Frequently asked questions: Analysis and Design subscription licensing

The core difference between the two is that a subscription is priced on a yearly basis and is an on-going subscription that includes support, upgrades, and access to the online services. A perpetual software license is paid up-front. A yearly maintenance fee then grants access to support and upgrades.

All Tekla products can be purchased as subscription. Products sold as annual recurring subscriptions are:

• Tekla Tedds
• Tekla Structural Designer
• Tekla Structural Design Suite
• Tekla Power Fab
• Tekla Structures
• Tekla Model Sharing
• Trimble Connect

For a quote contact your local Tekla distributor.

• Tekla Tedds
• Tekla Structural Designer LT

• Tekla Structural Designer
• Tekla Portal Frame Designer *
• Tekla Connection Designer *

*Only applicable for UK, Singapore and Malaysia design

• Tekla Tedds
• Tekla Structural Designer
• Tekla Portal Frame Designer *
• Tekla Connection Designer *

*Only applicable for UK, Singapore and Malaysia design

• Software version updates and service releases 
• Local Tekla Helpdesk software support by email, phone, or support request form
• Online software support 24/7 and access to support articles
• Online community access to Tekla forums

Subscription products are associated with your Tekla Online Organization. By default, anybody with a Trimble Identity that belongs to your organization can use a subscription license. Using the Tekla Online Admin tool your administrator can manage access for specific subscription licenses by assigning them to users.

The purchase of a single product suite entitles you to use multiple products, however, the separate products in the suite are locked together so if you use one of the products in the suite, the licenses for all the other products in the suite are automatically assigned to you as well. 

Yes. All subscription licenses are Enterprise licenses which can be used in any country or region.

Contact your local Tekla distributor and they will help you.

Our subscriptions are annual subscriptions, renewed yearly. 

Contact your sales representative and they will walk you through how you can swap your perpetual licenses to subscriptions and get the added value right away.

From 11th of March 2020, Tekla Tedds, Tekla Structural Designer, and the Tekla Structural Design Suite will be available as subscription only.

When payment for a subscription product is authorized, your licenses are automatically delivered to your Tekla Online Organization and you can start using your Tekla software immediately. Watch Managing your Tekla Subscriptions to see how your users gain access to your subscription licenses.

Your company’s Main Delivery and Main Technical contacts will receive an email notifying them that the license is now available in your Tekla Online Organization. 

Use the Tekla Online Admin Tool to view and manage all your organization’s online licenses. To use this tool, you must have Tekla Online administrator rights within your Tekla Online Organization. You can also view My Licenses to see which licenses are available to you personally. 

Usually, you have multiple license entries under Your Licenses in your Tekla Online Profile. The ones ending in Maintenance are to allow you access to our support and services while the others are used to allow software use.

Tekla online licensing is an online digital rights service which is used by Tekla’s desktop applications and online services to verify that you are entitled to use our applications and services. 

When installing a product, you are asked to choose which license method to use. Select Tekla Online.
If you have already installed the product and you need to change the licensing method:

1. Press the Windows Key on your keyboard and start typing System and User settings.

2. Click on System and User settings when it appears in the Windows Start menu. 

3. Using the tree view on the left, select System and Products.

4. Using the list on the right, select the product you want to configure and then set the License method to Tekla Online.

5. Click OK.

6. Run the application.  

Trimble Identity (Trimble ID) is an online service which provides single sign-on access for Trimble and Tekla online services.

To create a Trimble Identity, go to https://account.tekla.com, click Log in, and click Create New Trimble ID.

To use subscription licenses, your Trimble Identity must be associated with an organization. Associating your identity with an organization allows you to use the Tekla software and services granted to that organization.

Contact the Tekla Online administrator of your company, or visit the My organization page of your Tekla Online Profile and use the Send request option. 

The online license is associated with your Trimble Identity. When you sign in the application, you use one license seat. When you close the application, the license seat is released and will become available to other users in your organization.

Normally, when using a Tekla online license you have to enter your sign in details every time you run a Tekla application. Use the stay signed in option so that you don’t have to enter your details each time. After 14 days, you will be asked to re-enter your sign in details.

All Tekla applications, Trimble Connect Desktop, and the Trimble Connect Sync tool.

