This model is commonly delivered using solutions such as Citrix or Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), typically leveraging Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

If your environment provides a dedicated VM per user (one-to-one), please refer to the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) Setup documentation instead.

Session-based desktops require some subtle specific configuration considerations for Artisan products, particularly in relation to licensing and automatic updates. The sections below describe the required changes.

Initial Installation

First step will be to install the products to each server that will host terminal sessions for your users. In all cases, the Auto Update service will need to be installed which is a simple Msi installer downloaded from the CS Design web site.

CS Buddy App

The Buddy App runs in the taskbar service icon area of the desktop and communicates with the local CS Update and Licensing service which in turn communicates with the CloudScapes web services.

CAD Plugins

Revit - If required, install the required version(s) of the CS Artisan RV Revit AddIn.

AutoCAD - If required, install the latest version of the CS Artisan AC Plugin.

BricsCAD - If required, install the latest version of the CS Artisan BC Plugin.

Configuration

The configuration of all Artisan products can be controlled via registry settings. In this case being able to:

• set Artisan into session-based VM mode
• automate its enabled state
• add the licence information
• set the de-activate option on exit.

To set the session-base VM mode you need to manually set / add the following registry key:

Path:        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design

Type:       REG_DWORD

Name: VMSessionMode
Values: 0 or 1

Notes: 0 will force Artisan Licensing to run in normal workstation mode. 1 will force it into session-based mode.  If the registry key doesn’t exist normal mode is assumed.

The rest of this document assumes you have set VMSessionMode ON (ie, mode=1).

With session-based mode enabled, the licensing system will look to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive for licence activation settings. It also alters the respective CAD exit strategies so that the licence can be safely de-activated without affecting other terminal sessions on that server.

The following are the Registry settings that will need manipulating (maybe via the group policy on large networks) to set the required automation.  The required Artisan HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE keys would have been installed with read / write permissions for a standard windows user so there shouldn’t be any issues running the policy within the context of a standard logged in user.

Enable / Disable Artisan

At Machine level

Path:      CS Artisan RV -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan RV 2026

                   CS Artisan AC -         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan AC
                   CS Artisan BC -         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan BC

Type:      REG_DWORD
Name: Enabled
Values: 0 or 1

Notes: 0 will disable the Add-In for all users, 1 will Enable the Add-In for all users. UNLESS a user has the same setting in their own CU registry which then takes precedence. See below. To target other versions of Artisan RV, change the last key as required, ie. 2026 to 2025 (for example).

At User Level

Path:        CS Artisan RV -         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan RV 2026

                   CS Artisan AC -         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan AC

                   CS Artisan BC -         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan BC

Type:      REG_DWORD
Name: Enabled
Values: 0 or 1

Notes:  0 will disable the Add-In for that user, 1 will Enable the Add-In. This setting will override the same setting set in the LM hive. Note that if the Enabled key does not exist at all within the CU hive then the LM setting is used.  To target other versions of Artisan RV, change the last key as required, ie. 2026 to 2025 (for example).

Account and Licence Information

Path:        CS Artisan RV -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan RV 2026

                   CS Artisan AC -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan AC

                   CS Artisan BC -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan BC

Type:      REG_SZ

Name: Account Name

Values: as provided by CS Design.

Type:      REG_SZ
Name: Licence Number

Values: as provided by CS Design.

Notes: If operating Group Policy, both these values should be blanked for non-Artisan users. It is recommended that these values be entered by an Admin (or via group policy) as a standard user may not have access or remember them.

Enable Automatic deactivation on closing Revit / AutoCAD

Path:        CS Artisan RV -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan RV 2026

                   CS Artisan AC -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan AC

                   CS Artisan BC -         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan BC

Type:      REG_DWORD
Name:  Auto Deactivate
Values: 0 or 1

Notes:  0 to KEEP product activated. 1 to deactivate. If in session-base mode, this option has no effect as it will always be overridden to true when exiting Revit / AutoCAD / BricsCAD.

Buddy App

The Buddy App must be started with every session.  This should happen by default as the installer will add a shortcut to the startup folder.  The Buddy App needs to be running because it deals with the de-activation of the respective licence, so must be running during the session.  The Auto Update feature of the Buddy App will not work in session-based mode.  It has been deliberately disabled in this mode given that other sessions may be using files that might require updating.  Instead, the updates should be checked periodically by an admin personnel by manually launching the buddy app with an “admin” switch and checking for updates (other users / sessions will need to be logged off).

C:\Program Files (x86)\CS Design\Auto Update Service\CSD_BuddyApp.exe admin

Licensing Tool

The image below shows the licensing tool. It will launch at the start of every Revit / AutoCAD / BricsCAD session, provided:

·           the current users “Enabled” reg key is set to 1 (or does not exist).

·           The current terminal session hasn’t already been licensed (a second Revit instance in the same session would not trigger the licensing tool for example).

Note that the “Run in Session-Based VM Environment” check box is Disabled. This setting can only be set manually through the registry. The check box visually reflects this setting.

Example Setups

Minimal requirements to configure a session-based virtual environment (enabled at user level) in Revit 2026

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design]

" VMSessionMode"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan RV 2026]
“Enabled"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CS Design\CS Artisan RV 2026]

"Auto Deactivate"=dword:00000001

"Account Name"="YourAccountName"

"Licence Number"="YourAccountNumber"