Land F/X Subscription Renewals & Purchasing After a Trial
Quick video
- How can I turn my trial into an active (i.e., purchased) license?
- Why am I asked to renew my subscription every year?
- What happens if I don't renew?
- If I don't plan to renew, what do I need to do to keep using my license?
- What if I want to move from Cloud to Local Data after my trial period?
- What if I move to local licenses but then change my mind?
- What if I switch to Local Data, don’t pay my renewal for a year or two, and then decide I want to get back on board?
- Can I wait to make this decision until after my license expires?
- Why can’t Land F/X just host this Cloud Data forever for what I’ve already paid?
This article covers many of the questions you might have about our subscription renewal system – whether you're an existing Land F/X user or you're considering a purchase after sampling our software on a trial basis.
Thinking about purchasing our software after your trial period?
Your trial installation uses Cloud Licensing, meaning your software license is actually stored online.
Cloud Licensing makes it easier for you to switch between installations – for instance, office, home, and laptop. But it also means that after a year, the license renewal will be mandatory for the software to continue functioning. It's one of many reasons to keep current on your subscription by renewing your license.
How can I turn my trial into an active (i.e., purchased) license?
First, purchase the Land F/X license you want. (Choose between Design F/X, Planting F/X, and Irrigation F/X). See our Purchase page for a breakdown.
After you've purchased your license(s), your trial should be become an active license automatically. In most cases, you won't need to do anything unless you want to change your installation in some way (examples include moving it to a new computer, changing from a Single-User installation to a Multi-User installation and vice versa, switching to Cloud or Local Data, etc.). For more information, see our activate a Land F/X trial article.
Why am I asked to renew my subscription every year?
We don't just provide software – we pride ourselves on offering an unmatched level of service for what amounts to an extremely low annual cost (especially in comparison with other subscription-based software). Your renewal fee includes:
- World-class technical support (phone and email) from our in-house landscape architects, irrigation designers, and computer and networking experts
- The latest updates to the software, including new features. (We send out an update every one to two weeks on average.)
- Updates to the block libraries and plant, manufacturer, and irrigation databases
- License transfers
- Re-installation capability (for example, when you get a new computer and need to move your installation to that computer)
- Access to our 3D plugins for SketchUp, Rhino, and Revit (with Land F/X and Irrigation F/X licenses)
- Weekly newsletters and live webinars
Keeping your subscription current also allows you to host your project data and licenses in the cloud. If you choose Cloud Data, you can switch to a cloud-based installation at no extra cost – and with your annual renewal staying exactly the same.
We rely on renewals to cover the cost of maintaining our high standards of tech support and customer service – not to mention the continual improvements to the software.
What happens if I don't renew?
Assuming you plan to continue using our software, the advantages of yearly renewal are more than worth what we think is a fair price. However, if all the above-mentioned perks aren't important to you, or you don’t want to be “locked in” to paying our renewal fee, you can still opt out of renewing. If you do, you'll lose access to tech support, the latest updates, and the other benefits of remaining current with your subscription – listed under Why am I asked to renew every year? above. You will also only be able to access content you've used in previous projects. Updates will not work, and you will no longer be able to re-install or transfer your license to another computer.
That said, you'll still be able to use our software after your subscription lapses. To do so, you'll need to confirm you have your Local Data (MySQL) installed and running, as well as bear the cost of maintaining it for as long as you will use the software. Here's how.
If you currently have cloud data, it's especially important to switch to a local installation – before your license expires – if you opt out of renewing. If not, you won't be able to access the software or your project data. And remember: If your computer goes down, you'll no longer have access to all the projects you've created using our software.
If I don't plan to renew, what do I need to do to keep using my license?
Before letting your license expire, follow our Don't want to renew? instructions.
If you do decide against renewing, it's extremely important that you complete these steps before your license expires.
What if I want to move from Cloud to Local Data after my trial period?
No problem. Here's how to switch to Local Data.
What if I move to a Local installation but then change my mind?
Again, no problem. Here's how to switch to Cloud Data.
What if I switch to Local Data, don’t pay my renewal for a year or two, and then decide I want to get back on board?
In this case, you would still need to pay the renewal fee for each year your subscription lapses – still a great deal compared with purchasing a new license. If the number of lapsed years results in a renewal amount that exceeds the price of a new license, you can of course purchase a new license.
Can I wait to make this decision until after my license expires?
Yes, you can renew after your expiration date. However, you'll lose functionality and access to your project data during that time, unless you switch to Local Data in the meantime (and before your license expires). You'll also give up access to technical support and the other benefits of remaining current with your subscription until you renew.
Why can’t Land F/X just host this Cloud Data forever for what I’ve already paid?
Hosting Cloud Data is a service we provide to current clients, and it entails both upkeep and bandwidth on our part. Renewal fees allow us to cover the costs and staffing required for maintaining this data.
A note on Cloud Data:
Access to Cloud Data, program functionality, and support are all intertwined. For example:
- At some point, we may find and fix a bug with the cloud data.
- As Cloud Data becomes more integrated into our software, we continue to improve it.
- What if, say, the Plant Schedule gets a new feature that improves or expands its interaction with our newer cloud-based plant database?
In all these cases (and many, many more), you can see that we maintain the software, along with the tightly integrated cloud services, as a complete whole. On a weekly basis, technical support requests from clients like you result in us making little tweaks, repairs, and improvements to the software. Bottom line: We simply can’t separate one from any other, or make the Cloud Data work indefinitely with an older code base. Moroever, we can’t allow access to just the updates without tech support, or Cloud Data without updates, or anything to that effect.
In short, we just offer this incredible service in return for as low a fee as we are able.
Contact
- Land F/X
Our software tailors AutoCAD® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.