Activating Offline (Legacy Single-User and Volume Licenses)

This article applies to both perpetual licenses of ZBrush and ZBrushCore, versions 2018-2022.  Subscriptions and all ZBrush 2023 licenses use Maxon's licensing system instead.

If your computer does not have an internet connection or for some reason refuses to open the activation web page, you can instead use the Offline Activation method.  This is an easy process, only a little more complicated than online activation.

Note: This same system can also be used for IT personnel to activate users who are working remotely and for whom you do not wish to give ZBrush ID access to.  In that case, have the user create the request file and send it to you.  You then generate the activation file to send back to the user.  Refer to the instructions below for more instructions.

The steps are simple.  ZBrush will create a Request file that you take to any computer having internet access.  There, a special web page will create an Activation File that you bring back to ZBrush to complete the activation. 

Switching from online to offline activation

At the bottom right of the Pixologic ID window in ZBrush, click the button for Offline Activation. 

ZBrush will now display an information window. Please read it carefully and make note (either on paper or by other means) of the URL https://pixologic.com/offline.  You will need to access that page on a computer which has access to the internet. 

When you click the OK button, ZBrush will ask you to save a “Request File” with a file name similar to “request_ZBrush2022_activation.zreq”. Please save this on an USB stick or a portable hard drive. 

• Note:  If you are activating several computers without internet access you can feel free to rename this file to anything you’d like, so long as you keep the .zreq extension.  That way you can create Request Files for all your offline computers before going to the machine that has internet access.  Just use a name for the file that lets you identify the specific computer that was used to create it.

 ZBrush will now close.

Upload of the Request file

Now take your portable media with the Request File to any computer which has access to the internet.  Open a web browser and go to the https://pixologic.com/offline/ webpage. 

This page will ask for your ZBrush ID. Click the Choose File button to browse to and select the Request File from your portable media and then click the Start activation button. 

You will now be taken to a page that displays your account’s license(s) and the available seats for each of them. Simply click the Select button next to the license you want to use. For most users there will only be one license displayed.

Computer description

On the next page, you will be asked for a description for the computer where the license is being activated.

The default will be the same computer name that has been assigned by your operating system.

Whatever you enter here is what My Licenses will list for this activation in the future.  Because you are allowed to have two activations per Single-User license (or more with Volume licenses), having a specific name will help you know one activation from another when viewing your My Licenses page.

Please use a meaningful, machine-specific description rather than a generic one like “Workstation.”

After submitting this description, you will receive a “Congratulations!” message about the activation. 

Now click the download link and save the Activation File (which should have a name similar to “install_ZBrush-201220_license.zact”) to your portable media. 

• Note:  If you are activating several computers without internet access you can feel free to rename this file to anything you’d like, so long as you keep the .zact extension.  That way you can create Activation Files for all your offline computers before going back to your offline machines.  Just use a name for the file that lets you identify the specific computer that it is being created for.

 You can now return to the computer where ZBrush needs to be activated.

Importing the license within ZBrush

When ZBrush is next launched, it will know that you had previously initiated an offline activation process. You will have the option to cancel the pending offline activation (returning you to the initial Pixologic ID login window) or importing the activation file you created in the previous step. 

Click the “Import Activation File” button and select the .zact file that you have previously saved to your portable media drive.

 After loading the file, ZBrush automatically complete its activation and display the note shown below:

 After clicking the OK button, ZBrush will start normally and is ready to be used.