Student Version Problem?

I just downloaded the student version of AutoCAD 2011. I'm a student thats about to start my engineering major and i just have it to refresh myself with the system (3 years prior experience). I heard that the Student Version leaves some type of watermark on a drawing. I'm wondering if this is a problem when it comes to school work with the schools program or something? And what does it mean when it says "infected"? Any help is much appreciated!

The watermark is simply text printed around in a few locations that says the drawing was created with an educational version. "Infected" refers to the fact that any content created with the educational version will carry that water mark into any drawing its used in even if inserted into a licensed commercial version. The intent is to keep people from doing work for hire with the student software. Otherwise, everybody would become students and download free software. They'd have a hard time keeping the lights on that way.

So for school, its ok to use? Once I'm hired somewhere or something I'll have to use the regular version.

So for school, its ok to use? Once I'm hired somewhere or something I'll have to use the regular version.

Yes, exactly.

If your teacher objects to the watermark go to the dean and suggest the dean have a talk with the teacher about ethics.

You should not be marked down for a watermark that is a sign that you are using student license rather than pirated software.

Also - do not perpetuate the myth that student work can "infect" other work in the sense that computer viruses seek out other files to infect without the user aware of what is happening. This simply can't happen. The only way the banner is spread is when the user ignores the warning about using the edu license content in other files. (in fact - there are actually two warnings)

thanks for all the help guys! one other question, what if im doing a project at home with the student edition, go to school and try to continue doing my project on the schools (i guess they would be considered commercial versions) and possibly vice versa? will it mean i wont be able to access the file?

You will be able to open the file between the two computers still. The watermark will still show even in the full version on the school computers though.

The issue has been explained here. If you use a student version of the software to create or even just work on another file whether is was created with the student version or not, the file will forever have the watermark stamp that it was created using the educational version of the software. I think the term watermark is misleading because it's not actually a watermark. It's a great big bold set of letters around the border of your drawing on each side which publically announces that this drawing has been edited or was initially created with the educational version of the software. That's part of the EULA with AutoDesk and it's totally fair.

Now, what the others are not saying and I feel it should be said because I've run into this many times in the past. Someone who has a student copy of AutoCAD at home will either create or simply work on drawings from the office. This will of course cause the watermark to appear on the drawings. Then the user takes or transmits the files back on to the company server. Now, all users at the office will be faced with the watermark issue whem they work with this file. This means that the prints of the drawings cannot be legally used in a commercial way. You can of course remove or hide the watermark with various tools, but that's a pain. And here's the warning you need to know. If you are the guilty party who brings the watermarked files into the office, the other users and especially the IT people will scorn and ridicule you and you may even face termination. I'm not kidding about that, I've seen it happen. Companies spend a lot of money to keep their software legal, or at least most of them do and to have the ACAD people come in a disinfect a bunch of files is costly and time consuming. No one at the company will forgive you and this kind of oversight will put you on the blacklist with the higher ups. Take my advice on this and never, never, never, let this happen to you.

If a drawing is done using an educational version of an AutoDesk product, like AutoCAD, and someone tries to use content from that drawing (ex. - a block) in a second drawing being done with a commercial version, as JDM correctly pointed out, they will see two separate and distinct warning messages that clearly state an educational banner will be added to the drawing. The key word in the sentence is "content". One cannot "infect" other drawings made with a commercial version of AutoCAD simply by placing a drawing done with an educational version in the same folder.

The school version is also a student version. Actually it is called an educational version. If the work was done completely at school The watermark would still be there.

The school version is also a student version. Actually it is called an educational version. If the work was done completely at school The watermark would still be there.

How do you know that? Do you go to the same school as the OP?

Schools typically use Educational Institutional license, not Student license. The edu institutional license does not produce banner - but of course student content created in student license has the banner when opened on any license.

- but of course student content created in student license has the banner when opened on any license.

And that is exactly the point I was making. In the past I've seen this happen as someone tries to work on projects on a laptop or from home where they have the Educational version of AutoCAD. Once you've opened the file with the Educational version and blown past the warning messages there's no turning back unless you want to pay the local ACAD sales rep to send his guys in at $175/hour to clean up the file or in most cases multiple files because the user opened up more than one file. A naive mistake but one that can get you into hot water at work.

I know it is controversial, although if that did happen why would you simply not just 'remove' the stamp yourselves and save the cost?

I know it is controversial, although if that did happen why would you simply not just 'remove' the stamp yourselves and save the cost?

Unless you know a programmer who is intimate with the AutoCAD database format, I think this would be very difficult. The ACAD techs have a utility disk which allows them to do this but good luck getting them to share this with you. They make money using this not giving it away. Now you can of course print out your drawings to PDF and then use a PDF editor to cover up the stamp, but this can take time and you have to own a good PDF editor which again is more cost. You could also just use a big bottle of white out but on a standard "D" size drawing the stamp is rather larger and it's on all four edges of your drawing. So you're best shot is to avoid it in the first place and that is why I placed this word of caution out here.

It isn't controversial; it's illegal as per the terms of your EULA.

There are at least two ways that I know of to remove the educational banner but I'm not going to say what they are.

There are at least two ways that I know of to remove the educational banner but I'm not going to say what they are.

This is what I was getting at. If it is possible to remove it yourself after someone infected your file (as I have read here before and as anyone searching here or Google could find) why would you not simply do it rather than waste time and money waiting for someone else to come out and do it? I've never had to do it before, although from what I read it seems pretty easy to do for anyone technically minded enough to use AutoCad.

Dink, that is not the point in this discussion. You should not use educational software for commercial purposes. period.

How do you know that? Do you go to the same school as the OP?

Schools typically use Educational Institutional license, not Student license. The edu institutional license does not produce banner - but of course student content created in student license has the banner when opened on any license.

No, I do not attend the same school as the OP.

I am currently enrolled at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Kirkland WA. Taking Architecture classes.

The Educational version does create a banner.

this is the warning the Educational version puts on all our drawings at school.

I could see a situation where a student interning with a firm might make a mistake forcing the removal of the educational banner from a company drawing. Once. Any similar behavior after that would be downright willful and should be punished. There are some people who like to operate on the shady side however and intentionally misuse educational software for commercial purposes and could care less...until they are caught. They should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.