You say Tomato but I say トマト
Localization is the industry’s technical term for making software solutions user-friendly to people in other countries.
This kind of effort always includes translation but can also include ensuring that any examples used are relevant, particularly as they relate to governmental or industry standards or requirements. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the Ideate Software development team decided that investing in an effort to become more connected with our far-flung customer base would be a great project for us to undertake.
We can’t travel but we can try to speak each other’s language. Knowing that Google Sheets has a translate function, we thought, “how hard could this be?”
We began our journey by taking a look at how our software looked in other languages. Did you know that Revit is available in English, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Russian and Czech? You can easily change the language of your Revit as described in this Autodesk article. Setting the language to Japanese was a real eye-opener for us and made us appreciate the challenge facing our Japanese customers. The image below shows the Revit interface when language is set to Japanese. Guess which tab is the Annotate tab??
Our polyglot Support Manager, Jan Sako, quickly reviewed the Google Czech translations and saw one of the many challenges in front of us…a Sheet can be both a bed sheet or a drawing sheet. This would clearly NOT be a simple task!
Translation Help from Japan, France, and Mexico
We decided to tackle Japanese as a way of teaching ourselves about the process of localization and were extremely lucky to find two people to help us through this first phase. Yuki Scharf, AEC Technical Specialist with Autodesk in Japan and Yoshimoto Oishi, of Archi-cube in Japan graciously agreed to help us translate both Ideate StyleManager and Ideate Sticky into Japanese. They patiently waded through our English ‘text strings’ and helped us understand when our language usage was unclear. The benefit of this work was not only that we were able to deliver a Japanese version of two of our solutions, but also that we understood better how to make our products more consistent and clear, even within our own native language. It was a humbling experience.
After completing this process for Japanese, we then also iterated it for both French and Spanish. Many thanks to Julie Bismuth, Director of Consulting and Training with our long-time partner CAD UC who assisted us with the French translation. Special thanks to Alejandro Rodriguez Garza, owner and director of BIM Consulting Services of A4BIM and founding partner of AMIBIM outside of Mexico for his help with the Spanish translation.
This work is clearly just the beginning of our localization journey. We intend to continue to work with our partners and customers around the globe to improve our offerings and make them easier to use, particularly for non-English speakers. Ideate StyleManager 2.0 was released in November 2020 and can be downloaded here. This version contains our work in translating into French, Spanish and Japanese.
What is a Named User license?
A Named User license is assigned to one specific person rather than shared across a network. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see the License Wizard section of the Graitec Licensing Help Center.
Are Ideate Suites replacing Ideate Software Bundles?
Yes. Going forward, Ideate Suites replace Ideate Software Bundles.
What's the difference between the Ideate Software Bundle and the Ideate Suite?
Both include the same five tools: IdeateApps, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky and Ideate StyleManager. What changes is how many people can use them at the same time.
- Bundle: Each tool is licensed separately, so different people can work in different tools at once. For example, with one Bundle, five people could each use a different tool at the same time.
- Suite: One license covers all five tools for one person at a time. That person can move freely between every tool. While they're using the Suite, it isn't available to anyone else on that license until they finish.
A Named User Suite is assigned to one specific person. A Cloud Floating Suite can be shared across your team, one person at a time.
Will my team need more licenses?
If several people on your team use different Ideate tools at the same time, you may need more than one Suite license. Contact us and we'll review your team's usage and help you choose the right setup.
Can I still buy an Ideate Software Bundle?
No. Bundles are no longer available for purchase. New purchases are offered as follows:
- Ideate Suite: Named User or Cloud Floating
- Enterprise Suite: Cloud Floating
- Active Host: Cloud Floating
- Automation: Cloud Floating
- Individual products: Named User or Cloud Floating (IdeateApps, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, and Ideate StyleManager)
Can I still buy IdeateApps, BIMLink, Explorer, Sticky, or StyleManager individually?
Yes. Individual products are available as Named User or Cloud Floating licenses.
Will floating (network) licenses still be available?
Yes. Cloud Floating licenses are available for Ideate Suite, Enterprise Suite, Active Host, individual products, and Automation.
My organization has strict security requirements or no internet access. Can I still get a FlexLM license?
Yes. FlexLM remains available for organizations with security requirements, such as environments without internet access. FlexLM is not available through the online store, so please contact your account manager to purchase.
I'm an existing customer. What happens to my current license/s?
Your existing Ideate Software subscription is moving to our new licensing system at no cost. Your license quantities and expiration dates stay the same.
- Standalone licenses become Named User licenses. Set up your Named Users in the Graitec Advantage Portal.
- Cloud Floating (network) licenses become Cloud Floating Suite licenses. Deploy the latest release as you have in the past, using the new license code in your migration email.
- Each Ideate Software Bundle becomes an Ideate Suite.
To keep using Ideate, update to the latest release and activate your new license by March 31, 2027. Older Ideate licenses will stop working in Q2 2027.
Using Ideate with Revit 2022 or earlier? Contact ideatesupport@graitec.com to review your options. For account questions, contact sales@ideatesoftware.com.
I have a Bundle today. What will I receive when I move to the new licensing?
Conversions are one for one. Each Ideate Software Bundle becomes one Ideate Suite, and each network Bundle becomes one Cloud Floating Suite. Your license quantities and expiration dates stay the same.
I have several products that renew on different dates. How will that be handled?
We're finalizing how to handle accounts with multiple renewal dates. Contact sales@ideatesoftware.com and we'll review your account with you.
Where do I manage my licenses?
In the Graitec Advantage Portal. Based on customer requests, starting with the latest Ideate release, license management and license usage information are handled in Graitec Advantage, outside of Revit. We recommend bookmarking the portal.
- Named User licenses: Assign licenses to people on your team in Graitec Advantage.
- Cloud Floating Suite licenses: Deploy the latest release with your new license code as you have in the past, then manage licenses in Graitec Advantage.
Watch the Graitec Advantage walkthrough
Can I transfer a Named User license to another person?
Yes. There's no limit on the total number of transfers, but each license can be transferred up to two times within a 30-day period.
How are licenses issued?
Each product on your order is issued as its own license once your order is processed. To try a product before buying, contact us to request an evaluation license.
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