Install & uninstall on macOS

Migrating a workstation

If you have an existing workstation and wish to keep your settings, backup the following directories and restore them to the new system:

• /opt/Autodesk/cfg/
• /opt/Autodesk/clip/
• /opt/Autodesk/project/
• /opt/Autodesk/sw/cfg/
• /opt/Autodesk/sw/swdb/. As this is a binary file, it can only be backed up after stopping Stone+Wire.
• /opt/Autodesk/user/

Also see the documentation on system backup.

Prerequisites

• Admin access to a Mac that matches the minimum systems requirements. See them for: Flame, Flare, Flame Assist.
• The installation DMG.
• System requirements for Flame, Flare, Flame Assist.
• Licensing information is not input at install time, but at first run.

Support for macOS Catalina, macOS Big Sur, and macOS Monterey comes with the following limitations:

• Support for macOS 11 (Big Sur) and macOS 12 (Monterey) is limited to Intel-based hardware. Flame Family 2022, 2022.1, and 2022.2 do not support M1-based Apple hardware at this time.
• Wiretap Central and Backburner Web Monitor do not work on Catalina, Big Sur, and Moneterey, and cannot be installed. Future versions of macOS are not expected to support Wiretap Central. Backburner Monitor,a desktop application, replaces Backburner Web Monitor.
• The AutodeskMediaStorage default location changes in macOS 10.15.1. See Autodesk Media Storage Location Changes for details.

Install

1. As an admin user, open the DMG image file, and double-click Install <product>, then click through the installer.
2. If the system has multiple drives, the installer may ask which drive to use for media cache storage. It is recommended to use a drive other than the system drive. You can skip this step and configure the media cache later. The installer detects any previously-configured storage.
3. Once installed, a link to the application is in Applications > Autodesk.

How to set effective group in macOS

macOS does not allow Flame to change a user's effective OS (operating system) group ID, which means:

• When creating a project, its group value is set to the effective group ID of the OS user who launched Flame and cannot be set by the user.
• When opening a project, the effective group ID of the OS user who launched Flame must match the group field of the project, otherwise and error will be produced.

So the OS user group must be set before launching Flame to the appropriate value using the command newgrp.

1. Get the current OS user's name and group with the command: id -Gn.
2. Assign an effective group to the user. This group will be used for new projects, and must match the group of any project the user opens. Use the command: newgrp [group_name].
3. Launch Flame from the command line with /opt/Autodesk/[version]/bin/startApplication.

Uninstall

Run Applications > Autodesk > [Product] > Utilities > Uninstall. This leaves directories containing configuration files, project data and user preferences. These may be useful if the application is reinstalled.

macOS system preferences

Set these for every user account that will use the application:

• Security & Privacy > Firewall: Off (default setting).
• Keyboard > Keyboard: enable Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.
• Spotlight > Privacy: add the media cache storage volume to the list of locations Spotlight does not search.
• Sound: If using an AJA I/O device, ensure it is not selected for sound output.
• Wacom Tablet: If Grip Pen does not appear in the Tool section, touch the pen on the tablet. Select the Pen tab, and ensure the top pen button is assigned to the double-click function, and that the bottom pen button is assigned to the right-click function.

Autodesk Media Storage Location Changes

On macOS 10.15.1+ (Catalina), macOS 11 (Big Sur), and macOS 12 (Moneterey) security settings prevent the creation of files and folders at the root of the volume hosting the OS (system volume).

When you install on macOS Catalina, Big Sur, or Monterey and you configure the media storage to use your system volume, the AutodeskMediaStorage is created in /opt/Autodesk/AutodeskMediaStorage location.

The impact of this change varies according to your setup:

• A brand new machine already set to macOS Catalina or Big Sur. Run the installer as normal.
• A machine with a clean install of macOS Catalina or Big Sur, including erasing the system volume. Run the installer as normal.
• A machine upgraded to macOS Catalina or Big Sur that has never had a Flame Family product installed. Run the installer as normal.
• A machine upgraded to macOS Catalina or Big Sur that has had a Flame Family product installed. Follow the instructions in the following section.

Flame Family Product on a Mac Updated to macOS 10.15.1+, macOS 11, or macOS 12

Your machine was upgraded to macOS 10.15.1+ (Catalina), macOS 11 (Big Sur), or macOS 12 (Monterey) with a Flame Family product already installed. What happens next depends on your storage configuration.

• Before upgrading to the latest macOS, your media was stored on a secondary volume (non-system volume) or on an external drive or array: You have nothing to do.

• macOS Catalina: Before upgrading to Catalina, your media was stored at the root of the system volume (/AutodeskMediaStorage). Your media is now stored in /Users/Shared/Relocated Items/Security/AutodeskMediaStorage. You need to do the following:

  1. Relocate the AutodeskStorageMedia to another location.
  2. Open /opt/Autodesk/sw/cfg/stone+wire.cfg.
  3. In stone+wire.cfg, change the Path option to the new location of the AutodeskMediaStorage.

• macOS Big Sur and Monterey: Before upgrading to Big Sur, your media was stored at the root of the system volume (/AutodeskMediaStorage). Your media is now stored in /System/Volumes/Data/AutodeskMediaStorage/. You need to do the following:

  1. Relocate the AutodeskStorageMedia to another location.
  2. Open /opt/Autodesk/sw/cfg/stone+wire.cfg.
  3. In stone+wire.cfg, change the Path option to the new location of the AutodeskMediaStorage.