Features

Alienbrain Installation

This article will help you get started with the Alienbrain Server and Client installation. Full installation notes can be found in the Installation Guide in the Alienbrain Documentation folder. For a simple evaluation, accept all the defaults during the installation. This will install all the Alienbrain components on one machine and allow you to get going straight away.


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An Alienbrain installation comprises of three main components:

   - The Alienbrain server
   - The file storage for your data
   - The Alienbrain client(s)

The server installation will default to setting up the file storage on the same machine as the Alienbrain server. It's possible to change this to an alternative network location (e.g. a NAS), though network permissions will need to be managed. Select the Custom Install and see the note about the File Storage and Custom User Account below if this is required.


Server and Client Installation

Installing the Alienbrain Server will also install an Alienbrain Client on the same machine. This is generally sufficient for the purposes of evaluation, but if you would like to install additional clients on other machines, follow the steps in Getting Started - Client Installation, once the server installation is complete.


  • Go to the Alienbrain download page, enter your details and click the download button.

  • An email will be sent with a link to a zip file of the Alienbrain installation.

  • Extract the zip file.

  • Run the alienbrainServer.exe file, which is located in the Alienbrain Installations directory.


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Run the alienbrainServer.exe file


  • There may be a message to say "Windows protected your PC". You should click on "More Info", and then click the "Run anyway" button.



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Click "Run anyway"

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Click "More Info"



  • A pop up will ask if you want to allow this app to make changes on your device. Select YES.

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Click Yes



  • When evaluating Alienbrain, it is ok to install the Alienbrain Server on a Windows client, such as Windows 10, and ignore the warning below. For a production environment, however, Alienbrain should be installed on a Windows Server.

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Click OK



  • Alienbrain will now run the intstallation wizard. Click Next, and accept the license agreement.

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Accept and Click "Next"



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Click "Next"



  • For a simple evaluation select the Typical Option, or select the Custom option to control the installation locations. The option to install the integrations with Unreal Engine, 3ds Max, Maya, Photoshop and Visual Studio is also found in the Custom Installation, though these may also be installed separately after the server installation is complete (see Tool Integrations). Further notes about the custom install can be found in the Installation Guide.

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Click Next



  • The next two steps request the location for the Alienbrain Database, and the Alienbrain Data. The Alienbrain database which holds the metadata for the project (e.g folder structure, user access, checkin status and comments) must reside on the Alienbrain server machine, whereas the Alienbrain data (your files) can be anywhere accessible on the network (e.g on a NAS). In the case of a simple evaluation on one machine, accept the defaults.


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Click "Next"



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Click "Next"



  • Installing the Demo Project will allow you to get started using and evaluating Alienbrain straight away. Alternately, you can evaluate the tool using your own files or create new test projects. This will be covered in Alienbrain Administration.


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Click Next



  • Next select the Client Type required. The features of each client type are listed on our pricing page: Client Features.

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Click Next


  • Finally, accept to add the Administration Client to the start menu, and click Next to start the installation.


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Click "Next"



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Click "Next"



  • During the installation, the sever may show as "Not Responding" while executing some background checks. This is temporary and can safely be ignored.

  • Windows Defender Firewall may block some features of the app (for example the Apache Server). "Allow Access" for the installation to complete.

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Allow Access


  • Select Finish once the installation is complete.

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Click Finish



  • After the installation is finished, Alienbrain will need to reboot the server.

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Click Ok



Note: if upgrading from a previous version, the installation file may need to be executed again after this initial reboot to complete the installation. The installer will indicate if this is the case.

Upon completion, the installation process will have created:

   - A link to the Alienbrain client on your desktop
   - An Alienbrain folder in the Windows Start Menu
   - A number of Alienbrain processes and services running on your server



File Storage and Custom User Account

Follow these steps only if you want to host the data storage somewhere on the network other than the Alienbrain server.

  • Select the Custom Installation option on the wizard.

  • On the Specify Default Data Folder page - define the locatation of the external storage.

  • On the Server Execution User page - select the Custom User Account option.

  • On the Specify Server User page - add a network user that has access to the storage location specified. Note the domain\username format of the user.

If you want to migrate existing project data from the Alienbrain server to a network location, please contact [email protected] for the detailed steps.




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Add the domain user

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Select Custom User Account



Next:

Configure and run the Alienbrain client:

CLIENT CONFIGURATION



Install additional Alienbrain Clients on different machines:

CLIENT INSTALLATION





Use the Administration tools to Manage Projects and Users:

ADMINISTRATION

Install and configure the creation tool integrations:

TOOL INTEGRATIONS