[Bf-committers] Linux FAQ Changes
Juan J. Pena Mena
bf-committers@blender.org
05 Aug 2004 20:54:46 -0400
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Thanks Matt
Sorry, but I got to say it: Man, you really are nitpicky!! LOL :D
But I agree that with some of those changes the documet looks more
serious (like changing =C2=A8pretty high chance=C2=A8 with =C2=A8a very goo=
d chance=C2=A8).
Most of the other changes were plain spelling errors.... I guess that by
now you know that English is an =C2=A8add-on=C2=A8 languague for me.
While at it, I made some small fixes, including a pontially dangerous
omition that could leave to believe that Piovra is sponsored by the BF.
As usual, the OpenOffice version (with changes recorded) is at
http://www.freewebs.com/apollux/Blender-Linux-FAQ.sxw (plain text
version is attached).
Now, what is about the destiny of the faq and blender distribution?
Apollux.
> Juan --
>=20
> I had meant to do this earlier in the week, but had no time up until=20
> today. I have proofread the Linux-Blender FAQ, and have mad some=20
> changes. Some of them are related to English-Spanish differences (you=20
> would be correcting me in much the same way if I wrote one in Spanish!),=20
> while others are spelling errors. Some are nitpicky -- for example, I=20
> cringe when I see "it's" instead of "its" (the former is a contraction=20
> for "it is", while the latter is the possessive form of "it").=20
>=20
> I turned Record Changes on in OpenOffice, so you should be able to see=20
> all of the changes that I made. Great work on this FAQ, by the way.
>=20
> Matt
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<FONT SIZE="3">Thanks Matt<BR>
<BR>
Sorry, but I got to say it: Man, you really are nitpicky!! LOL <IMG SRC="cid:1091753125.3170.2.camel@localhost.localdomain" ALIGN="bottom" ALT=":D" BORDER="0"><BR>
<BR>
But I agree that with some of those changes the documet looks more serious (like changing ¨pretty high chance¨ with ¨a very good chance¨). Most of the other changes were plain spelling errors.... I guess that by now you know that English is an ¨add-on¨ languague for me.<BR>
<BR>
While at it, I made some small fixes, including a pontially dangerous omition that could leave to believe that Piovra is sponsored by the BF.<BR>
<BR>
As usual, the OpenOffice version (with changes recorded) is at </FONT><A HREF="http://www.freewebs.com/apollux/Blender-Linux-FAQ.sxw"><FONT SIZE="3">http://www.freewebs.com/apollux/Blender-Linux-FAQ.sxw</FONT></A> (plain text version is attached).<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Now, what is about the destiny of the faq and blender distribution?<BR>
<FONT SIZE="3"><BR>
<BR>
Apollux.<BR>
</FONT><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE>
<PRE><FONT COLOR="#737373" SIZE="3"><I>Juan --
I had meant to do this earlier in the week, but had no time up until
today. I have proofread the Linux-Blender FAQ, and have mad some
changes. Some of them are related to English-Spanish differences (you
would be correcting me in much the same way if I wrote one in Spanish!),
while others are spelling errors. Some are nitpicky -- for example, I
cringe when I see "it's" instead of "its" (the former is a contraction
for "it is", while the latter is the possessive form of "it").
I turned Record Changes on in OpenOffice, so you should be able to see
all of the changes that I made. Great work on this FAQ, by the way.
Matt</I></FONT></PRE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
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Linux Blender FAQ
GENERAL
What is different in Blender for Linux, compared to Blender for other platf=
orms?
Is there any advantage of running Blender in Linux?
Blender is running very slowly on Linux, why?
Do I need any particular window manager or graphic desktop to run Blender?
I would still like to try something more to make it run faster; what could =
I do?
How do I find out if I'm using acceleration for my graphics card?
How will my graphics card behave with Blender and Linux?
If I make a .blend file in Linux, can it be opened in other platforms?
What about binaries plug-ins? Can they be used across different platforms?
INSTALLING
Do I need root access to install Blender?
Why there isn't an automated installer?
How do I install Blender on my Linux system?
Why are hotkeys not working the way they should?
