Warning
This installation guide only applies to standard (non-Enterprise) customers. Enterprise License customers, please see Enterprise Installations for your setup instructions.
Installation
To get started, download the latest version of the installer from ctech.com/downloads and run CTech3DPDFConverter.exe. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.
Once the installation is finished, launch C Tech 3D PDF Converter. If no valid license is found on the system, an error banner is shown and the licensing window will open automatically so you can get set up right away.
Licensing
Before you can use the converter, you will need to purchase a subscription from C Tech and complete the activation process described below. The licensing window can be opened at any time by clicking Update License at the bottom of the Output section, and will open automatically on first launch if no valid license is detected.
Once a license is active, the title bar of the licensing window displays your current subscription expiration date, giving you a quick way to check when your subscription is due for renewal.
Licensee Information
Start by filling in your details in the Licensee Information section. It is important that all fields are completed accurately — the information you provide must precisely match the details on your C Tech invoice, otherwise the activation request cannot be processed.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Hardware ID | Automatically detected from your system (read-only). This ties the license to your machine and is included in the activation request automatically. |
| Username | Your name |
| Company | Your organization |
| Your email address | |
| Phone | Your phone number |
| C Tech Invoice # | The invoice number from your C Tech purchase |
Info
Standard (non-Enterprise) licenses are CPU-locked, meaning the license is tied to the specific machine you activate on. Make sure you are running the activation on the computer where the converter will be used, and that you are logged in as the end user who will be running the application.
Generating an Activation Request
Once your Licensee Information is complete, click Generate Activation Request. This will create an activation request file with a .car suffix, which needs to be sent to C Tech for processing.
To send the request, click Send via Email. This opens a pre-addressed email to sales@ctech.com containing your activation request information in the email body. The email will include a line marked DO NOT CHANGE BELOW HERE — do not edit or remove any of the content below that line, as it contains the technical details C Tech needs to generate your license.
Info
Please allow up to 2 business days for C Tech to reply with your license file.
Activating Your License
When you receive the license file (.lic) from C Tech, you are ready to complete the activation. Scroll down to the Activation section of the licensing dialog:
- Run
CTech3DPDFConverter.exe - Click Browse next to the License File field and select the
.licfile you received - Click Activate
If activation is successful, you will see a confirmation message:
The converter automatically backs up any existing license before applying the new one, so your previous license is preserved if anything goes wrong.
Renewing Your Subscription
When your subscription is due for renewal, you do not need to reinstall the application. Simply click the Licensing button at the bottom of the sidebar in the main converter window to open the licensing dialog, then follow the same activation process described above.
Enterprise Licensing
Enterprise customers who have access to the C Tech Universal License Server do not need to go through the manual activation process. Instead, the converter will automatically request a license from the server each time it starts up. To use this, make sure the license server is correctly configured in the C Tech License Manager before launching the converter.
See the Enterprise Installations topic for full setup instructions.
Once installation is complete, we recommend reading Optimizing 3D PDF Playback in Adobe Reader or Acrobat to get the best viewing experience for your generated PDFs.