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# Katana License Requirements for Launch Modes

There are two types of license for Katana, interactive licenses (katana_i) and render licenses (katana_r). The type of license required depends on the mode Katana is launched in.

# Katana Interactive Mode

Running Katana in Interactive (GUI) Mode requires a Katana interactive license (katana_i). This is the standard launch mode for Katana and requires no arguments when running Katana using a Command Prompt or a Terminal.

Katana interactive mode is typically used by artists or technical developers to set up or light projects, and to render using the Preview, Live or Disk Render commands.

For more information on Katana Interactive Mode, see Interactive Mode.

Note: Using a Katana interactive license does not allow you to access the terminal modes - batch mode, script mode or shell mode - these require a Katana render license.

# Katana Terminal Modes

Katana has three terminal modes - batch mode, script mode and shell mode. All terminal modes require a Katana render license (katana_r).

- Batch Mode - used to render a Katana scene from a terminal.
- Script Mode - used to execute Python scripts in Katana's Python environment.
- Shell Mode - used to expose Katana's Python interpreter in the terminal shell.

Note: Licenses are used on a one-per-host machine basis. If you are rendering your Katana scenes on your Render Farm, using either batch mode or script mode, then each render machine will require a katana_r license.

Note: For more information on Installation and Licensing, see Installation and Licensing.