What does these error messages mean? =20
=C2=A8Could not find platform independent libraries <prefix>=C2=A8=20
=C2=A8Could not find platform dependent libraries <exec_prefix>=C2=A8=20
=C2=A8Consider setting $PYTHONHOME to <prefix>[:<exec_prefix>]=C2=A8=20
=C2=A8'import site' failed; use -v for traceback=C2=A8
=C2=A8sys_init:warning - no sitedirs added from site module.=C2=A8
What does the error =C2=A8Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0" m=
eans?
What does the error about a missing libstdc++-libc6.1-1.so.2 means ?
What does =C2=A8ERROR: File .blanguages not found=C2=A8 means?
MISCELLANEOUS / MORE INFORMATION
What about scaling up?
Where do I find more information?
I have some contributions for this document, how do contact the FAQ maintai=
ner?
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GENERAL
* What is different in Blender for Linux, compared to Blender for other pla=
tforms?
On the Windows version there is a button in the GUI (on the top bar) for sw=
itching between window mode and full screen mode. On the Linux version that=
button does not exist and, by default, Blender starts in full screen mode=
. To start Blender in window mode you should use the -w option: =C2=A8./ble=
nder -w=C2=A8
On the Windows version you can render your animations to video files alread=
y compressed with the codecs installed on your computer (there is an option=
for this on the rendering buttons), but at the time of this writing, under=
Linux, you can only use the MPEG codec or no codec at all. For further vid=
eo compression you will need to render your animations to an uncompressed f=
ile, and then use another program to do any needed video compression, or re=
nder your animations to sequenced image files and use a video composition p=
rogram to create the final video file. (By taking this last route you could=
do all the actual rendering on Linux and only do the final video compositi=
on using Blender for other platform).
In the near future, a .zip file containing the basic Python libraries will =
be distributed alongside the Windows version of Blender (thus, in most case=
s doing a full Python install would not be necessary for running complex sc=
ripts). On Linux you are required to do a full Python install if you want =
to run complex scripts (but there is a very good chance that Python is alr=
eady installed on your computer, since Python is a de facto component on mo=
st Linux distros).
* Is there any advantage to running Blender on Linux?
Yes, especially in the speed department. Many users (including me) have rep=
orted that Blender loads and renders noticeable faster in Linux than in oth=
er operating systems. Please take note that no matter what operating syst=
em you are using, rendering from the command line is (in 99% of the cases) =
faster than rendering from the GUI.
Besides, considering consumed computer resources, Linux places a lighter lo=
ad on your CPU, and leaves more free resources to be used for actual 3D wor=
k.
* Blender is running very slowly in Linux, why?
Your first stop should be the advice given at http://www.elysiun.com/forum/=
viewtopic.php?t=3D13722
If those advices don't solve the problem then your next stop is checking if=
you are getting hardware acceleration for OpenGL operations (Blender uses =
OpenGL for all its GUI drawing operations, so having an OpenGL accelerated =
graphic card truly makes a difference when it comes to GUI response time. )
Find out which GLX driver is been used on your system (more info on that be=
llow); if you get =C2=A8 Mesa GLX Indirect=C2=A8 it means that you are NOT =
using any hardware acceleration at all.
Check if your graphic card maker provides Linux drivers for your card. By r=
eplacing the general purpose Indirect Mesa driver with a driver made specif=
ically for your card you could see speed increases up to 400% (my own exper=
ience) or maybe more.
Nvidia, ATI and many other graphic card manufacturers provide Linux specifi=
c drivers for their cards. Bear in mind that those speed increases might co=
me at the cost of some stability issues. =20
Blender supports both Mesa and proprietary glx drivers, but some users have=
reported buggy behavior coming from using proprietary drivers, while other=
users have reported outstanding performance gains without any trouble. =20
* Do I need any particular window manager or graphic desktop to run Blender=
?
No. As long as you have a working X system (Xorg/Xfree86/etc) and an OpenGL=
driver (see next question) you should be fine. There is no difference from=
using KDE, GNOME or whatever your desktop manager might be.
* How do I find out if I'm using acceleration for my graphic card?
