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Claus3  
#41 Posted : Wednesday, June 17, 2026 11:25:19 PM(UTC)
Claus3

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Luis,

I’m genuinely sorry you have been put in this situation. Hope it gets resolved one way or the other.

Claus
thanks 1 user thanked Claus3 for this useful post.
lgrijalva on 6/18/2026(UTC)
UGMENTALCASE  
#42 Posted : Thursday, June 18, 2026 12:36:45 PM(UTC)
UGMENTALCASE

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Some years ago when I used this software I changed laptops, had hard drive fails etc and I was always helped with either new codes or they just worked fine when re entering the key again. What seems to be happening here comes as no surprise. I lost a lot of customers through failures in the software. The final straw was I got asked to change a dimension on a drawing, one dimension, that was it nothing more nothing less.

I opened the drawing and for NO good reason all the detail views had disappeared. I tried to remake them and they were blank. I did literally everything and nothing worked. I had to redo the entire 3 sheets of assembly and the job was late, I lost everything after that. This was using 'pro' software, nothing pro about it if you ask me. Actually that's a little harsh, it has good features, but they simply do not work as a whole.
Other issues for me included exporting stp files for machining, they contained old deleted data which unfortunately for me, I didn't know, and parts got machined wrong because of it.

It's poor at best, littered with bugs, if I wanted bugs fixed it was a case of 'buy the next version', that just had more bugs on top of the old bugs. It's no secret, this forum is full of it. So I put in for a refund. It seemed to go so far then I too couldn't log in to those platforms you show. I tried every different email address I had... gmail, live.co.uk, hotmail.com and nothing worked. I sent an email every few months reminding them of how sad it was that I was having to do it, I gave up in the end.
I now use other software, didn't look back.
thanks 3 users thanked UGMENTALCASE for this useful post.
MPSchmied on 6/18/2026(UTC), lgrijalva on 6/18/2026(UTC), L. Banasky on 6/19/2026(UTC)
lgrijalva  
#43 Posted : Thursday, June 18, 2026 6:31:39 PM(UTC)
lgrijalva

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Thanks, UGMENTAL.

It seems that migrating to another platform is indeed my current path. At this point, I have received no answer to any of the several emails I sent to legal@imsidesign.com. I've only received a response from a sales representative named Syed Gilani, using the exact same argument: that my license falls under policies that require purchasing a maintenance renewal or an upgrade.

It looks like they have changed their policy of honoring legitimate licenses, choosing instead to hold the activation hostage by ignoring a faulty DRM system (or is this lockout being done on purpose?).

Which software do you use now, UG?

Regards,

Luis G
Luis G
Industrial Designer
MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
User since Concepts Unlimited
SharkCad 14
www.miditec.com.mx
www.diferro.com
UGMENTALCASE  
#44 Posted : Thursday, June 18, 2026 11:11:32 PM(UTC)
UGMENTALCASE

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I use Alibre Design Expert for solid modelling and drafting. Plasticity 3d for surfacing and doing mad things that I never thought were possible.

Alibre has 3 different versions Atom being a basic version but I think they all include drafting.

They use perpetual licenses and if you want you buy the maintenance which gives you the updates, if you don't want you use it as is. Their license can be deactivated from within the software, if you have a hardware fail, you can login via the website and it shows what pc the license is on, you click release and stick it on something else.

Edited by user Thursday, June 18, 2026 11:24:30 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

thanks 5 users thanked UGMENTALCASE for this useful post.
GARLIC on 6/19/2026(UTC), Theo5715 on 6/19/2026(UTC), MPSchmied on 6/19/2026(UTC), lgrijalva on 6/19/2026(UTC), L. Banasky on 6/19/2026(UTC)
lgrijalva  
#45 Posted : Friday, June 19, 2026 12:26:02 PM(UTC)
lgrijalva

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Hello UGMENTAL,

I know Alibre and I tested it a long time ago on a Windows PC; I liked it and I think it’s a great option. The way you described how it handles licensing seems like the fair way things should work—the exact opposite of this IMSI DRM hijacking method.

I am also on my way to testing Plasticity, but I need to find a good companion tool to generate 2D technical drawings from those designs. I’m not sure if Rhino would be a good option for this, so please advise.

However, I really love using the Mac. That is one of the main reasons I always look for software that runs natively on it. Aside from the great features that Vellum, Cobalt, Concepts Unlimited, and Shark FX offered back then (in the early 2000s, I guess), running natively on macOS was the main selling point for me to adopt this software.

Even with all the bugs discussed here, those unique features were good enough to keep me hooked on using it (even during those frustrating times when I wanted to pull my hair out!). But this unethical practice is just too much. I cannot agree with it, to the point that I am now willing to invest the extra time and money to migrate to a completely different platform. At this stage, and due to the recent interactions I've had with the IMSI staff, I have lost all hope of getting a positive resolution.

Maybe these new IMSI corporate policies explain Tim’s absence from this forum (his last post was on March 22nd). I am guessing that he is probably not comfortable with this direction either.

Thanks for your support, dear friends. I will keep you updated on any news.

Regards,

Luis G

Edited by user Friday, June 19, 2026 12:34:25 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Luis G
Industrial Designer
MacOSX Sequoia 15.7.7
User since Concepts Unlimited
SharkCad 14
www.miditec.com.mx
www.diferro.com
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