Software Licensing Guide

Audience: paid users, distributors, after-sales and pre-sales engineers of Lixel Studio / LCC Studio / LCC Linux. Scope: activation code application, SN entry, dongle usage, device migration, version differences, and troubleshooting common activation failures.

Licensing Methods at a Glance

Note:

• Version distinction criterion: the online and offline installation packages differ.
• A trial activation code, with a minimum term of 7 days, can be requested for each software; contact sales or a distributor.
• The P1 device does not need a Lixel Studio activation code, so none can be obtained or requested.

Clarifying Core Concepts

SN, machine code, and activation code

Relationships:

• Lixel Studio: one capture device SN → apply for 3 activation codes → each activation code activates one computer (bound to the machine code).
• LCC Studio online permanent: one account capture device → apply for 1 activation code → the activation code binds to the account → the account can be logged in on at most 2 computers at the same time.

Activation code vs dongle

Free version vs permanent version

• Free version (provided for both Lixel Studio and LCC Studio): download and use after registering an XGRIDS account; features are limited, suited to entry-level trials and teaching demos.
• Permanent version: full features, requires purchasing an activation code or dongle.

For the detailed feature differences, refer to the product page or official manual of the corresponding software; this article does not list them item by item.

Lixel Studio Licensing

Free version

• Download from the official website, register an XGRIDS account, and log in to use.
• Feature scope: basic features such as point cloud viewing and editing, format conversion, plane drawing, and export are available; the engineering processing and Map Fusion features are greyed out.
• Does not consume an activation code.

Permanent version application process

1. Purchase a capture device (K1 / K2 / L2 Pro / L3) and record the device SN.
2. View the full SN in Lixel Go to avoid manual transcription errors.
3. Submit a form online to apply for a permanent activation code, or have sales provide one.
4. After receiving the activation code, open the latest version of Lixel Studio from the official website, go to Settings → License Activation, and enter the activation code to complete activation.

Note: Each capture device SN can apply for 3 permanent activation codes, which can be assigned to up to 3 computers. After the software is activated, reinstalling or updating the version does not affect the license, and no re-activation is needed.

Migrating to another computer

Version requirement: this feature is available only in versions of Lixel Studio that support license migration and above.

Transfer-out steps (on the original computer):

1. Open Lixel Studio, go to Settings → License Activation → Transfer Out → Generate, and confirm the export location in the pop-up.
2. Export the text file (.txt) containing the new activation code and keep it safe.
3. Once done, the license on the original computer becomes invalid automatically and immediately reverts to the free version.

Transfer-in steps (on the new computer):

4. Use the exported new activation code to complete activation on the new computer.

Note: License migration has no count limit and does not change the license's original validity period. If the software was activated in an earlier version, the transfer-out may fail, in which case contact your sales manager for a new activation code.

Note: If you uninstall the software, format the disk, or skip the "Generate" path-save step before transferring out, the original activation code cannot be unbound or recovered. In that case, use another available activation code, or contact sales to request a new one.

SN entry rules

• You must use the SN of a purchased device; for borrowed test devices or trial software, contact sales (the distributor or the owner of the lent device) for a trial activation code.
• The SN is case-sensitive and must not contain spaces.
• Distinguish the letter O from the digit 0, the letter I from the digit 1, and the letter l from the digit 1.
• Devices for the Chinese mainland region must be activated with the Chinese version of Lixel Studio, and international-region devices outside the Chinese mainland must be activated with the English version; a version mismatch will prompt an SN error.

LCC Studio Licensing

Version matrix

Free version notes

• Download, log in, and use after registering an XGRIDS account.
• No extra purchase and no activation code needed.

Online version

Core rules:

• Uses account / activation code licensing by duration.
• The activation code is bound to the account; the same account can be logged in on at most 2 computers at the same time.
• No migration is needed when changing computers; just log in to the same account on the new computer.
• An online check is required (for first activation and for daily logins).

Changing-computer scenarios:

• With 2 or fewer logged-in devices: just log in with the same account on the new computer, no migration needed.
• Already logged in on 2 devices, need to use a 3rd: after logging in on the 3rd, a prompt says the maximum device count is exceeded; log out of the other devices and try again.

Note: The LCC Studio permanent online version uses 1 activation code bound to the account; the same account can be logged in on at most 2 computers at the same time. No migration is needed when changing computers; just log in to the same account on the new computer.

Offline version

Core rules:

• The license duration information is stored on the dongle (USB Dongle) itself, and the Codemeter software must be installed for the software to recognize it.
• When the dongle is plugged into any computer, that computer can use LCC Studio, with no machine code binding, no account binding, and no network required.
• When changing computers, just unplug the dongle and plug it into the new computer; no migration needed.
• One dongle can activate only one computer at a time (the one it is plugged into).

Applicable scenarios:

• Work environments that cannot connect to a network, such as confidential sites and intranet machines.
• Scenarios requiring frequent changes of the working computer.
• Cases where the customer has concerns about binding the license to an account or machine.

Additional notes:

• The offline version has the same features as the online version and shares the same manual.
• The offline software package and manual are not provided separately to the public; obtain them through sales.
• The free version does not need a dongle; only the permanent version involves a dongle.

Note: The LCC Studio offline version is licensed via a USB dongle; plug the dongle into any computer to use it on that computer. No migration is needed when changing computers; just unplug the dongle and plug it into the new computer to continue. Only one computer can be activated at a time (the one the dongle is plugged into).