Within Blender, open a new text window and type this:
from Blender.BGL import *=20
print "GL Vendor ", glGetString(GL_VENDOR)=20
print "GL Renderer", glGetString(GL_RENDERER)=20
print "GL Version ", glGetString(GL_VERSION)
Now press Alt-P or click on File -> Run Python Script. Go to your console a=
nd see what is printed. If you find something like:
=C2=A8Mesa GLX Indirect=20
Mesa project: www.mesa3d.org=20
1.3 Mesa 4.0.4=C2=A8
then you are not using acceleration for your graphics card (noticed the =C2=
=A8Indirect=C2=A8 word?). On the other hand, if you get something like:
=C2=A8GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X/AGP/SSE2=20
NVIDIA Corporation=20
1.4.0 NVIDIA 43.63=C2=A8
or like:
=C2=A8GeForce2 MX/PCI/3DNOW!=20
NVIDIA Corporation=20
1.3.1 NVIDIA 31.23=C2=A8
or even like:
=C2=A8GL Vendor VA Linux Systems, Inc.=20
GL Renderer Mesa DRI Voodoo3 20010501 x86/MMX/3DNow!=20
GL Version 1.2 Mesa 3.4.2=C2=A8
it means that you are using a real accelerated graphic driver.
Another way to find information about your current OpenGL setup is by using=
the glxinfo command; that will yield more technical oriented data about yo=
ur system. Just be prepared to pipe the output trough a LESS command since =
glxinfo can sometimes be quite verbose.=20
* I would still like to try something more to make it run faster; what can =
I do?
So you are felling a little adventurous, aren't you? Here is a small tip f=
or you: Ctrl-Shift-Alt-Z, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't improve y=
our situation at all.
* Why are they 2 versions of Blender for Linux? What does the static/dynami=
c mean?
Actually there are 4 versions of Blender for Linux, two for x386 processors=
and two for PowerPC processors. For each processor family we have dynamic=
and static builds available. (2 x 2 =3D 4).
On a static build, all the system dependencies needed to run Blender are in=
cluded, even a software based OpenGL environment. So if you are having depe=
ndencies errors or you are unable to find a proper OpenGL driver for your g=
raphic card the static build should run on your system. You should consider=
a static built as a troubleshooting/worst case scenario option.
On a dynamic build, the dependencies are not included, so Blender will use =
the libraries already installed and available on your system. Also, Blender=
will use any OpenGL accelerated driver that it might find on your system. =
Generally speaking, a dynamic build should be preferred over a static build=
.
Always make sure, despite your static or dynamic choice, to download the ve=
rsion that matches your processor. If you have an Intel, AMD or Cyrix proce=
ssor you should go with the i386 version. If you have a Macintosh (or one o=
f those rare Motorola CPUs) then you should go with the PPC version.
* How will my graphics card behave with Blender and Linux?
The best way to find out is to look at the testimonials of users who have a=
graphics card that is the same as or similar to yours.
Go and take a look into the official Blender OpenGL/GFx database located at=
http://blender.org/modules/gfxdatabase/
* If I make a .blend file in Linux, can it be opened in other platforms?
Yes. Every .blend made in any platform should open in any other platform. I=
f you ever come across a .blend file that opens OK in a platform but won't =
open on another platform then you have officially found a bug and we would =
be most interested in hearing about it on our Bug tracker, located at http:=
//projects.blender.org/tracker/?atid=3D125&group_id=3D9&func=3Dbrowse
* What about binary plug-ins? Can they be used cross platform?
No. A binary plug-in must be compiled specifically for the same platform wh=
ere Blender is running (and usually for the same Blender version). If the p=
lug-in has a .dll extension it is intended to be used on Windows; if it has=
a .so extension then it is compiled to run on Linux.
Fortunately, plug-ins are usually distributed in both .dll and .so forms. =
For a good repository of Blender binary plug-ins, take a look at http://www=
.blender3d.org/cms/Resources.181.0.html#569
Also, some binary plug-ins are distributed with Blender, they are stored in=
side the =C2=A8plugins=C2=A8 directory where you extracted Blender. The tri=
ck is that they are not compiled yet. Just go into that directory and type=
Make; everything else goes automatically from there. (of course you need t=
o have gcc and make installed on your system, but those two are practically=
omnipresent on all distros). (CAUTION! SuSE Linux 9.1 Personal Edition do=
es not include compilers!)
