Media & Entertainment Collection

Questions and Answers

Introduction
The Media & Entertainment Collection includes all the tools customers need to build a powerful and scalable 3D
pipeline for complex effects, animation, and rendering.

Overview
1. What is included in the Media & Entertainment Collection?

The following products are included in a subscription to the Media & Entertainment Collection:

• Maya (includes the ability to run Bifrost on up to 15 machines)

• 3ds Max
• Arnold (5-pack)
• Mudbox
• MotionBuilder
• ReCap Pro
• Character Generator (as part of the point products in the Collection)

Additionally, Media & Entertainment Collection subscribers gain Cloud Rights, which grant access to run
remote batch functionality via multiple computers over the internet. For more on Cloud Rights, review
the Cloud Rights FAQ on Autodesk Knowledge Network.

2. What kind of workflows are best suited for the Media & Entertainment Collection?

The Media & Entertainment Collection is ideal for film, TV, and games customers who enjoy flexibility and
options when it comes to content creation, and who may need multiple tools at their disposal at any given
time. VFX and animation workflows are bolstered with the addition of Cloud Rights through Maya and 3ds
Max, access to an Arnold 5-pack, and the ability to run Bifrost for Maya on up to 15 machines. Cloud Rights
and Arnold help provide more rendering capacity and added instances of Bifrost make it easier to process
large-scale simulations.

3. What are Arnold Packs?

Arnold Packs are multiple Arnold renderer licenses bundled together, which customers can use locally or on
the cloud. See Question 6 below for more details on how customers can access the 5-pack with a Media &
Entertainment Collection subscription.

Standalone Arnold packs of 5, 25, or 100 licenses are also available with built-in discounts based on pack
size. For more information, customers can refer to the Arnold Subscription Packs FAQ on Autodesk
Knowledge Network.
4. How do the additional instances of Bifrost in the collection work?

Bifrost is a portable visual programming environment that allows customers to create procedural
simulations and build new tools and workflows in Maya. The Bifrost command-line tool (bifcmd) makes it
possible to run Bifrost simulations, process geometry, and any other non-interactive graph, outside of Maya.
In the case of the Media & Entertainment Collection, customers can run 15 instances of Bifrost outside of
Maya using bifcmd. For more information, please refer to the special terms here.

To learn more about how the Bifrost command-line tool works, customers can read the
Bifcmd, Bifrost Engine, and Bifrost Compute Jobs Explained article on AREA.

Availability & Order Processing

5. Where is the Media & Entertainment Collection available for purchase?

The Media & Entertainment Collection is available for purchase at Autodesk.com or through an Autodesk-
authorized reseller.

6. What options are available to customers for accessing Arnold in the Media & Entertainment Collection?

If customers buy a named user Media & Entertainment Collection subscription at Autodesk.com, they get a
single-user Arnold license which they can download and use on 5 separate machines. Read the Special
Terms for Arnold Entitlement with the Media & Entertainment Collection for more details.

If customers buy a named user Media & Entertainment collection subscription from an Autodesk-authorized
reseller, they have the choice between receiving an Arnold single-user license (which shows up in their
Autodesk Account as one license, but can be used on 5 separate machines, as described above) or a 5-pack
of Arnold multi-user licenses. The option to get multi-user licenses in place of the single-user license is only
available if customers buy from an Autodesk-authorized reseller and does not apply if they buy at
Autodesk.com. Customers must choose the single-user license or the 5-pack of multi-user licenses and
cannot use both with their subscription.

If a customer currently has a multi-user Media & Entertainment Collection subscription, they can continue to
get the 5-pack of multi-user Arnold subscriptions, which are embedded within the license file. However,
they are then not eligible to receive an additional, separate 5-pack of multi-user Arnold subscriptions as
well.

Note: For updated details on how to process the Arnold 5-pack in the M&E Collection, see Question 12.