First-time dongle use

Basic steps:

1. Install Codemeter and plug the dongle into a USB port on the computer.
2. Start LCC Studio (offline version).
3. Once the software detects the dongle, licensing is complete, with no activation code needed.

Troubleshooting order when it is not recognized:

1. Change the USB port (avoid USB hubs; prefer a port directly on the motherboard).
2. Confirm in Device Manager whether the dongle is recognized as a USB device.
3. Run LCC Studio as administrator.
4. Confirm that the driver required for the corresponding dongle model is installed.
5. If startup prompts "Running this software requires a Codemeter license", download and install Codemeter from the Wibu official website and retry.
6. If it still cannot be recognized, submit a technical support request, attaching a photo of the dongle model and a Device Manager screenshot.

LCC Linux Licensing

The LCC Linux version is privately deployed as Docker containers and uses CodeMeter licensing; its license model differs from the Windows desktop version.

Licensing mechanism

• Select one machine in the private data center as the license server (Windows or Linux supported).
• The number of license points imported on the license server is the number of reconstruction containers that can run concurrently: import N license points to support N LCC containers running at the same time.
• Containers on each compute server request a license from the license server at startup and automatically return it when they finish; the license can be reused by subsequent tasks.
• There are two kinds of license carrier:
  • USB dongle: provided by XGRIDS; plug it into the license server to use.
  • Soft license: when a dongle cannot be used, XGRIDS generates and binds it to the hardware characteristics of a specified server.
• License durations include 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and permanent, licensed by the number of purchased license nodes. When a user's license expires, they can continue to apply and purchase, with no need to redeploy.

Applicable scenarios for online vs offline licensing

Note: Offline licensing is for private data centers that cannot connect to the external network; licensing is distributed by the license server inside the data center, with no public-network access needed.

Usage notes

• Soft license is hardware-bound: the soft license is bound to the hardware characteristics of the license server and cannot be migrated to another machine. If deployed on a virtual machine, keep the host physical machine and its main hardware (CPU, motherboard, network card, etc.) unchanged, otherwise the license will become invalid.
• Keep license files safe: keep every delivered license upgrade file. If the license becomes invalid due to reinstalling the system or similar, re-import all license files in delivery order to recover.
• Single license server: deploy the license service only on the selected license server; the other compute servers should not install the CodeMeter runtime, to avoid interfering with containers obtaining the network license normally.
• Network connectivity: each compute server must be able to access the license server's license service port; keeping containers in the default bridge network mode is recommended to ensure normal communication with the license server.
• License release: a license is released automatically within a few minutes after a container ends normally; if a container terminates abnormally, the license is released after the configured timeout, or can be released manually on the license server.

Note: For the specific deployment steps and environment configuration, refer to the official deployment documentation for the LCC Linux version, or contact XGRIDS technical support.

Common Errors and Troubleshooting

Lixel Studio online activation code application prompts "Please enter a valid SN"

Troubleshooting order:

1. Check for extra spaces before or after the SN.
2. Check whether the letter O was confused with the digit 0, the letter I with the digit 1, or the letter l with the digit 1.
3. Confirm the device is a purchased device (borrowed test devices need a trial activation code).
4. Confirm the Chinese / English version matches (domestic and international devices must correspond).
5. If all the above are correct but it still fails, submit a technical support request with an SN screenshot.

Handling the original Lixel Studio activation code when migration was not done before changing computers

The original activation code cannot be unbound or recovered. There are two ways to handle it:

• Use another unused activation code (each device has 3 in total).
• If all 3 activation codes are used up, contact sales to request a new activation code or a reissue plan.

Dongle not recognized

Troubleshooting order:

1. Confirm the dongle driver is installed.
2. Change the USB port (avoid USB hubs; prefer a port directly on the motherboard).
3. Confirm in Device Manager whether the dongle is recognized.
4. Run the software as administrator.
5. If prompted that a Codemeter license is needed, download and install Codemeter from the Wibu official website and retry.
6. If it still cannot be resolved, submit a technical support request.

Wrong Chinese / English version installed

• Chinese mainland region device SNs must use the Chinese version of Lixel Studio / LCC Studio.
• International-region device SNs outside the Chinese mainland must use the English version.
• Installing the wrong version will prompt an SN error; uninstall and reinstall the correct language version.

Free version features greyed out and unavailable

• An invalid or expired license reverts to the free version.
• Some features are exclusive to the permanent version and are not included in the free version.
• The feature scope of the free version is subject to the announcement on the corresponding software's product page.
• To use permanent-version features, purchase a permanent activation code or dongle.

Cases Requiring Manual Handling

The following cases need to be escalated to technical support for manual handling:

• All activation codes are used up for an unknown reason.
• The dongle is damaged or lost.
• The customer's purchase record does not match the SN.
• A prompt says "The activation code has been used", but the customer states it was never activated.
• A temporary trial license needs to be requested (for borrowed testing, evaluation, or demo).
• A system-level abnormality occurs (black screen, crash, unresponsive interface).

Technical support entry: https://www.xgrids.com/intl/technical-support

Glossary

• SN (Serial Number): the device serial number, the identity marker of a capture device.
• Machine code: the computer hardware fingerprint, by which the software binds the license.
• Activation code / registration code: the string license credential of the software.
• Dongle: a software license carrier in the form of USB hardware.
• License migration: the official Lixel Studio process for transferring a license from the original computer to a new computer.
• Codemeter: the runtime component that dongle (Dongle) licensing relies on, provided by Wibu.