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INSTALLING
* Do I need root access to install Blender?
No. If you install Blender under your home directory it will run just fine.=
=20
However, just like with any Linux program, installing the needed dependenci=
es might (as in =C2=A8could happen but is not sure=C2=A8) need root access.
* Why there isn't an automated installer?
Because the install process is so easy that even a 2-year-old kid could do =
it.=20
Besides, distro makers sometimes make funky decisions about where to locate=
files on their Linux version. So, to be safe, a manual install is the best=
choice (remember that I said it is a really easy process).
* How do I install Blender on my Linux system?
Short answer: the file you downloaded is a compressed folder, just uncompre=
ss it and run the blender executable from that directory.=20
Long answer: (not fully written, in the meantime read http://www.blender.o=
rg/modules/documentation/htmlI/c217.html )
* Why are hotkeys not working the way they should?
Most window manager programs trap user's key events and analyze them before=
sending them to the running program. If the pressed hotkey is already ass=
igned on the window manager it will never make it into the running program.=
=20
In other words, if you have a particular keyboard combination defined on yo=
ur window manager, and Blender uses that same keyboard combination as a hot=
key, the one defined on the window manager will prevail. KDE's window mana=
ger default configuration is known to have more than a few collisions with =
Blender's hotkeys.=20
Until the time comes when all Blender hotkeys are user configurable, your =
only two choices are to go into your Window Manger configuration and disabl=
e or re-direct the offending hotkey; or to try to substitute the troublemak=
er hotkey with its GUI counterpart (which is not always feasible).
To access KDE's hotkey editor go into Control Center -> Regional Settings a=
nd Accessibility -> Keyboard Shortcuts.
A special note should be made about the ~ hotkey (the one that toggles all =
your layers on/off). If that hot key isn't working for you, the Window Mana=
ger is not the one to be blamed, but your keyboard configuration:
For some non-standard English configurations, that key is used as a modifie=
r to input Latin characters, specially the =C3=91 letter (ASCII codes 164 a=
nd 165) used often in the Spanish language (like in =C2=A8Pi=C3=B1a Colada=
=C2=A8). On those keyboard configurations, the ~ key event isn't treated as=
a keystroke on itself, but like a modifier for the next key that you press=
. Again, besides changing your keyboard configuration, there isn't much th=
at could be done to fix it.
* What does these error messages mean? =20
=C2=A8Could not find platform independent libraries <prefix>=C2=A8=20
=C2=A8Could not find platform dependent libraries <exec_prefix>=C2=A8=20
=C2=A8Consider setting $PYTHONHOME to <prefix>[:<exec_prefix>]=C2=A8=20
=C2=A8'import site' failed; use -v for traceback=C2=A8
=C2=A8sys_init:warning - no sitedirs added from site module.=C2=A8
Those error messages all point in the same direction: A proper Python insta=
llation could not be found by Blender. Either you don't have Python instal=
led, or you have an outdated version. At the time of this writing, Blender=
uses Python 2.3.
The error is non fatal, meaning that Blender will still open and work, but =
you'll be in trouble if you try to run a script that requires Python functi=
ons not already provided by Blender (file import/export scripts are good ca=
ndidates for that).
* What does the error =C2=A8Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0"=
means?
If you are getting this error, it means that the glx extension is not enabl=
ed in /etc/X11/XF86Config.=20
GLX allows Blender to access your 3D card and draw to the screen, but some =
distributions ship with GLX disabled.=20
It likely means that you just don't have OpenGL installed or properly confi=
gured on your system. (It is also a symptom that you should review your 3D =
card setup in general).
Unfortunately there isn't a easy answer on how to enable it, since it varie=
s from distro to distro.=20
As a general tip it can be said that most of the times a line that says =C2=
=A8Load GLX=C2=A8 withing the Modules section of your Xfree86config file is=
involved. However, Your distro manual should point you in the right direct=
ion.
* What does the error about a missing libstdc++-libc6.1-1.so.2 means ?
this means that you need to install the C++ compatibility libraries. If you=
are on RedHat, that would be compat-libstdc++-*.rpm.
