending upgrade treadmill. Does this mean that in a few months, if I re-install my PC and wish to have XSI 6.1 on it, that Autodesk will not send me a license key?
Hi Anthony
Yes, I’m afraid that is what the “retirement” effectively means: after 1 August, there won’t be any licensing support any more.
You said they will no longer activate XSI 6 for users. Is that legal? Is that even reasonable? We’re not talking support, just activation. This is not due to the user but to copy protection standards of autodesk.
Anything before XSI 7 was an Avid product, not an Autodesk product, and Autodesk was reasonable in that they provided licensing services for those Avid products for over 2.5 years.
But we spent hundreds of dollars on this software. We’re not some big studio or corporation that has a budget to support upgrading to the latest and greatest. We’re not asking for free software, we’re asking to be able to continue to use something we already purchased for a not insubstantial amount of money.
@xsisupport:
i spend a few hundred euros, too… for my v7.01 – still used of course.
so, you’re telling us here that adsk spend 2,5 years support an old licencing scheme just to suddendly quit supporting it… ???! you had time enough to come up with a regular serial licence without any webcheck. cheap compared to 2,5 years heavy support for us old-timers, right?!
anyway, i think that’s a pretty illegal act on your side! – is v7.01 free as opensource?!
i mean, there’s still that patch everybody knows nothin’ about…
cheers and good luck with your adsk-customers.
robert
ps: i’m using my i-button dongle ’till i drop! 😉
Shoot. My hard drive died yesterday, 4 days after this “retirement date” I’ve stuck with 7.01 as it is all I currently need. Time for a call to Autodesk.
Autodesk customer service staff do not know anything about Avid products or how those products are licensed.
Bummer, they could at least have bothered to send out an email (assuming they got emails of customers during aquisition) or announce it better on CGTalk and various forums.
I agree with the negative comments above. Basically Autodesk buys good programs and then gives bad customer service. I started with 3D Studio (DOS!) back in 1995 when it was still owned by the designers (Yost, etc). Then it was purchased by Autodesk and it was all downhill from there. After upgrading 4 times in 4 years nearly $800 each time) and having to stand on my head while juggling faxes to authorize each dongle, I vowed never to buy Autodesk products again. I found Maxon’s Cinema 4D much more intuitive anyway. However, I purchased SoftImage XSI Essentials 5.11 BEFORE they were purchased by AutoDesk as a supplemental tool. Unfortunately, Autodesk/SoftImage XSI uses a blue iButton dongle which I accidentally smooshed when moving my office workstation around yesterday. It is not a huge loss because I never really used XSI that much (now mainly use Cinema 4D Studio (& moving towards a little Blender to avoid the license upgrade treadmill)).
However, I wanted to keep all my paid-for 3D tools available ‘just in case’ and was dumbfounded to find out today that AutoDesk no longer supports re-activation of a 2006 product with “permanent” license. I suppose I can try and solder the dongle, but now I just want this dirty little software off my computer! So much for AutoDesk keeping their word about a ‘permanent’ license (yes, I was obviously at fault for breaking the dongle accidentally, but it WAS accidental, and the software worked until yesterday, and I never wanted a dongle in the first place — just the software.
If you need a replacement dongle/license for your copy of Avid Softimage XSI, please contact me offline (xsisupport at hotmail dot com) and we’ll try to work something out.