The thing is that I can't provide you with any of these further informations at all, since the program locks on start.

I describe it again: Whenever I launch the application, it immediately throws an error box with the "viking/beard" icon and the sentence: "Demo mode enabled. Please connect to the internet and restart the program so that Blacksmith3D can check it with the server"

The box only has one "OK" button, and this button does nothing. The button reacts with a tiny "flicker" when I click it (so it "responds" and is not frozen) but the box stays open and that's it. On top of the screen there is the "Blacksmith3D" menu (right beside the "Apple" menu), but it is empty - no menu items, especially no "Quit". And of course it doesn't respond to Command-Q.

In other words, it is entirely locked and the only way to stop it is to envoke the "kill process" window in the Finder and to shoot it there. I would love to send you a screenshot of the registration dialog, if only the program would actually step anywhere behind this error box. Will mail you a screenshot later this day.

I did buy an upgrade license from version 5, so I guess that I actually entered that key. Can't remember it, long time ago (by now). My address details do not contain diacritical characters.

OK, so two months have passed and absolutely NOTHING did happen in order to get this to work.

I do have a firewall in the router, but only an ordinary one that blocks uninvited alien attempts from outside scanning random ports. Whatever wants to get out, actually gets out, and whatever asks for a reply will get the reply. If the hardware firewall should be the problem, then Blacksmith obviously behaves like malware and tries to make "uninvited" calls from outside to unknown ports. Is this true? Then tell me the port and I'll lift it, once.

But I doubt it. Fact is, that I paid money for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, and that (obviously) no one seems to even bother about it.

I can promise that I will never do the same mistake again, paying for virtual-dongle software by an obscure company, however, I did the mistake in the first place, so this is another final attempt:

You sold me a software that does nothing but throwing an error-box on every launch that can't be cancelled, and can only be killed by the Finder/process window.

"Is this it", or are you actually going to repair it? If you are able to fix this rubbish then I kindly but firmly ask you to do it now.

If Blacksmith3D is just "vapourware" that was never intended to perform anything else than this error box, then I'm afraid to say that I consider this to be fraud. Sorry if I sound angry, but - actually - I am angry.

I do know that I have no legal power to claim this at this time and any more, but - if this error box is the only function of the "software", then I hereby claim back my money.

Hoping that it (still) may get fixed, MartinC

This is a bit groundhog day, or rather year...

Every year there is the same problem, then the same suggestion (which is good), then someone says that suggestion is good and will be sent to the techs, and then the next year we are merrily doing all the dance again.

So, another year is gone and...

• I understand that you need to enable the "add to cart" button to allow for multiple purchases

• but you could simply enable the button without changing it from "purchased" to "add to cart"

Good idea? Good idea! You should forward it to the tech people so that they can resist from adding this fix next year... :-)

I don't run a "software" firewall, neither the OS-X one nor any external, but there's a hardware firewall in the router. But that can't be any issue unless your server would try to connect to my Mac from the outside independent of your app phoning home.

And there is no anti-spyware/virus software running.

Of you want me to bypass the hardware firewall you would need to tell me the port that your software tries to enter other people's hardware (without telling)... sorry if I may sounf harsh, but are we actually discussing malware behaviour now?

This sounds like you have a firewall or anti-spyware/anti-virus protection that is blocking the software from being able to make it's needed internet connection.

Certainly not for outgoing calls as far as the firewall is concerned, and definitely no spyware protection.

However, even if that would be the case, it is no excuse for getting locked up in a loop with the same error box - at least it should QUIT.

I wasn't aware that the software is totally useless without the virtual dongle mechanism at every single startup. However, I did buy it and so I would prefer to be able to use it... so please try to fix this.

If I can run any further test please just let me know. If you want my serial I can PM it to you or just tell me an eMail address for better communication.

I just jump on this thread because I have the same problem - but a lot worse.

I didn't use the tool for qute some time and I actually can't remember if I ever started v6 after the upgrade purchase at all (I most likely did, because it was installed next to my other 3D related tools).

However, when I launched it today (for the first time in a long time), all that I get is the error box:

"Demo mode enabled. Please connect to the internet and restart the program so Blacksmith3D can check in with the server"

There is a "OK" button but it doesn't do ANYTHING, no matter how often I hit it. So I can't select any menu within the software since it never starts, I can't even quit it - instead I need to option-command-ESC it from the Finder.

Oh how I hate this virtual dongle protection stuff, if I'd known before clearly I'd probably didn't buy it... (sorry for the rant)

Anyway, how can I get it back to life now?

