Frequently Asked Questions

Upgrading to articy:draft X


  • Is there a cost associated with upgrading from articy:draft 3 to articy:draft X

    There will be no additional costs to move from a subscription model of articy:draft 3 to the same tier for articy:draft X. This includes the team bundles for Multi User.
    However if you have purchased the perpetual version of articy:draft 3, that version is not upgradeable to articy:draft X.

  • Why is there no perpetual license available for articy:draft X?

    With articy:draft X we are committed to providing both feature and security updates regularly for all our users. With this shift, our users can expect new updates at a much faster rate, which is one of the requests we have been receiving from the articy:draft community. This change makes the old “big version” models obsolete as we wish to release new features as soon as they are developed and do not want to make our users wait until we gather new features in a big bulk for a new version. And if we are to release new articy:draft versions at the same pace as the subscription models, it will make the previous purchases outdated at a very fast pace. With this in mind and also considering that most of our users are already using a subscription model, we are confident that we have made the right choice.

  • Will my articy:draft projects work with articy:draft X?

    Yes, both single user and multi-user projects created in articy:draft 3 can be migrated and used with articy:draft X

    Find out how in our Help Center.

General Questions


  • How can I transfer my License?

    articy:draft X can only be used on one device at a time. If you wish to transfer your license to a new device, please open articy:draft X on the old device and follow these steps:

    1. Click on the top left button

    2. Click on license management

    3. Click on unregister.

    This will unregister your license from the current device and allow you to use it on a different device.

    Inapp image of articy draft X showing the 3 buttons to click in order to unregister the license

    If for any reason you are no longer able to unregister your articy:draft license from the app, please use the form below:

    After entering the affected license key below you will receive an authorization code by e-mail that is required to ensure that it is really you who wants the license key to be unregistered.

    License key to unregister:


    IMPORTANT: This form is not intended to cancel your articy:draft X license. If you want to cancel your subscription please click this button:

    Cancel Your Subscription

  • Is there a special rate for educational institutes?

    Yes. Please contact sales for more info.

    You can also use our educational price calculator to calculate the costs for your required installation.

  • Do you offer trainings or consulting for articy:draft?

    We offer a wide range of free learning resources and paid software trainings, from quick overview to individually tailored workshops. Our personal trainings will help you get up to speed and become a proficient and productive articy:draft expert.

    We can also consult you in figuring out the best possible way of using articy:draft in your specific case, or help you establish a pipeline and workflows that serve your team’s needs.

    View all services
  • Can I still buy the perpetual license for articy:draft 3?

    Yes. If you are convinced that you won’t need all the powerful new features of articy:draft X and still wish to purchase articy:draft 3, you can do that here on our website or on Steam.

  • What are the differences between the multi-user licenses?

    Regular multi-user license

    This is a full-featured client in the multi-user environment. It connects to the articy:server and lets you create, view and edit projects in a team. Licenses in the multi-user scenario are managed centrally by the articy:server, so each client needs to get a license assigned by the server to be able to log in with their credentials and explore projects. Clients can access projects freely whereever they reach the articy:server.

    Floating license

    Besides the regular licenses, you can have a pool of floating licenses which can be dynamically assigned upon log-in. Users logging in claim licenses from the pool and return them when they log out. So the size of the pool determines the maximum amount of simultaneous users, but you can have as many inactive users as you want. This option is great for distributed teams across different time zones.

    Viewer license

    Technically, this is the same client as the regular multi-user version, but the license doesn’t allow any editing and modifying of content. Viewers can freely explore projects and export project data, but cannot contribute in any way. Read-only licenses are often given to the programming team or the publishing partner for review. You can upgrade viewers to regular multi-user licenses or floating licenses any time.

  • How can I get articy:draft data into my game or tool-chain?

    Unity: you can implement your data right into your game with articy:draft X’s integrated Unity Importer plugin. With the completely customizable flow traversal engine and out-of-the-box script evaluation you can play through your content with minimal effort. Read more here

    Unreal: Use simple C++ and blueprint interface to work with the data and get a substantial head-start into incorporating articy:draft data into Unreal projects while still having enough flexibility to adjust the importer to personal needs. Read more here

    Generic Export: The generic engine export creates an archive, which contains all generated JSON files and all assets (optional), in BBCode text format. It’s best used if you have a custom import solution for any engine that handles JSON data.

