Instructions

Step 1: Request Long Winter using the Home Use Software form

• Select the Long Winter rigs option
• Provide or withhold consent to use ecuad.ca email address 
  • provide alternate address if consent withheld
• Accept loan terms and conditions
• Requests are approved based on 3DAN course enrollment
• Please allow 1/2 day for staff to assign a license key before receiving an email notification

Step 2: Generate your license key

Once you have been notified that your request has been approved, you can generate a subscription key

• Use the email address you provided and the access code 107704 to generate or retrieve your license key 
• After clicking GET LICENSE KEY you will be provided with your full key and a download link for the software
• This key will be entered directly into Maya to access Long Winter

Step 3: Download & unzip the installer

• Download the file named LONGWINTER_INSTALL using the download link from the previous step

• Extract the main folder from the .zip file.
  • Windows: Right-click \ Extract All..
• Next, extract the sub-folder that best suites your Maya version:
  • For 2022 and newer, use characterTools-master2022
  • For all older versions of Maya, use characterTools-master

Step 4: Copy files to your local scripts folder

• Place the contents of characterTools-master\scripts  folder into your Documents\Maya\[version]\scripts folder
  • i.e. for Maya 2020
    • Source:
      • extract from LONGWINTER_INSTALL.zip
      • use the sub-folder characterTools-master\scripts
      • contains .py, .pyc and .mel files
    • Destination:
      • C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Maya\2020\scripts (Windows)
      • ~/Library/Preferences/Alias/maya/version/scripts (macOS)
        • *on a Mac, the library folder may be hidden
        • Hit Command+Shift+G from the Mac desktop (or Finder > Go > Go to Folder) and type in ~/Library to temporarily access the Library directory in the Finder
        • When you are done, close this window and it will no longer be visible.)
      • As shown below (Windows)

Step 5: Open the Character Manager

• Open the Character Manager via the Long Winter menu
• Select a character and hit the reference button at the bottom of the Character Manager

Step 6: Activate Characters

• Open a character via the Character Manager
• Enter your license information:
  • email address
  • license key 
• Keep a record of your license information
  • re-enter info if the Long Winter license times out