OS-X 10.6.x (all updates), 64bit mode, Blacksmith3D-v6.1.0.1-Mac (the latest I can find), internet connection is perfectly fine and fast (I actually just post through it right now)

Add me to the list - none of my purchased items show as "purchased" any more.

Thanks for the note, got your email and indeed it is fixed now.

I would have been a bit more relaxed, but the second mail/warning about order cancellation made me worry a bit, so I thought to let you know urgently...

Will make another order later the day, if I notice anything weird I'll let you know.

Just in case: If there will be another "gap" in price between your invoice and the PayPal link, should I rather continue or rather stop and let you know?

I confess that I just spent a few minutes with the new shop by now... however, I truly believe that a "shop" should be accessible within a few minutes since a shop is a shop and not an adventure game, where the fun is to spend hours and days to figure out how to bypass obstacles.

Having said that I'm sorry to say that the new shop looks like a COMPLETE MESS to me. It's eye candy replacing basic functionality.

1. Sorry, but the main shop layout ("what's new") is just a nightmare. One aspect is that I actually liked the simple smaller thumbnails, because it was a perfect overview. One may argue that these thumbnails are "the bigger the better" (which they are not), but since the new thumbs are not just bigger but of a DIFFERENT SIZE one by one, the whole shop no longer looks like a well organzied shop but like an amateur blog where someone just posted stuff and bits and pieces without the slightest idea how the whole lot looks like.

2. But what I really dislike is that basic features actually got REMOVED! For example, I loved to sort my wishlist by vendor, which was a simple click in the old shop. It was a great way to have an organized look, especially since most vendors have a "theme" for their work. Unless I'm blind, this is gone.

3. But what's really bad: In the old shop it was easy to find all updates to purchased goods - just go to "item list" and sort by update. Most recent on top, look on the date, mission accomplished. In theory, this sorting still "exists", but it only sorts the 50 items currently on display. So in order to check all updates, the shop really forces the customer to step through dozens and dozens of pages, hitting the "sort/update" button one by one only to see the recent updates of the subset of 50 items currently on display.

Sorry folks, this has nothing to do with "I don't like it because it is new". You have removed core functionality and added some visual gimmicks. I understand that quite some of your users love this nevertheless, but I also must be honest to say that I don't...

can they still use figures for P4 and P5?

P1 and P2 could use no external figures at all - P1 was entirely limited to figures and props that were built-in, and P2 only allowed to import (static) props but no figures.
Because of that, you can neither use P3+ models with P1 and P2, nor can you directly import the original "built-in" P1 or P2 models in P3+.

The only files that survived the P3 revolution are textures and pose/lights/camera library files. In order to keep them working, P3+ included the "P1" and "P2" models, but these are actually "emulated" models - they are new P3 models that behave and look like the original P1 and P2 ones (to allow to use the old textures and poses).

Definitely Joliet.

Joliet CDs are actually ISO9660 CDs with 8.3 names plus an extra part including the long filenames. I don't know about OS-X, but OS9 Macs (by default) will not read the long filenames and use the 8.3 versions underneath - in other words: "default" Macs will display 8.3 filenames no matter whether you turn Joliet on or off.

BUT... you can direct your Mac customers to http://www.tempel.org/joliet/ and recommend to install the "Joliet Extension". This is a must have, and once it is installed the Mac will start to use the long filenames.

So the results are:

1. Joliet off

• 8.3 names on PC
• 8.3 names on Mac
• 8.3 names on Mac with Joliet Extension

1. Joliet on

• long names on PC
• 8.3 names on Mac
• long names on Mac with Joliet Extension

So, Joliet wins 2:0... :-)

And the chicken said to the piglet: "Let's do a merge and produce Ham & Eggs!"

:-) :-) :-)

Well... there is no guarantee whatsoever, but the last few introductory offers that I can remember all got extended later on...

If you can only afford the basic stuff now, then just get that, relax, and have fun...

Then, in October, look again - if it still is cheaper, hurray! If not - that's life... :-)

A cute thing you can do on Mac... Whenever you typed anything lengthy (that you don't want to type again if the server messes up), just before you hit "submit" select the entire text and drag it onto your desktop (it will create a simple clip file). If anything went wrong, re-open the web page, drag the clip file into the text box and... that's it! :-)

For precious stuff, make two CD-Rs each with a different brand. It is very unlikely that both will give up, as long as you treat them carefully (as above):

• no heat
• no sunlight
• no moisture
• no scratches

Every 5 years, make a new copy onto something different: This year you can copy some 7 CDs onto one DVD-R, and the DVD-R costs much less than the 7 CD-Rs did 5 years ago. In 5 years you sure can copy 7 DVD-Rs onto something new that will be cheaper than 7 DVD-Rs this year... :-)