    The articy:draft API offers direct access to all data within articy:draft. You can use the API to conveniently integrate articy:draft X in your pipeline. Read more here

    articy:draft X comes with various export features, like Excel or Word, .JSON and XML in particular. The .JSON and XML export feature allows the convenient export of the entire project as XML or .JSON for use in your internal tool chain. You don’t even have to have any knowledge of XML. All you need to do is to click the “export to XML” button and an XML file is created.

  • Is there a way to expand or adapt articy:draft to your workflow?

    There are several ways to adapt articy:draft to your needs, with customizing functionality and automation of tasks.

    The Macro Devkit enables you to run and develop plugins for the articy:draft client. Free to use, available on Windows, for Single and Multi-user.

    The API is intended for automation. It allows your custom tool program (Command-line / services) to connect to an articy:server, open a project and work with the elements of this project. The API is only available for Windows and Multi-user. Visit the API page for more information.

    You can also opt to have our team create a dedicated customization just for you. Book a free consultation with our experts to learn more about it.

  • Are there hosting options?

    How hosting can help you

    We clearly understand your need to stay focused and productive. Our hosting service helps you get started with articy:draft as quickly as possible and takes the burden of setup and maintenance off your shoulders. So you and your team can focus on what matters most: The creative side of making games.

    What are we hosting?

    The multi-user collaboration requires an articy:server for the handling of users, licenses and project meta data. The actual project data is stored in an internal SVN (subversion) repository that’s part of the articy:server. We’re hosting the articy:server for you with the integrated SVN server, so you’re ready to go.
    Optionally, if you already have an SVN repository or Perforce depot running, you can use it for your project data and ignore the internal SVN but still benefit from the hosted articy:server.

    Where are we hosting? (And how secure is it?)

    We’re setting up storage space for you in certified data centers in Germany with highest security standards. Your data will be hosted on first class hardware with highest reliability and failsafe raid/redundancy systems. High-speed uploads and downloads as well as unlimited traffic are included.

    An automated backup service creates daily copies of your data and stores them externally. So if anything goes wrong, you can always restore an earlier version of your articy:server data.

    Lower risks
    • Certified EU data centers
    • First class hardware
    • Daily backups of your data

    Faster readiness
    • No technical skills required
    • Setup/maintenance done by us
    • Have a free mind for creativity

    Lower costs
    • No extra hardware expenses
    • No extra maintenance costs
    • No extra security costs

    We take data security seriously

    We not only guarantee performance and reliability, we also ensure security of your sensitive data. We use trusted SSL secured connections between your articy:draft clients and your hosted articy:server. Every client gets a user account which permits access only to their specific articy:server and their projects.

    In addition, our hosting partner operates certified data centers in the EU with failsafe hardware and software. We’re also doing daily backups for you.
    Visit our shop for details and prices.

  • On what Platforms does it run?

    The articy:draft & articy:server application runs on:

    Windows:

    • Windows 11 – 64 Bit
    • Windows 10 – 64 Bit
    • Windows Server 2019 – 64 Bit
    • Windows Server 2022 – 64 Bit

    Further requirements:

    DX9 or higher (can be installed/updated via the installer)

    .NET Framework 4.7 or higher (the installer will deny installation if not present and supplies a download link to the Microsoft site where you can download the version required)

    Needs an internet connection to register/validate the license key

  • Will there be a MAC version?

    Yes, a MAC version for articy:draft X is currently in development. Follow our social media channels to find out when it will be available.

  • Where do i find articy:draft logs?

    To find the logs, please enter the corresponding string below into the address bar of your windows explorer:

    %Appdata%\nevigo\articy\2.x\Logs (for Articy:Draft 2)
    or
    %Appdata%\nevigo\articy\3.x\Logs (for Articy:Draft 3 version 3.1.21 and older)
    %Appdata%\Articy Software\articy\3.x\Logs (for Articy:Draft 3 version 3.1.22 and newer)

    The resulted folder will contain the file articy.log corresponding to the current running or last session and up to 20 files named articy_nn.log for the past 20 sessions.

    When a crash occurs, there will be an additional ZIP-file named CrashInfo-<Timestamp of crash>.zip.

    Important note! Should you encounter a crash or otherwise unexpected behavior of articy:draft, please write a ticket and attach the log and/or crash files to make sure our dev team has all the information required to diagnose the issue.

  • Can I also upgrade from Single User to Multi User?

