Overview

Autodesk AutoCAD and Revit plug-ins are installed as .bundle directories inside Autodesk’s ApplicationPlugins folders. Installation location determines whether the plug-in is available to a single user or to all users on a machine.

In some cases, MSI installers distributed through the Autodesk App Store may install to an unexpected location. This can cause plug-ins to appear installed but only be available to one user, or fail when installed under enterprise deployment tools.

This article explains how Autodesk plug-in directories work and how to correctly install the Dusty plug-in using msiexec.

Autodesk ApplicationPlugins Directories

Plug-ins installed for a single user are placed in:

%APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\

Plug-ins installed for all users are placed in:

%PROGRAMFILES%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\

For example, the Dusty for AutoCAD plug-in may be installed for a specific user at:

%APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\DustyRobotics.AutoCAD.bundle

Or installed for all users at:

%PROGRAMFILES%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\DustyRobotics.AutoCAD.bundle

The installation location determines who can access the plug-in.

Issue with Autodesk App Store MSI Installers

MSI installers on the Autodesk App Store are created by Autodesk. Dusty provides the plug-in files, and Autodesk generates the installer package.

These installers are built with the ALLUSERS=1 property set, which specifies a per-machine installation context.

However, in some cases the installer places plug-in files in the user-specific %APPDATA% directory instead of the %PROGRAMFILES% directory.

This creates two common issues:

• Plug-in available to only one user even though it appears machine-installed
• Installation blocked for other accounts because the system reports the plug-in is already installed

This can also cause problems in managed environments where deployment tools such as Microsoft Intune install software under a service account. In those cases, plug-in files may be installed under the service account profile rather than the actual end user.

Correct Installation Using MSIEXEC

The Windows msiexec tool installs MSI packages. When double-clicking an MSI file, Windows calls msiexec automatically. Running msiexec directly allows additional properties to be specified.

Install for a single user

To install for a single user and allow installation under multiple accounts, run:

msiexec /i DustyRoboticsDustyforAutodeskAutoCAD.msi ALLUSERS=""

This prevents the installer from enforcing a per-machine context.

Install for all users

To force installation to the %PROGRAMFILES% directory and make the plug-in available to all users, run:

msiexec /i DustyRoboticsDustyforAutodeskAutoCAD.msi AUTODESK="C:\Program Files\Autodesk"

This ensures the bundle is installed in the shared ApplicationPlugins directory.

When to Use Each Method

• Single-user installation is appropriate when users manage their own environments.
• All-users installation is recommended in shared workstations or managed IT deployments.

If users report that the plug-in appears installed but is not visible in AutoCAD, verify the bundle location and confirm the installer was executed with the correct context.