Introduction
AutoCAD is one of the most widely used programs by architects, engineers, industrial designers, and students for project design. However, the high cost of its license often makes it an expensive option for many educational institutions. Discover how Thinfinity® Workspace can help you make AutoCAD more accessible by publishing it as a RemoteApp.
AutoCAD offers both a Desktop and a Web App version, but the Web App lacks some of the essential functionalities available in the Desktop version. Additionally, due to licensing costs, it can be challenging to provide access to a large number of faculty and students. Thinfinity® Workspace offers a practical solution by enabling the delivery of AutoCAD as a RemoteApp, providing a flexible and efficient way to publish AutoCAD to the web in just a few minutes.
What is a RemoteApp?
RemoteApp is a feature of Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services that allows individual applications to run remotely through a Remote Desktop Client. Instead of accessing the entire desktop, RemoteApp lets users interact with just the application as though it were running locally on their device. No programming skills or modifications to the Windows application’s source code are required to publish applications with RemoteApp.
How to publish a RemoteApp with Thinfinity® Workspace?
Thinfinity® Workspace is an integrated solution for accessing applications, desktops, and files through a single, unified portal on any device. Follow these simple steps to publish AutoCAD as a RemoteApp with Thinfinity® Workspace:
Installing it for the first time is pretty simple. There are just a few items you have to take into account. You can check the Thinfinity Remote Workspace’s installation steps here.
Install Thinfinity® Workspace following the installation guide, and then open the Configuration Manager:
In the Access Profiles" tab, click "Add." For this guide, we’ll set up an "RDP" connection.
2. Adding a new profileClick on the ‘Access Profiles’ tab, and press ‘Add’. For this guide, we’ll be creating an ‘RDP’ connection:
3. Configure the Access Profile
Configure the Access Profile with a ‘Name’, then on ‘Computer’ enter the IP Address or domain name of the server, and on ‘Credentials’ enter the Windows credentials to authenticate to said server:
4. Allow Anonymous Access for the profile
For testing purposes, check the ‘Allow anonymous access’ option:
5. Configure RemoteApp
Under the ‘Program’ tab, choose the ‘Execute as RemoteApp’ option.Then, point both the ‘Program path and the filename’ and ‘Start in the following folder’ fields to the executable’s directory and its root folder, respectively.You can also pass arguments to your application in the “Arguments” field:
6. Allow Anonymous Access for Workspace
For testing purposes, check the ‘Allow anonymous access’ option and then apply changes.
7. Open WorkspaceYou can open the published application by going to http://127.0.0.1:Port and clicking on the newly created Profile
And thats all! You can now use AutoCAD on a browser via the RemoteApp functionality for Thinfinity Workspace!
Denied Error
IMPORTANT: If you get an access denied error, please follow the next steps:If you get an access denied error, you would need to enable a group policy to allow unlisted programs to be started. To this end, open the ‘Group Policy Editor’ by going to ‘Start > Run > gpedit.msc’:
On the ‘Group Policy Editor’ navigate to:‘Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections > Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services’
Double click on this policy and then click on the check-box next to ‘Enabled’:
Afterwards, you’ll have to update the group policies. In order to do this, call ‘gpupdate /force’ from a ‘Command Prompt’ window elevated as an Administrator:
To ensure these changes are applied, you can go to ‘Start > Run > services.msc’ and restart the ‘Thinfinity Service Manager’:
Enabling high-quality performance
H264 is the most commonly used format for recording, compression, and distribution of high-quality resolution content in an efficient manner. As such, Thinfinity Workspace must work in conjunction with H264 in order to provide a professional experience. To activate H264 for Thinfinity, check this step-by-step article.