    There is no direct upgrade path from Single User to Multi User. You can cancel your Single User Subscription at any time and purchase a Multi User Subscription separately. All Single User projects can be converted and continued with the Multi User. If you need any assistance, please contact sales@articy.com.

articy:draft X FREE


  • Is there any risk to get charged while using articy:draft X FREE?

    No there is not. To make sure of it, we’re not asking for any kind of payment details to download and use articy:draft X FREE.

  • What are the objects included in the FREE version?

    An object is a single piece of content you add to your project. In articy:draft X FREE you will have 700 objects FREE for each of your projects. The FREE objects are split between Flow Elements, Dialogue Nodes, Dialogue Fragments, Entities, Assets and Locations.

    You can check the number of used and available FREE objects in the object counter. For step by step instructions please check our help center.
    If you are using any other versions of articy:draft X, you have unlimited objects so the object counter will not appear in your window.

  • What happens when I exceed the FREE objects?

    If you are using articy:draft X FREE, used up the FREE objects and created additional ones, your project will enter a locked state. If that happens you can choose to upgrade and unlock unlimited objects, but if that’s not your thing you can also delete the extra objects to unlock your project and continue to use the FREE version, we won’t judge.

    *NOTE that each project has 700 objects that can be used for FREE and its own object counter. If you are using articy:draft X FREE and have exceeded the number of free objects in one project, all your other projects will stay unlocked. If you are using any other versions of articy:draft X, you have unlimited objects and your projects will not be locked.

  • Can I still export my content if I'm using articy:draft X FREE and don’t want to buy the paid version?

    Yes, you can use all exports with the FREE version.

  • Do I need to pay a fee if I decide to sell my game after if I finished it with articy:draft X FREE without ever upgrading?

    No. articy:draft X FREE comes with commercial rights included. You are free to use it for commercial purposes.

  • Do I have to give credits if I finished my entire game with articy:draft X FREE without ever upgrading?

    We would love it if you add articy:draft X FREE to your credits or decide to give us a shout out on social media. But you do not have to.

  • Is there a FREE Multi User version?

    No, the Multi User does not have a standalone FREE version, but if you and your team wish to try it out, you can download the Multi User Free Trial.

articy:draft on STEAM


  • Why is articy:draft X not available on Steam?

    The new features of articy:draft X cannot be published on Steam until Valve finishes the approval process for shipping products with 3rd Party AI services integration. We were assured that Valve is currently working on solutions and processes to regulate this, however it could not be done in time for our scheduled launch.

  • Why is there no longer a FREE version on Steam?

    The FREE version contains all the latest features, those are the same features as the new articy:draft X which unfortunately cannot be published on Steam until Valve finishes the approval process for shipping products with 3rd Party AI services integration.

  • Why is there no multi-user version of articy:draft on Steam?

    Simply put, it is not technically possible, because the Steam platform was not designed to run Windows services that run unattended with system privileges.

    Contact sales@articy.com if you want to upgrade to multi-user from articy:draft 3 you bought on Steam.

AI related concerns


  • Will my data be used to train AI tools while using the AI extensions?

    You may access Third Party Services through articy:draft in accordance with the applicable laws and the terms of use of the Third Party Service. Articy itself has no control over the Third Party Service and is not responsible for the results and content of the Third Party Services, it merely provides the option to access the Third Party Service. If you choose to use these services, you are obliged to enter into your own contract with the provider of the Third Party Services and to create a user account.

    Articy does not collect, analyze, or use any data that you send to such Third Party Services. This applies to all articy:draft versions, including the FREE version and the Multi-User Trial.

  • I used previous versions of articy:draft, was my data used to train AI tools?

    No, articy:draft did not and will not collect, analyze, or use your data to train any kind of AI tools. This applies to all articy:draft versions, including the FREE version and the Multi-User Trial.

  • Can I disable the AI Extensions if I don’t wish to use them?

    Yes. The AI Extensions are added via an insulated plugin which you can deactivate in the plugin manager window.

    In a Multi-User environment, the server administrator has the option to disable and also restrict access to the AI Extensions for all user accounts in the “ClientSettings.xml” server file. You can find details of how this is achieved in our Help Center.

  • Are there any costs associated with using the AI Extensions?

    The Third Party Service providers may require a paid API account and charge fees for the use of their services. Any transactions will be processed through your account with the Third Party Service in question. Articy itself has no control over the Third Party Service and is not responsible for the charges to your Third Party Services account.

    Articy does not charge any additional fees for the use of the AI extensions and does not receive any commission from the Third Party Service providers.