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Disguise User Guide

Designer Licensing FAQs

I. New Licensing Model Overview

What is changing with Designer licensing, and why is this happening?

Designer is transitioning to a tiered licensing model starting April 1st, 2025, which includes Designer Starter and Designer Pro. This change allows us to reinvest in the platform, delivering advanced features, including new plugin and AI capabilities, and ensuring greater stability and support for our users.

II. Transition for Existing Users

How will the transition process work for existing users?

Your current free Designer license will expire at midnight March 31st, 2025. You will have to select a new license type (either Starter or Pro). Designer Pro and Starter installers and subscription options can be found in Cloud dashboard. Designer Pro will be available from March 17th and managed through the Disguise Cloud dashboard. If you don’t already have a Cloud account, you’ll need to create one to continue using Designer. Read more about subscribing to Designer Pro here.

You will also need to activate your Designer Pro license using your Cloud account. Designer Starter does not require activation, but you must log in to Disguise Cloud in d3Manager when using Designer. License activation information can be found here.

Why do I need to activate a new Designer license if I already have one?

Previously, Designer licenses required renewal every six months. The current licenses will expire on April 1st, 2025, marking the transition to our new licensing model. All users will need to activate a new license to continue using Designer. You will be able to activate your new license from March 19th 2025.

Why do I need a Disguise Cloud account to access and activate my Designer license?

Managing licenses through Disguise Cloud allows for easier access, streamlined renewals, and better integration with other tools and services within the Disguise ecosystem, including Mapping Matter.

I’m already paying for Disguise Cloud, will there be a Disguise Cloud plus Designer Pro package?

We will be announcing Disguise Cloud and Designer Pro bundles later this year.

III. License Types and Features

What is the difference between Designer Starter and Designer Pro?

Designer Starter is designed for training and learning purposes and includes the current functionality of our Designer software with the exception of joining a session with Full Designer instances (Disguise media servers or machines with Designer Pro licenses). Designer Pro will also cover the full functionality of the software but with the ability to programme live projects, as well as edit them in real-time in a session with other Disguise servers or Pro license instances. Designer Pro will also include plugin and AI enhancements that will be released later this year.

For more info on Designer Pro, view the Designer Pro page. For more info on Designer Starter, view the Designer Starter page.

If I have a Disguise server, will my server license be impacted by these new pricing changes?

No. This new licensing model applies strictly to the Designer instance running on a laptop or PC. It will not impact the versions of Designer running directly on your Disguise servers.

What license do I need to join a session as an editor with a Disguise media server that has reached end of support and/or end of life i.e. the 4x4 or the Solo?

As outlined in the Product Lifecycle page, we will move hardware products that are no longer produced to end of support and/or end of life. This involves moving a product to a long term release model where we only fix show-critical issues that do not require large changes for 1 year.

Users will need to use a Pro license instance on a Disguise media server that has reached end of support and/or end of life in order to join a session as an editor when running a Designer software version later than the last supported version for that product. A table that outlines the compatibility on Disguise hardware and software products can be found here.

Will I lose access to my existing projects if I don’t purchase a Pro license?

No, your existing projects will remain accessible. If you switch to the Designer Starter, you’ll still be able to open and work on your projects using the software’s core features, however once saved in Starter, the project cannot be opened in Pro.

If I mistakenly open up a Designer project in Designer Starter, is there a way to recover it so it can be used on a server or in Designer Pro?

Designer will automatically take a backup of a non-Designer Starter project when it is first opened in Designer Starter, so you can easily revert to your previous project as it was.

IV. Education Use Cases

I work in Education and own Disguise products, has my license changed?

This new licensing model applies strictly to the Designer instance running on a laptop or PC. It will not impact the versions of Designer running directly on your Disguise servers. For licenses running on a laptop or PC please speak to your Account Manager about your change or email support@disguise.one.

I run Disguise training courses, what options do I have with this new scheme?

If your training course does not include use of a Disguise server then Designer Starter is ideal, as there is no restriction on core functionality. Students should sign up to Disguise Cloud, install Designer Starter, and then log in to d3Manager with their Disguise Cloud account.

