Autodesk Platform Services (formerly Forge) has moved from Cloud Credits to Flex tokens on November 7
The following information is not intended for customers who access APS/Forge via a Token Flex Enterprise Business Agreement (EBA). Please check with your account manager if you have questions.
In March of this year, we announced that the move to Flex tokens was coming. Now the change is here. On November 7 at midnight GMT, Forge will stop the sale of Cloud Credits (in select countries) and begin the transition to Flex tokens as the new official currency. Your Cloud Credits will still be accepted until their expiration date. Then upon either usage or expiration of Cloud Credits, you will need to purchase Flex tokens in order to continue using premium APIs and services. This article contains all the details you need to know about this change.
Where are Flex tokens sold?
Flex tokens are available in over 20 countries including North America, Europe, Japan, and more. In countries where Flex tokens are not sold, customers will remain on Cloud Credits and the process to purchase them remains unchanged.
All you need to know about Flex
A Flex token is a virtual currency from Autodesk. Flex tokens are like Cloud Credits, but are worth so much more. Having Flex tokens now enables you to both access a wide variety of Autodesk software and have access to the Forge platform. See rate sheet for details.
For more information on Flex tokens, pricing, or to purchase Flex tokens, please visit https://www.autodesk.com/benefits/flex
A Flex token operates just like a Cloud Credit and cost the same as a Cloud Credit. So, while most APIs are free of charge, the API usage rates for premium APIs will not change and are as follows:
|
Premium APIs |
Cloud Credit (CC) cost |
Flex token (FT) cost |
|
Design Automation API |
2 CC per processing hour |
2 FT per processing hour |
|
Model Derivative API |
0.5 CC per complex job 0.1 CC per simple job |
0.5 FT per complex job 0.1 FT per simple job |
|
Reality Capture API |
1 CC per 50 photos uploaded |
1 FT per 50 photos uploaded |
Early benefits of Flex tokens
There are some benefits you can realize now with Flex tokens. If you happen to hold both Cloud Credits and Flex tokens, the good news is that if you run out of Cloud Credits then Flex tokens can be consumed so you don't go into the negative and risk service disruption. Note the cost per API is the same whether you are using Cloud Credits or Flex tokens. See table above for rate details.
What will happen to Cloud Credits on November 7?
You will still be able to use your existing Cloud Credit balance first until you have spent all your Cloud Credits, or they have expired. Then once you have run out of Cloud Credits your account will begin to spend Flex tokens.
Unused Cloud Credits expire a year after their purchase date.
Changes to subscriptions – introducing Full Access
With the move to Flex tokens and a true pay-per-use model, we are no longer offering annual APS/Forge subscriptions. Instead, customers with a positive balance of Flex tokens will be granted Full Access. Forge will no longer need to be renewed each year. Just maintaining a positive balance of Flex tokens (or remaining Cloud Credits) will ensure that you have access to all Forge APIs and services, or "Full Access".
If you run out of Flex tokens, then you will be placed in a 14-day grace period. That gives you 2 weeks to purchase more tokens and regain a positive balance of tokens. If the grace period lapses, your account will be set to Limited Access - allowing you to only access the free APIs, blocking access to premium, pay-per-result APIs. To resume Full Access, reach out to support to pay your balance and unblock your account.
Please note that if you are in a country that still uses Cloud Credits, this subscription change does not apply to you. You will still need to maintain an annual subscription and positive balance of Cloud Credits to maintain uninterrupted access to Forge APIs and services.
Changes to the Autodesk Platform Services 90-day trial
Cloud Credits or Flex tokens will no longer be spent during the 90-day free trials. Now you can enjoy unlimited, non-commercial use of APS/Forge during the 90-day free trial. Please note that non-commercial use is defined as to be used solely for testing and evaluation purposes. See Terms of Service for details.
When the 90-day trial ends, you will automatically be switched to Full Access. That means that you can access all Forge APIs for commercial use. Free APIs can be called at no charge, but if you are using the premium, pay–per-result APIs; you will start to spend Flex tokens. Again, if you are using only the free APIs, you can continue to do so at no charge for as long as you like for commercial purposes with Full Access.
Want to start using your applications commercially sooner? No problem. You will have the ability to switch your account from Trial to Full Access at any time and start using Forge for commercial purposes.
Questions? We’re here to help
We want to make sure that this transition is a smooth one. Please reach out anytime to our support team with any questions you may have. They are standing by at forge.help@autodesk.com