If your organization has purchased different product subscriptions, you may have more than one license which an application can use. You will be prompted so that you can choose the most appropriate license for the work you need to do. It’s also important to remember that if you are using a license which is part of a product suite the other products in that suite will not be available to other users.

1. Press the Windows Key on your keyboard and start typing User settings.
2. Click on the option when it appears in the Windows Start menu.
3. Using the tree view on the left, select User and Tekla Online. 
4. Using the list on the right, select the product you want to configure and disable the Automatically use the default license (Don’t ask me again) option. 
5. Click OK.
6. Run the application.

• Use the latest version (including software updates) for all products
• Use the “Stay Signed In” option
• If you are prompted to choose which license to use when starting Tekla Tedds or Tekla Structural Designer enable the “Don’t ask me again” option.
• If you want to use Tekla Structural Designer and Tekla Tedds together and you have purchased the Tekla Structural Design Suite then use the “Tekla Tedds (Structural Design Suite)” and “Tekla Structural Designer (Structural Design Suite)” licenses so that you are only consuming one license seat.
• If you want to use Tekla Structural Designer LT and Tekla Tedds together then use the “Tekla Tedds” and “Tekla Structural Designer LT” licenses so that you are only consuming one license seat.

Subscription products use Tekla Online licensing which requires a permanent internet connection: You cannot use them offline.

No, you don’t. Subscription products use Tekla online licensing which requires a permanent internet connection. When an application is launched and a license is claimed, the license will be retained for a limited time period known as the lease time. During this time, an internet connection is not required. Before the lease time expires, the license will be refreshed automatically by the application at a time interval known as the refresh time. When the license refresh occurs, an internet connection is required so that the application can tell the Tekla online license service that you want to continue to use the license. If the license refresh fails, you will only be able to continue using the software for the remaining lease time period. After the license refresh fails, you will not lose any work: The application will allow you to save your work at least once. However, it is strongly recommended that you save your work immediately and close the software until your internet connection is re-established.

The Tekla Online Admin Tool is an online service which allows Tekla online administrators to view and manage the users and licenses in their Tekla online organization. The administrators can also see who is currently using your company’s licenses. To use this tool, you must be assigned administrator rights within your Tekla online organization.

Using the Tekla Online Admin Tool, Tekla online administrators can view which users are currently using each license. 

Yes, you can. Your Tekla online license works with any version of Tekla Tedds or Tekla Structural Designer from version 2016 onward, as long as version 3.00 or later of the Tekla Structural License Service is installed on your computer. If your workflow involves using different Tekla products, we strongly recommend using the latest software versions.

On your PC:

1. If you have already installed version 2020 of Tekla Tedds, Tekla Strucutral Designer, Tekla Portal Frame Designer or Tekla Connection Designer go to step 3
2. Install the Tekla License Service version 3.00 or later. When asked to choose which components to install only enable the Tekla Client License Manager option.
3. Press the Windows Key on your keyboard and start typing System and User settings.
4. Click on that option when it appears on the Windows Start menu. 
5. Using the tree view on the left, select System and Products. 
6. Using the list on the right, select the product you want to configure and set the License method to Tekla Online
7. Click OK.
8. Run the application.

Yes, you can if you use Sentinel RMS - Server for your perpetual licenses. When installing a product, you are asked to choose which license method to use: Select Automatic.
If you have already installed the product and you need to change the license method:

1. Press the Windows Key on your keyboard and start typing System and User settings.
2. Click on that option when it appears in the Windows Start menu. 
3. Using the tree view on the left, select System and Products. 
4. Using the list on the right, select the product you want to configure and set the License method to Automatic. 
5. Click OK and then run the application you want to use. 

When launched, an application will always attempt to claim a Tekla Online license first. If a license is not available, for example, because all seats are taken, the application will automatically try to consume a perpetual license from your own Sentinel RMS license server.

Your subscriptions are automatically renewed. Your local reseller will contact you before the subscription period ends. You can see what your current subscription period is by using the Tekla Online Admin tool.

Notify your reseller at least 30 days prior to the end of the current term. This termination takes effect at the end of your current term. Note that terminations that have not been received 30 days prior to the term end only take effect after the next term end. Contact your reseller for details.