If your training course includes the use of a Disguise server then there are two options:

  1. Install Designer Starter on the Disguise server and log in to d3Manager on the server with a Disguise Cloud account. All other Starter instances can then join a d3 session with the server. Note that an intermittent blue flash will be present on outputs.
  2. Students use Designer Pro. This will be required if you have a Disguise server which is an integral part of the teaching and watermarked output is not practical, for example because of use in assessments, productions, coursework, etc. In this case please contact your account manager so we can issue the appropriate licenses.

I’m a Certified Disguise Trainer and run courses on Disguise, am I expected to pay for Designer Pro?

All Disguise Certified Trainers will be given a Designer Pro subscription free of charge.

V. Managing Your License

Does Designer Pro require a dongle?

Designer Pro works with both a hardware dongle or software deployment for the license. There are pros and cons for each deployment method.

The software-based license has the benefit of not needing to manage physical keys, but transferring a license between machines requires checking a license in and out of the license depot. The physical dongle is easier to move between machines if they are co-located but can make sharing licenses more difficult across multiple locations.

If you deploy a license as software, it can be moved to a dongle later and vice versa.

USB license dongles can be purchased at the Disguise Store.

Will my existing dongle still work?

The Designer Pro license can be either loaded onto a dongle or used as a software license. In other words, your existing dongle is compatible to load on a Designer Pro license. If you have an existing dongle with a license that has been activated through the current free Disguise Cloud mechanism then this will expire on April 1st. If you have a pre-existing license on your dongle then it depends on the type of license which is loaded on. You can reach out to support@disguise.one to check this, giving the name of the license as listed in CodeMeter WebDepot.

Note that CodeMeter dongles with serial numbers starting with 2- are no longer supported, those starting with 3- are compatible for loading on the Designer license.

If I buy several licenses for my company, does everyone using the licenses need to be signed up to Disguise Cloud and in my Disguise Cloud organisation?

Once the licenses have been purchased, they can be managed in the Subscriptions section of Disguise Cloud by those with Admin, Owner, or Billing roles.

Admin, Owner, or Billing roles can share the Activation Code with a user outside their Cloud organisation via another method, this is not restricted.

There is a convenient Assign button in this tab to indicate which users in the Disguise Cloud organisation the license is for. However, this functionality is strictly for labelling purposes and does not restrict license usage to the assigned user.

Do I need to manage the license keys myself or will Disguise Cloud help me do this?

Disguise Cloud helps management of the license keys with the Notes and Assign features in the Subscriptions tab; however it is not mandatory to use these features.

Does the Assign function in Disguise Cloud lock that license to the user it has been assigned to?

No, the Assign feature is only available to Admin, Owner, and Billing roles for labelling and tracking purposes. It therefore does not restrict the license to only that user.

I was given a perpetual license in the past, will that still work?

Perpetual licenses were not commonly provided and so it is unlikely that your license is perpetual. The old licensing system displayed two product codes in CodeMeter:

  • One with a Product Code of 400. This had no expiry date, however the 400 license on its own does not enable Designer to run. It was used as an identifier for Designer to differentiate it from other license types.
  • One with a Product code of 100. This is the license which enables Designer to run, and usually has a time limit, displayed in the Valid Until field in CodeMeter. Older Disguise servers also have this code, but without a time-limit.

Going forwards, Designer Pro will have only one license entry in CodeMeter.

VI. Software Version Compatibility

What versions of Designer support the Designer Pro license?

The following Designer versions support the Designer Pro license: r29.3, r30.5, r31 and later.

I need to use a version of Designer between r18 and r29.2, what do I do?

When subscribing to Designer Pro your Designer Pro license activation codes will be available in your Disguise Cloud account. In addition, you will automatically receive an email with a second license which is valid for Designer versions between r18 and r29.2. At launch this license will be valid until June 30th; we will later send out a legacy license with an expiry to match the duration of your Pro subscription.

I need to use Designer r17 or earlier, what do I do?

Designer r17 and earlier releases use the older Designer Legacy license structure. This is not compatible with any license issued via Disguise Cloud. In this case, you will need to continue to use the Legacy license on a physical CodeMeter dongle. This process remains unchanged. Read more about older licenses on our Legacy Licenses page.

Please contact Disguise Support if you need to request or extend a Legacy license. These licenses are issued on a request-only basis.

VII. Support

Where can I find support if I have questions during the transition?

Our team is here to help! You can reply to any of our communications, reach out to your account manager, or contact our support team at support@disguise.one for assistance with licensing, activation, or understanding the new licensing changes.