Installing the HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter

This chapter describes how to install and configure the HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter. This manual briefly explains steps 1-3, which cover the prerequisites, obtaining the licensing key, and creating an encrypted JSON file; for more information, please refer to the Technical Reference Manual.

Step 1: Fulfill the Prerequisites

1. Review the Release Notes for the list of supported operating systems, CAD applications, and file types.

2. Ensure that all prerequisites described in the Technical Reference Manual are completed before installing the add-on.

Please refer to the section “Prerequisites”.

Step 2: Obtain the License Key

Obtain the license key and choose whether to activate it automatically or manually.

Please refer to the section “License Administration”.

Step 3: Create an Encrypted JSON File

To simplify installation and protect Microsoft Entra ID application details, create an encrypted JSON configuration file by using the administrator tool. Place the hc.conf.enc file in the same directory as the HaloCAD installer. During installation, HaloCAD automatically reads the Microsoft Entra ID application details, so you do not need to enter them manually.

Please refer to the section “Secure Installation (Recommended Method)”.

Step 4: Install the Add-on

You can install the add-on by using one of the following methods:

1. Graphical Mode

   Provides an interactive, wizard-based installation through the graphical user interface (GUI).

2. Silent Mode

   Installs the add-on from the command line without displaying a user interface or requiring user interaction.

3. Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)

   Enables administrators to deploy the add-on to multiple computers across the enterprise by using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

Graphical Mode  

Before you begin
The following prerequisites must be met:

1. The user installing the HaloCAD Add-on must have administrator privileges.

2. Ensure that all active and open CAD applications are closed. If not, HaloCAD displays the following warning message: “Please close all the CAD applications to proceed with the installation of HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter.”

3. Ensure that the supported CAD applications are installed. If not, HaloCAD displays the following warning message: “No supported CAD applications are available in the system.”

4. Ensure that your Microsoft Entra tenant details are ready when the installation UI requests them. Alternatively, you can use hc.conf.enc for a secure, automated installation.

Installation Procedure

Install the add-on using the GUI-based setup program provided in the installation package.

1. Double-click the installer HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe file.

2. Depending on your Windows security settings, a prompt may appear stating, "Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?" If this warning appears, click Yes to continue with the installation.

3. When the installer starts, the Startup dialog appears, followed by the Welcome dialog.

   

   Startup dialog

   

   Welcome dialog

4. Click Next to continue the installation. The installer UI includes a link to the product’s online documentation. When you click Online Help, the installation help page opens in your browser.

5. The License Agreement dialog appears.

   

   End-User License Agreement dialog

6. Read the End-User License Agreement. If you agree to the terms, select I accept the terms in the License Agreement and click Next to continue.

7. The CAD Applications dialog appears.

   

   CAD applications dialog

8. Select the installed Designcenter application version on your system and click Next. Note: Only major series are listed in the installer UI; however, HaloCAD will support installation with subversions or point releases of these major series. During the installation, the installer looks for the environment variable - UGII_CUSTOM_DIRECTORY_FILE.

   1. If it does not exist, the Location text field will be enabled. The file path that is displayed on the UI indicates the default location chosen for the User Interface Customization file (custom_dirs.dat). If you would like to choose an alternative location, click the Browse button and select your preferred location. Also, make sure that the installed directory has read and write permissions.

   2. If it already exists, the Location text field will be disabled and automatically populate the existing file path.

      

      CAD application version selection dialog (UGII_CUSTOM_DIRECTORY_FILE already exists)

   3. Please note that by default, the application files of HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter are installed in the Program Files directory C:\Program Files\Secude\HaloCAD\Designcenter, and this path cannot be changed.  For more details, refer to the table “Environment variable”.

   4. To review or modify the installation settings, click Back. When you are ready to continue, click Next to begin the installation.

9. The installation begins, and the progress is displayed.

   

   Installation progress dialog

10. When the installation is complete, a confirmation message appears.

    

    Installation completed dialog

11. Click Next to continue.

12. The Initialization dialog appears. To prevent connectivity issues, ensure that the correct Microsoft Entra ID application details are entered on the screen.

    If the hc.conf.enc file is not present. Enter the following Microsoft Entra ID application details:

    

    Initialization dialog with application details

    1. Application ID: Enter the unique identifier (client ID) of the registered Microsoft Entra ID application. For example, v6ca776-c74e-437d-98ef-662ecb5751tt.

    2. Redirect URI: Enter the redirect URI specified when registering the application. For example, https://localhost.

    3. Tenant ID: If the application is registered as a Single tenant application, enter the tenant ID (GUID). Otherwise, leave this field blank. For example, 9c1cfc28-1ec6-44ea-bec6-e3492ef0cd16.

    4. Cloud Type: Commercial is selected by default. Depending on your Microsoft Entra ID cloud environment, select one of the following options: Commercial, Custom, Germany, US_DoD, US_GCC, US_GCC_High, US_Sec, US_Nat, or China_01. If you select Custom, specify the following:

       • Protection Cloud URL: For example, https://api.aadrm.com

       • Policy Cloud URL: For example, https://dataservice.protection.outlook.com

    5. Enable Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Mode: Select this option to use FIPS-compliant encryption algorithms. When enabled, Microsoft Purview Information Protection (MPIP) uses only FIPS-compliant encryption algorithms. When disabled, MPIP uses standard encryption algorithms. If this option is not enabled during installation, you can enable it later by modifying the registry. For more information, refer to section “Step 5: Modify Registry Settings”.

    If the hc.conf.enc file is present.

