Fusion 17.3 render bug

Since the update of Fusion Studio to 17.3.1 I get a render bug on every rendering. The bug shows huge strips running horizontal and looking like a blurry noisy overlay. It happens not on all images but comes like every 100 frames in a random way. Also it happens even on very simple task like a loader for a mov file, connected to a saver for a jpg output. However it affects all kind of renderings and even happens on network rendering. Fusion 16 has zero problem with the same jobs.

From the description, that sounds like the anti-piracy watermark. Are you using a hardware dongle or software activation code? If you have a dongle, it may be failing, or the USB interface is having trouble keeping it registered.

Definitely sounds like the anti-piracy thing.

It happened to a guy on a Fusion Discord server a few weeks ago, and this is what it looked like for him:


Here's how he identified it as a USB problem, and what he did to resolve that on Windows:


I see you're on macOS so port resets aren't an option. You could open Console then Start Streaming and search for USB to see if any errors pop up that might indicate the port disconnecting. Also maybe try another USB port, and trying cleaning the dongle's USB connector.

All that said, it's quite weird that it's not happening with Fu16. Have you gone from Fu16 immediately to Fu17 and tested and one works and the other doesn't? If there was a time gap between the tests, it could just be coincidental failing in one but not the other. Or maybe 17.x added extra checks on the USB dongle that make it more likely to fail than in Fu16, I'm not sure.

There were certainly changes to the licensing mechanism between 16 and 17 in order to add the software code activation. It seems to be pretty twitchy; apparently unrelated changes elsewhere in a configuration can cause license failures, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of difference that makes an error more likely in 17.

As much as I prefer the dongle personally (for access to Fusion 9 if for no other reason), I'm starting to think the activation code might be the superior choice for most people.

As much as I prefer the dongle personally (for access to Fusion 9 if for no other reason), I'm starting to think the activation code might be the superior choice for most people.

Yeah I much prefer it and would recommend it to anyone who isn't desperate to run Fusion 9 Studio.

That and the obvious benefit of working on air-gapped machines are the only upsides to a dongle IMHO. Otherwise I think the activation key is miles better. Two simultaneous machines activated instead of one; no USB port required; can't break, be lost or stolen.

I suppose in a corporate environment the dongle also has the advantage of being able to be more easily distributed between staff (given the lack of license servers or online key management). But for a home user who doesn't need Fu9, I feel activation key is all upside and no down.

Potential lack of unlimited Fusion Render Nodes was my one concern prior to purchase, but fortunately that works just fine with the key and just the same as with a dongle.

Thats what happens. But I have the dongle and also zero Problems with Fusion 9 and 16. Also Resolve installed on same computer but with software activation. I guess here is some bug.

Thats what happens. But I have the dongle and also zero Problems with Fusion 9 and 16. Also Resolve installed on same computer but with software activation. I guess here is some bug.

Oh that's interesting. I wonder if it's because of Resolve installed on the same computer using the key.

Fusion v17 on the same machine as Resolve v17 shares the activation. When Resolve v17 is activated, so is Fusion Studio v17 (without using up another activation from your max of 2). That's how I am running it: activation key, unlocking both Resolve and Fusion Studio v17 for one activation.

So I wonder if there is some bug where Fusion Studio thinks it's activated via the key but there's also a dongle present and that confuses it. Or vice versa: it thinks it's activated by dongle for some checks, but then it also thinks it's activated by key for other checks.

What happens if you remove the dongle, does Fusion Studio v17 then run fine? Then put the dongle back in if you need to run Fu9 or Fu16. Not ideal, I know.

If I remove the dongle Resolve and Fusion ask for activation key. After input that both run, but not Fusion 16.
So maybe that was part of the problem… will keep testing.

If I remove the dongle Resolve and Fusion ask for activation key. After input that both run, but not Fusion 16.
So maybe that was part of the problem… will keep testing.

Yeah Fusion Studio 16 doesn't support activation key, only dongle.

So if you need to swap between Fusion Studio 17, 16 and 9, I think you would need to:
- remove the dongle for Fusion Studio 17
- put it back in for 16 and 9

Not ideal, because it means you can't have them open at the same time.

Hopefully BMD will address the bug at some point.