To use Autodesk licenses for Arnold when you batch render with Maya or 3ds Max, Arnold must be registered in the Product Information file (aka the PIT file).

Normally the MtoA installer does this for you. But if you're running Maya and MtoA from a network install, then Arnold may not be registered in the PIT file.

To register Arnold 5.3 and later:

Use the AdskLicensingInstHelper tool (all Autodesk software now uses AdskLicensingInstHelper). The pitreg utility was removed in Arnold 5.3

Note AdskLicensingInstHelper requires that the Autodesk Licensing Service is installed and running on the machine.

For example:

 sudo /opt/Autodesk/AdskLicensing/Current/helper/AdskLicensingInstHelper register --pk C0PL1 --pv 2020.0.0.F --lm NETWORK -cf /opt/Autodesk/arnold/maya2019-4.2.0/license/ArnoldConfig.pit 

or

 "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Common Files\\Autodesk Shared\\AdskLicensing\\Current\\helper\\AdskLicensingInstHelper.exe" register --pk C0PN1 --pv 2022.0.0.F --lm NETWORK --cf "C:\\Program Files\\Autodesk\\Arnold\\maya2022-5.0.0.2\\license\\ArnoldConfig.pit" 

The ProductInformation.pit file is located here:

• /var/opt/Autodesk/Adlm/.config/ProductInformation.pit
• C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Adlm\ProductInformation.pit
• /Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Adlm/.config/ProductInformation.pit

To register Arnold 5.2.x and older:

• MtoA includes pit/pitreg for registering Arnold in the PIT file, so you just need to run pitreg on the local machine, like this:

  C:\\solidangle\\mtoadeploy\\2017\\pit\\pitreg.exe
  Succesfully added Arnold information to PIT file 

If you're running everything off of a server (thin client), then AdlmThinClientCustomEnv.xml may set a custom location for the PIT file.

More information on thin Client for network licensing can be found here: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/simplecontent/content/thin-client-for-autodesk-network-licensing.html

For other Arnold plugins, like C4DtoA, the plugin includes the PIT file that Arnold will use when it checks out an Autodesk license.

kick uses the pit file that is in the same folder as the kick executable.