7. What is the difference between single-user and multi-user Arnold licenses?

With a single-user subscription, it’s possible for customers to simply sign into their Autodesk Account to
access and start using Arnold. Single-user subscriptions require the Autodesk license to be assigned to a
single “named” user. Whereas multi-user access allows licenses to be shared across multiple workstations
using a network license server, a single-user license can only be used by the named user. With single-user
access, customers need to connect to the Internet every 30 days and sign into the software so that Autodesk
can verify that the subscription is still current as well as keep the software up to date. There is an in-product
reminder 3 days prior to having to reconnect.
8. Can a single-user Arnold license included with a subscription to the Media & Entertainment Collection be
assigned to different users?

No. While customers can use a single-user Arnold license on up to 5 separate machines, they may only
assign the single-user license to one “named” user. This user must be the same across all the products
included in the collection, including Maya and 3ds Max. With a multi-user subscription, they may share their
Arnold 5-pack across multiple workstations and users. For more information on Arnold access and usage,
customers can see the special terms for Arnold in the Media & Entertainment Collection.

9. Which type of license should customers get if they want to use Arnold on a render farm?

If a customer plans to use Arnold on a render farm, multi-user licenses are the best choice for them. An
Arnold single-user license is best if they are an individual artist or small studio rendering on a local network
of workstations.

10. If a customer’s Media & Entertainment Collection subscription is up for renewal, however their initial
subscription purchase was not through an Autodesk-authorized reseller, how can they get the Arnold 5-
pack upon renewal?

If a customer’s subscription to the Media & Entertainment Collection is up for renewal, and they are
interested in the multi-user Arnold 5-pack, they must contact an Autodesk-authorized reseller prior to their
renewal date to determine if they are eligible. If they are eligible, they will need to cancel the automatic
renewal in their Autodesk Account. Instructions for cancelling an automatic renewal can be found here.
Then, a new subscription to the Media & Entertainment Collection, which includes the Arnold 5-pack, can be
processed by an Autodesk-authorized reseller.

11. Is the Arnold 5-pack with the Media & Entertainment Collection available for sale worldwide?

Yes, the Arnold 5-pack with the Media & Entertainment Collection is available for sale worldwide.

12. What are the upcoming changes in processing new and renewal orders of the Media & Entertainment
Collection, including the multi-user Arnold 5-pack?

As of June 7, 2022, Autodesk will retire the $0 Arnold – M&E Collection Bundle SKUs, and re-introduce
separate New and Renewal $0 subscription SKUs to support the multi-user Arnold 5-pack as part of the
single-user Media & Entertainment Collection subscription. See Question 13 for more details.

13. Does this change how I process new and renewal orders of the Media & Entertainment Collection
subscription?

Yes, as of June 7, 2022, for new orders you must select the newly created New $0 SKU (Commercial New
Multi-User Annual Subscription - M&E Collection Bundle). Please refer to the June 7, 2022, price list.

For subsequent renewals, the new $0 Renewal SKU (Commercial Renewal Multi-User Annual Subscription -
M&E Collection Bundle) will automatically be included in your sales opportunity.
 Please note:
• The manual order entry process remains for the initial order only. What is changing is that this
manual flow will no longer be needed for the renewal due to the $0 Renewal SKU
implementation.
• The SKUs will only be available on the channel price list and can only be processed by an
Autodesk-authorized reseller.
• These orders must be entered in increments of 5 (e.g., 5, 10, 15…) for the correct pricing to
work. Client services will then submit a request to pricing operations to ensure the increments
are setup.
• The Media & Entertainment Collection with Arnold bundle SKUs will show 0 for all quantities,
meaning there is no quantity tied to triggering the 100% discount. However, orders will still
need to be submitted in multiples of 5.

14. Does this change how I process renewals for existing M&E Collection subscriptions?

Yes, for these renewals you must use the newly created New $0 SKU and at the time of the next renewal,
the new $0 Renewal SKU will automatically be included in your sales opportunity.

Switching to the Media & Entertainment Collection

15. If customers have a subscription for a standalone product (such as 3ds Max or Maya), can they switch to
the Media & Entertainment Collection?

Yes, customers can switch from standalone products to the Media & Entertainment Collection. For more
information on making the switch, they must contact their Autodesk-authorized reseller.

Support
16. How can customers get support for technical or licensing questions?

If customers need support, they can log into their Autodesk Account and create a case in the Support
Requests section. They can also refer to Autodesk Knowledge Network for information on licensing.

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other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not
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