    

    Initialization dialog without application details

    The installer automatically reads the Microsoft Entra ID application details from the hc.conf.enc file. As a result, the Microsoft Entra ID application fields are disabled and appear empty. Only FIPS Mode can be enabled or disabled.

13. Click Next.

14. Once the initialization is complete, a success message appears as shown below. 

    

    Initialization completed dialog

15. Click Close to close the installation wizard.

Post-installation checks:

1. To view the add-on, open the Designcenter application > HaloCAD tab or click Menu > HaloCAD. 

2. Masking Personally Identifiable Information (PII): By default, the HaloCAD Add-on masks Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in logs, such as email names, file paths, and IP addresses in the MIP SDK logs. In HaloCAD logs, information such as the label name, label ID, engine ID, policy ID, and watermark text is masked with asterisks. To view PII in clear text, create the following registry entry in Path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Secude\HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter

   Name: mipallowpii, Type: REG_SZ, Value: true

   The log files are located at the following paths:

   • MIP SDK log: %AppData%\Roaming\Secude\HaloCAD\NX\mip\logs\mip_sdk.miplog

   • HaloCAD log: %AppData%\Roaming\Secude\HaloCAD\NX\halocad.log

3. If your network infrastructure includes a proxy server that provides access to external websites, then you must manually add the proxy settings to connect to the Secude License Manager URL. To do so, create a registry entry in the root directory, Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Secude\HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter
   Name: proxyuri, Type: REG_SZ, Value: The format is, <URL>:<PORT>. For example, http://10.41.0.130:808

Environment variable

Setting up the environment variable

Silent Mode

Besides graphical mode, the add-on can be installed in silent mode, which does not require user involvement or display a user interface. It is a convenient way to streamline installation with a single command. 

1. Open the Command Prompt with elevated rights (Run as Administrator).

2. Navigate to the add-on installer directory.

3. To view the list of options available in silent mode, follow these steps:
   Type HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -help
   Press Enter
   Output
   ...
   HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -install -application <NX 2506|Designcenter 2512|Designcenter 2606> -customdirlocation <default|custom> -applicationid <azure_application_id> -redirecturi <azure_redirect_url> -tenantid <azure_tenant_id for Single-tenant app|null for Multi-tenant app> [-cloudtype <Commercial|Custom|Germany|US_DoD|US_GCC|US_GCC_High|US_Sec|US_Nat|China> -protectioncloudurl <protection cloud url> -policycloudurl <policy cloud url>] -enablefipsmode <true|false>
[Default Parameters: cloudtype - Commercial and enablefipsmode - false]
HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -uninstall
To delete HaloCAD cache through Silent Mode Uninstallation
HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -uninstall -clearcache <yes>
For Silent Mode Installation if ENC file already exists in the same location
HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -install -application <NX 2506|Designcenter 2512|Designcenter 2606> -customdirlocation <default|custom> -enablefipsmode <true|false>

4. The following example installs the add-on by using the Microsoft Entra ID application details.
   HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -install -application "Designcenter 2512" -customdirlocation C:\Designcenter_HaloCADCustom -applicationid v6ca776-c74e-437d-98ef-662ecb5751tt -redirecturi https://localhost -tenantid 9c1cfc28-1ec6-44ea-bec6-e3492ef0cd16 -cloudtype Custom -protectioncloudurl https://api.aadrm.com -policycloudurl https://dataservice.protection.outlook.com -enablefipsmode true

5. The following example installs the add-on by using the hc.conf.enc file located in the same directory as the installer.
   HaloCAD_Designcenter_Setup.exe -install -application "Designcenter 2512" -customdirlocation C:\Designcenter_HaloCADCustom -enablefipsmode true

6. Press Enter.

7. The installation is complete.

Via System Center Configuration Manager

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) enables organizations to deploy operating systems and applications across enterprise-managed Windows devices.

Using SCCM, administrators can deploy the HaloCAD Add-on silently to multiple target computers across the enterprise.

Before You Begin

1. Review the prerequisites described in the Graphical Mode section.

2. Follow your organization's best practices when creating an SCCM deployment.

3. For information about configuring SCCM, refer to the Microsoft documentation.

Deployment Using SCCM

This procedure assumes that your SCCM environment is already configured. Use the Silent Mode command-line options described in the previous section to create and deploy the installation package through SCCM.

Step 5: Modify Registry Settings

Prerequisite: To modify the add-on registry entries, first launch the CAD application and sign in to Microsoft Purview Information Protection to ensure that an active HaloCAD session is established.

Note: Only the registry entries listed in the table below should be modified.

The HaloCAD registry entries are grouped into two sections: HKEY_CURRENT_USER and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Depending on your requirements, you can modify the following settings:

1. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Secude\HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter. Once you have logged into the HaloCAD Session, open Registry Editor, navigate to this path, and modify the desired registry key. For example, to change the log level, double-click loglevel, change the "Value data" using the values listed in the table below, and then click OK.

   1. loginterval

   2. loglevel

   3. logsize

2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Secude\HaloCAD Add-on for Designcenter: enable_fips (This entry does not require an active HaloCAD session.)

Configuration in the HaloCAD Registry

What to do next

1. If the encrypted configuration file was placed with the installer:

   1. You can launch the CAD application and start using the HaloCAD features immediately.

   2. The license is activated silently in the background.

   3. For details on protecting CAD files, refer to the Operations Manual.

2. If the encrypted configuration file was not placed with the installer:

   1. You must activate the license manually.

   2. Follow the instructions in the “UI-based Manual License Activation” section of the Technical Reference Manual.

Last updated: October 26, 2026