* What does =C2=A8ERROR: File .blanguages not found=C2=A8 means?
It means that at load time Blender was unable to find its locale translatio=
n files. When you uncompressed the file where Blender is distributed, a sm=
all hidden directory called .blender was uncompressed as well. Just copy o=
r move that directory to your home directory and the error should go away.
While you might not be interested in using the international translation op=
tions, I'm sure that you would be interested in using the many scripts that=
are distributed with Blender. Those scripts are stored inside .blender as =
well, so by copying that directory to your home directory you will solve tw=
o issues at the same time.
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MISCELLANIES / MORE INFORMATION
* What about scaling up?
If you are thinking about implementing Blender on a large scale, then you s=
hould know that there are renderfarm solutions already available.
At the inside of the Blender Foundation there is ongoing work to develop n=
etwork rendering capabilities, more details can be found at http://proje=
cts.blender.org/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=3D150
Outside the Blender Foundation, there is DrQueue (a Linux, Irix and OSX bas=
ed GLP network rendering tool). It is freely available at http://www.drqueu=
e.org/ and at the time of this writing it supports Blender, Maya, BMRT and=
Pixie (support for FreeBSD and Aqsis is on the work).
Also, there is the Piovra renderfarm manager ( http://utenti.lycos.it/matti=
oli/ ), which is free and with many features. More information and performa=
nce tips about Piovra, written by the developer, can be seen at http://www.=
cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3D150501&page=3D1&pp=3D15 (English) and http://=
www.blender.it/modules.php?name=3DForums&file=3Dviewtopic&topic=3D1186&foru=
m=3D15&start=3D80 (Italian).
In addition, Render Planet ( https://renderplanet.com/ ) is offering both p=
aid and free renderfarm services for Blender, Maya and Lightwave users.
When it comes to project management, Blender has built-in data linking and =
sharing capabilities that make it easier for larger groups to collaborate o=
n a single project. Besides that, users have reported success by using the =
Makefile system to manage complex projects involving large animations. More=
information about that particular subject can be found at http://www.cgtal=
k.com/showthread.php?t=3D155978 .
NOTICE: The Blender Foundation doesn't endorse or sponsor the DrQueue, Piov=
ra, or the Render Planet products, they are included in this FAQ for the sa=
ke of completeness.
* Where do I find more information?
On the Internet:
http://www.blender3d.com/
http://www.blender.org/
http://www.elysiun.com/
http://www.cgtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3D91
The Internet is the preferred way for getting more information related to B=
lender, as well as to participate in the user communities and stay tuned wi=
th the latest developments.
Through face-to-face interaction:
Each year, the official Blender Conference is held in Amsterdam, usually ar=
ound the end of October, where many of the community members gather to disc=
uss new development proposals, to hear seminars given by famous community m=
embers and people involved in the CG industry who are putting Blender to go=
od use, among others' activities. Also, there are the annual Blender Art Fe=
stival and the Suzanne Awards Ceremony where the most outstanding artworks =
and development contributions are recognized.
At the same time that the official Conference is taking place, smaller conf=
erences and informal get-togethers take place around the globe, organized b=
y volunteer community members.
During Siggraph, each year small BOF sections are programmed, as well as in=
formation stands on the expo floor.
Through books:
About once a year, the Blender Foundation releases a new documentation orie=
nted book related to Blender. By buying one of those books you help finance=
the Blender Foundation.=20
Other Blender books, not released by the BF, are available through major bo=
okstores such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Besides English language, there=
are German, Italian and Japanese books available.
* I have some contributions for this document, how do contact the FAQ maint=
ainer?
That would be me, Juan J. Pena M. (also known as Apollux). You can usually =
catch me around the forums mentioned on the previous answer, or you could r=
each me by e-mail me on jjulio.pena at verizon.net.do (just substitute the =
=C2=A8at=C2=A8 with the @ symbol, and no empty spaces in between).
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Thanks for taking the time to read this document. This FAQ was last updated=
on August 5th, 2004.
* The FAQ author would like to thank the many people that has contributed, =
in various forms, to this document.
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