Hexagon licensing is the set of software licence terms used by Hexagon AB, a Swedish corporation, and the companies it controls (the “Hexagon Group”).[2] Hexagon has no single group-wide software agreement. Its agreements and terms are “organised by divisions”: Agriculture, Autonomy & Positioning, Infrastructure & Geospatial, Manufacturing Intelligence and Mining.[10] Within Manufacturing Intelligence, end user licence agreements are published per product family.[1] The Production Software EULA, for example, forms a contract with “the Hexagon Group legal entity identified in the installer set up program of the Software as the ‘Licensor’”.[2] Licence managers therefore need the installer or order to know which entity, and which agreement, applies.
Portfolio changes in 2026
Two large parts of Hexagon’s former software portfolio left the group in 2026. Records for older licences may still name Hexagon for them.
- Design & Engineering (MSC Software). Hexagon’s legal page states that the D&E software business “has been acquired by Cadence Design Systems … as of Feb. 23, 2026”. That business covered the MSC ONE and MasterKey licensing systems, Adams, Marc, MSC Nastran, Patran, Simufact, Romax, Cradle CFD and Virtual Test Drive, among others. Older D&E agreements are archived.[1] Hexagon announced completion of the sale the same day.[6] MSC One token licensing is therefore now a Cadence matter and is not covered here.
- Asset Lifecycle Intelligence and Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial. These divisions were spun off, together with ETQ and Bricsys, as Octave. Hexagon’s newsroom notes that “Octave has completed its separation from Hexagon and begun trading independently.”[7]
What remains with Hexagon, and is covered on this wiki, is mainly Manufacturing Intelligence and Geosystems software.
| Family | Main products | Agreement | Article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production Software | ALPHACAM, CABINET VISION, DESIGNER, EDGECAM, ESPRIT, NCSIMUL, RADAN, SURFCAM, VISI, WORKNC and others[1] | Production Software EULA, last updated 2024-01-08[2] | Production Software licensing |
| Metrology Software | PC-DMIS, Geomagic, Spatial Analyzer, Inspire, QUINDOS and others[1] | Product EULAs such as the PC-DMIS EULA[3] | PC-DMIS and Q-DAS licensing |
| Statistical quality assurance | Q-DAS, eMMA | Q-DAS and eMMA terms, 2026[4] | same |
| Reality capture (Geosystems) | Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS, Cyclone 3DR, Cyclone FIELD 360 | Leica Geosystems Software License Agreement[5] | Leica Cyclone licensing |
| Cloud services | Nexus platform services, Hexagon Copilot offerings | Cloud Services Agreement, 2026-05-14[8] | Production Software licensing |
Editions
The agreements do not define commercial editions; they define licence types. The Production Software EULA lists Standalone, Network (LAN or WAN), Educational, Evaluation, Test, Student, Personal Learning, Homework and Demonstration licences.[2] The licence term is separate from the type. A Paid-up License “is a license with a license term of thirty (30) years”, while a Subscription License is “a short-term license (such as a one-year or other short-term Subscription term)”.[2] Hexagon’s “paid-up” licences are therefore 30-year licences rather than unlimited ones.
Metrics
Across the agreements, the units fall into three groups:
- Per computer. The Standalone License for Production Software, the PC-DMIS Node-locked License and the Q-DAS Node-locked License each tie use to one designated computer. The Production Software and PC-DMIS versions also require the user to be physically present.[2][3]
- Concurrent use from a licence server. These are the Production Software Network License (LAN) and (WAN), the PC-DMIS Floating License and the Q-DAS Floating License, which is local, country or global.[2][4]
- Named users. These are the Q-DAS Named-user License and cloud named user Subscriptions. A cloud User account “may not be used by more than one individual during any given period of time”.[4][8]
Leica Geosystems licenses its laser scanning software per application on a “Specified Computer Facility” unless the purchase agreement allows more.[5]
Counting / floors
No minimum quantities are published. Location matters as much as quantity. Production Software licences may not be used outside the Territory named in the order. LAN network licences are tied to one Designated Site, while WAN licences cover all facilities in the Territory.[2] Q-DAS floating licences may be used only if both the user and the computer are inside the Licensed Territory.[4] A licence position for Hexagon software therefore needs the site or country of each user, not only a count.
Virtualization & partitioning
The agreements restrict remote and hosted use rather than counting virtual cores. The Production Software EULA forbids use over a network or by remote access “unless specifically provisioned for and supported by the license management system”. It also forbids service bureau or application service provider use.[2] The CLM Local License Server used for PC-DMIS floating licences “cannot be installed on a virtual computer or server system”.[9] Product-specific details are in the deeper articles.
Cloud / BYOL
Cloud-hosted offerings are licensed under the Cloud Services Agreement. It grants a “time-limited right to access and use the Purchased Services” for the customer’s own internal purposes, subject to usage limits in the order.[8] Hosted features inside desktop products are available only during a subscription or maintenance term, never on a paid-up basis.[2]
Programs
- Maintenance. Updates require purchased Maintenance.[2] For PC-DMIS, restarting a lapsed contract costs back maintenance fees plus reinstatement fees.[3]
- Q-DAS Maintenance Agreement and Q-DAS Subscription License. Both run in 12-month periods with three months’ notice to cancel.[4]
- Evaluation, educational and homework licences. These have default terms and use limits described in Production Software licensing.
Audits and compliance
Every Manufacturing Intelligence agreement reviewed contains an audit right:
| Agreement | Notice | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Production Software EULA | 15 days’ written notice; on-site, electronic audits or self-certifications | Compensation under the Compliance Policy plus reasonable audit costs if non-conforming[2] |
| PC-DMIS EULA | 15 days’ written notice | Excess fees payable within 30 days; licensee bears its own cooperation costs[3] |
| Q-DAS and eMMA terms | On-site during business hours, or by third parties bound to secrecy | Each party bears its own costs; claims for violations unaffected[4] |
The Production Software EULA also lets Hexagon’s technical protection measures collect “user, device, and network identification information, location and organization domain information, as well as information on Software usage” to verify compliance.[2]
Out of scope
- MSC Software products (Cadence since 2026-02-23) and the products of the divisions spun off as Octave.
- Hexagon’s Agriculture, Mining and Autonomy & Positioning software, and hardware terms of sale.
- Prices; no Hexagon price list was used as a catalog source.