Introducing Metered Usage
Starting in January 2009, customers may elect to use HydroCAD on an hourly (metered) basis. By paying only for the time that HydroCAD is actually used, certain customers may achieve significant cost or time savings compared to the traditional permanent license. Others will enjoy the flexibility to use the software at any location, without having to register or activate on each PC.
Under the metered option there are no separate costs for updates or support, or for additional users or offices. Everything is included in a single hourly usage fee.
Note that hourly usage will be available in addition to the traditional permanent license. Customers may elect to use either solution - or both - depending on their needs.
How Does it Work?
With metered usage, you download and install a special edition of HydroCAD that works just like the standard software you're using now. But instead of requiring a pre-assigned serial number, HydroCAD communicates with a license server in real-time, keeping track of your usage and charging your account.
Each time you start HydroCAD you have the option of providing accounting details (such as a project or client name), so that you can expense your HydroCAD usage to a specific project or client.
As new HydroCAD versions are released, you can migrate to the new version if and when you choose, with absolutely no update or maintenance costs!
Will It Work For Me?
Hourly usage will be most attractive for customers who want to use HydroCAD at multiple locations. Since you can use the hourly edition at any location you choose, you avoid the cost of buying permanent license(s) for each location or user. Instead, you create a login and password for each employee who will use HydroCAD, and they are able to use the software at any time and place of their choosing.
How Much Will it Cost?
The metered edition is currently priced at $20 per hour, including technical support and updates.
How Do I Get Started?
You'll need to setup an account with Cetrus, including a subscription to HydroCAD. Details here.
Frequently Asked Questions?
What node-capacity will I get? The metered edition provides the maximum capacity of 1000 nodes per diagram. But since you pay only for the time you use HydroCAD, you are not being charged for the extra capacity.
How does the software compare to the standard program? The metered edition requires a continuous internet connection to communicate with the license server. However, the software is still installed and run on your local PC, so operating speed is not affected in any way.
Is this a web application? No. Everything resides and runs on your PC, not over the internet. The metered edition is virtually identical the to the standard HydroCAD software. The only difference is the use of a web-based metering system to enable the operation of the software.
Does it require a high-speed (broadband) connection? No. Very little information is exchanged with the license server, so a low-speed (dial-up) connection will work just as well as broadband.
What if I want to switch to a standard (permanent) license? You can switch between the hourly and permanent editions at any time. Just run the applicable setup program. There is no need to uninstall, and all your data and settings are preserved.
Are there any special computer requirements? No. The metered edition will run on any edition of Windows from Windows-98 to Vista. The only additional requirement for the metered edition is that Microsoft .NET 2.0 must be installed. The installation program will check for .NET and help you to install it if required.
Can I exchange data with other HydroCAD editions? Absolutely. Project files can be freely exchanged between different editions. There is no difference in the file format or results. Exchanged files are not subject to any additional version or node restrictions beyond the standard permanent license.