[Bf-docboard] Blender on Linux

Dave Jarvis bf-docboard@blender.org
Fri, 27 Dec 2002 14:50:55 -0800


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Hello,

After 1 hour and 30 minutes I'm finally stumped.  The installation 
instructions for compiling Blender (on Linux) are, if you'll excuse my 
language, piss-poor at best.  I must tell you I've been fighting with 
installing a 3D Modelling and Rendering environment since Dec. 24th.  I 
wrote the original Linux 3D Modelling and Rendering HOWTO and am 
currently trying to:

	i) update it to use modern software
	ii) play with 3D rendering for my own amusement

Please find attached the documentation I've put together on how to 
compile and install Blender on Linux, from CVS.  The instructions 
attached are NOT complete.  Please note the following critiques:

1) ODE
	make ode-test		- Fails
	make drawstuff-test	- Fails

2) Fmod
	Installation instructions were not readily found.  I tried to wing it, 
but there's no guarantee the correct files were moved into the correct 
directories.  No instructions were in the Blender README.

3) NSPR
	Installation instructions were not readily found.  I didn't even bother 
trying to move them into the standard library and include directories as 
I was planning on setting those up with the configure installation 
script.  No instructions were in the Blender README.

4) Blender

	a) Installation instructions for Linux were found BURIED in a one-liner 
sentence in a FORUM message.  It said "use cvs01".  That was NOT in the 
least way obvious especially when there is a "Download" link which is 
absolutely meaningless with respect to downloading source or Linux binaries.

	b) There were TWO different CVS repositories available.  Woe onto the 
person who doesn't know which one to use.  There is nothing on that page 
which remotely HINTS as to whichi repository contains what information, 
how they differ, and so forth.  Originally, I started to download the 
FIRST one before I rememberd that little "01" at the end of the original 
poster's message.

	c) Even after doing all this, I ran ./bootstrap (even though this step 
is NOT documented) in order to create the configuration file.  This 
failed producing the following cascade of errors:

# ./bootstrap
Running aclocal ...
aclocal: configure.ac: 165: macro `AM_PATH_PYTHON' not found in library
Running automake --gnu --add-missing...
aclocal.m4: 4485: `automake requires `AM_CONFIG_HEADER', not 
`AC_CONFIG_HEADER'
Makefile.am:3: BlenderGAME does not appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
Makefile.am:11: BlenderPLUGIN does not appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
configure.ac: 4485: required file `./[config.h].in' not found
configure.ac: 4485: required file `./$@)].in' not found
automake: Makefile.am: warning: automake does not support 
libbrowserplugin_la_LDFLAGS being defined conditionally
intern/ghost/Makefile.am:27: warning: automake does not support 
conditional definition of BUILDPS in libblender_GHOST_la_SOURCES
intern/ghost/Makefile.am:27: warning: automake does not support 
conditional definition of BUILDPS in libblender_GHOST_la_SOURCES
intern/ghost/Makefile.am:27: warning: automake does not support 
conditional definition of BUILDPS in libblender_GHOST_la_SOURCES
intern/ghost/Makefile.am:27: warning: automake does not support 
conditional definition of BUILDPS in libblender_GHOST_la_SOURCES
intern/ghost/Makefile.am:27: warning: automake does not support 
conditional definition of BUILDPS in libblender_GHOST_la_SOURCES
source/gameengine/GamePlayer/Makefile.am:9: BlenderPLUGIN does not 
appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
source/gameengine/SoundSystem/Makefile.am:3: BlenderFMOD does not appear 
in AM_CONDITIONAL
source/gameengine/SoundSystem/Makefile.am:9: BlenderOPENAL does not 
appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
source/gameengine/Makefile.am:1: BlenderGAME does not appear in 
AM_CONDITIONAL
source/Makefile.am:1: BlenderGAME does not appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
source/Makefile.am:11: BlenderPLUGIN does not appear in AM_CONDITIONAL
Running autoconf ...
autoconf: configure.in: No such file or directory


Christ, folks, I've been doing software development for 21 years and 
been using Linux for over ten.  Please make a simple, terse, and 
COMPLETE "compilation and installation" HOWTO without presuming your 
reader knows anything other than how to type in commands and edit files. 
  For the record, I've been doing Java development these last several 
years, so I am not up on the current "autoconf" technologies, typical 
CVS usage, or manual C library/include installs.

Basically, someone out there has the knowledge of exactly what to type, 
exactly what to edit, to get Blenderman up and running.  This should be 
documented in the style of the text file I've attached.

Sorry for ranting, and please don't take any of this personally.  I'm 
sure Blenderman is a wonderful product and I look forward to using it 
once there is sufficient documentation available for me to compile and 
install.

Sincerely yours,
Dave Jarvis

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Text surrounded in square brackets ([[ ]]) indicates an interactive prompt,
or instructions.  These are not to be typed.

1) Blender CVS

	Homepage: http://www.blender.org
	Download: CVS

	cd /usr/local/src
	export CVSROOT=:pserver:anonymous@cvs.blender.org:/cvs01
	cvs login
	[[ CVS password: ]] anonymous
	cvs co blender

2) Python eGenix Extension v2.2.1

  Homepage: http://www.egenix.com/
	Download: http://www.egenix.com/files/python/eGenix-mx-Extensions.html#Download-mxBASE
	Filename: egenix-mx-base-2.0.4-py2.2_1.i386.rpm

  rpm -ivh /data/graphics/3d/egenix-mx-base-2.0.4-py2.2_1.i386.rpm

3) Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) v0.03

  Homepage: http://www.q12.org/ode/ode.html
  Download: http://q12.org/ode/release/ode-0.03.tgz
  Filename: ode-0.03.tgz

  cd /usr/local/src
  tar zxf /data/graphics/3d/ode-0.03.tgz
	cd ode-0.03

  [[ Edit config/user-settings and make PLATFORM=unix-gcc ]]

  make configure
  make ode-lib
  make drawstuff-lib
  cp -R include/ode /usr/local/include
  cp lib/libode.a /usr/local/lib/libode.a

4) Open AL

  Homepage: http://www.openal.org/home/
  Download: http://www.openal.org/downloads/
  Filename: CVS

  cd /usr/local/src
	cvs -d:pserver:guest@opensource.creative.com:/usr/local/cvs-repository login
	[[ CVS password: ]] guest
	cvs -d:pserver:guest@opensource.creative.com:/usr/local/cvs-repository co openal

  cd openal/linux
  sh ./autogen.sh
  ./configure --enable-prefix=/usr/local
  make && make install

5) Fmod

  Homepage: http://www.fmod.org
  Download: http://www.fmod.org/fmoddownload.html
  Filename: fmodapi361linux.tar.gz

  cd /usr/local/src
  tar zxf /data/graphics/3d/fmodapi361linux.tar.gz
  cd fmodapi361linux
  cp api/inc/*.h /usr/local/include
  cp api/libfmod-3.61.so /usr/local/lib
  ldconfig

6) NSPR

  Homepage: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/nspr/releases
  Download: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/nspr/releases/v4.2.2/Linux2.4_x86_glibc_PTH_OPT.OBJ
  Filename: nspr-4.2.2.tar.gz

  cd /usr/local/src
  tar zxf /data/graphics/3d/nspr-4.2.2.tar.gz

7) Compile Blender

  cd ../blender
  ./bootstrap


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