1

The SOFTIMAGE

|XSI

Setup program provides you with the options to install, license, and modify the various components of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software product.

To start the Setup program, see Chapter 2: Running the Setup Programs.

For the complete process of installing the XSI components, including render slave and network installations, see Chapter 3: Installing XSI.

For procedures on how to set up your license server, as well as requesting, installing and managing your license keys, see Chapter 4: Licensing.

To configure the XSI software and its environment, see Chapter 5: Configuring XSI.

To setup XSI for distributed rendering follow Chapter 6: Distributed Rendering.

To start XSI on the different supported platforms and to build your first project, see Chapter 7: Starting and Using XSI.

Appendix A contains a complete environments variable reference and Appendix B provides the system requirements for running XSI.

This chapter provides a checklist of issues that should be addressed prior to starting the installation or licensing process.

Before You Start

This section contains all the information that you need to know before you install or license SOFTIMAGE|XSI.

Running Setup


	When you are installing, do not copy the Setup program to a temporary directory. You must run the Setup program directly from the CD. For IRIX, the Setup program is not available on CD. Download XSI for IRIX and follow the instructions available from softimage.com > download. It is recommended that you disable any antiviral programs before running the network install for Windows.

Minimum Requirements

Make sure that the computer on which you are installing XSI meets all the minimum system requirements detailed in Appendix B: System Requirements on page 113.


	The computer hardware and software requirements for installing and running SOFTIMAGE\|XSI are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information on system requirements for XSI, visit softimage.com > support.

Network Time

Verify that the date and time is consistent on your network and configure your computers as time slaves of a time server. The Software Protection Manager (SPM) is very time-sensitive: if the time discrepancy is too great, you will get errors. For information on how to set network time, refer to the Windows OS Help or the IRIX or Linux man pages.

Computers Connected to the License Server

It is recommended that you not run memory-intensive activities on the SPM license server; you may lose the connection to the server, which results in corrupted renders.

If you lose the connection, a dialog box appears in which you can choose to Retry the connection, Abort the process, or Save the scene currently loaded in XSI.

If this is a recurring problem, it’s probably because the server’s memory is swapping repeatedly, causing the license server to lose its connection to the hardware key.

To avoid this situation, either add more RAM to the SPM server or move the SPM server to a computer that will not be used for rendering or other intensive applications.

Installing TCP/IP

The TCP/IP service is required for the SPM license server to communicate with the clients running XSI. TCP/IP should be installed on your system before running the XSI Setup program. If you choose not to install TCP/IP first, you can still install XSI but you will not be able to run it until you install TCP/IP.

	The TCP/IP service is installed by default on IRIX and Linux systems.

In the case of a Windows-based standalone machine (with no network adapter and, therefore, no TCP/IP service installed and running), you can install the Microsoft Loopback Adapter to allow for this comunication. See Installation Troubleshooting for information on how to install the adapter.

User Accounts and Privileges

To install components for XSI, you must be logged on as Administrator (or super user). To run XSI, however, you should log on as a valid user (see section below for choosing the proper user privileges).

This ensures that your installation isn’t inadvertently compromised and that your work is not at risk when updates are made to XSI. It also ensures that files such as layouts and project lists, which are saved in the user’s home directory, are properly protected.

User Privileges on Windows

To run XSI on Windows NT 4.0, you can be a User, Power user, or Administrator. To install and license, XSI you must be Administrator.

To run XSI on Windows 2000, you can be a Restricted user (Users), Standard user (Power Users), or Administrator, but to install plug-ins such as SPDL and add-ons, you must be a Standard user. To install and license XSI, you must be Administrator.

To run the Command and Object Model Reference (available from the script and scripted operator editor) or any of the HTML documentation on the Documentation CD for the first time, you must be a Standard user or Administrator because the Windows registry is updated.

Once it is run and the registry is updated, you can use the documentation as a Restricted user.

User Privileges on Linux and IRIX

To run XSI on Linux, you must be a Normal user (this includes the installation of plug-ins such as SPDL and add-ons). To install and license XSI, you must be super user.

Logging On

Windows

Log on as an administrator or in a user account that has administrator privileges.

You require administrative privileges to modify registry keys, remove and /or install system drivers, as well as to start and stop services such as the SPM License Server.

If you are not logged on as an administrator during installation, the Setup program displays an error message and fails.

IRIX and Linux

Log on as a super user. You require super user privileges to modify system files and boot scripts:

Default TCP port 7050 (required by the licensing software)

spm: a file in /etc/init.d/ that is required to start and stop the SPM daemon during a reboot.

S96spm: a file in /etc/rc2.d that is required to start and stop the SPM daemon during a reboot.

sispm: a file in /etc/config/ that is required to control the configuration state of the etc/init.d/sispm script with chkconfig (IRIX Only). For Linux, you can use chkconfig but there is no etc/config/ directory.

On Linux, make sure that the CD-ROM drive is mounted. If this mount point does not exist, then use Linux Disk Management to mount the drive.

Make sure that you have a .tmp directory and an environment that points to it. This directory is used for temporary files during installation.

Connecting the Hardware Key (Windows and Linux Only)

XSI for Windows and Linux comes with a hardware key (dongle). Before you begin the Setup program for XSI, you must connect the hardware key to the appropriate port of your computer.

If you’re upgrading from a previous version, make sure that it is already connected to the proper port of each designated license server. For details refer to the Licensing section of the Read Me First letter in your XSI package.

Multiple Hardware Keys

If you receive more than one hardware key from various Softimage product packages, please make sure you use only one on the same license server. Make requests for all your licenses by referencing a single hardware key: the SPM license daemon can communicate with only one key at a time.

Installing Different Softimage Packages on the Same Machine

Running SOFTIMAGE|3D and XSI on the same machine

There should be no problem with running SOFTIMAGE|3D and SOFTIMAGE|XSI on the same machine.

Running XSI versions on the same machine

If you run multiple versions of XSI on the same machine, make sure to install the most current version after you install version 1.0, 1.5x. or 2.0x.

Upgrading from SOFTIMAGE|3D to XSI

SOFTIMAGE|3D and each version of XSI are all separate packages. Earlier versions do not need to be installed to install the latest version.

Running with SOFTIMAGE|3D

If you are running SOFTIMAGE|3D and XSI on IRIX or Linux, sourcing both the .softimage39 and .xsi_3.0 files in the .cshrc file can lead to conflicts. For more information, see Starting from an IRIX Shell.

Distributed rendering with SOFTIMAGE|3D and XSI

When you install XSI or SOFTIMAGE|3D, you are prompted to choose a TCP/IP port number over which mental ray® communicates. As long as the port number used is the same on all machines for the product and version you installed, distributed rendering will work. See Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray for more information.


Machine A	Machine B
XSI v1.5.3 — port 7002	XSI v1.5.3 — port 7002
XSI v2.0.2 — port 7003	XSI v2.0.2 — port 7003
SI\|3D v3.92 — port 7004	SI\|3D v3.92 — port 7004

Installation and Licensing Checklist

Introduction