Blender on Ubuntu

Hi guys,

I’m new in Unbuntu, and I’d like to know how to install Blender on it. I’ve downloaded the bz2 file, extracted it, but when I double click on blender executable, nothing happens…

Open up the terminal and drag-drop the icon in. Press Enter to launch.
This should give you some information on why it isn’t working. First thing to check would be that you’re using the right version; 64-bit Blender on a 64-bit OS and 32-bit Blender on 32-bit OS.

Hi,

if you want, you can use a ppa. it will automaticaly update blender with the last version in development (so it can be a bit buggy, it depends if you want more or less stability).

If so, first, you need to add the ppa:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:irie/blender

Then, update your list of software:

sudo apt-get update

It will show you an update for blender.

PS: the page of the ppa

It’s almost a 100% certain that you got the 32/64 bit versions mixed up.

Yeah, this is the best way. Executables will silently fail when there is a library missing, so opening it in the terminal should tell you what’s wrong with it. After that it’s a matter of getting the missing libraries from the software center. I wouldn’t use the PPA personally, because it means “installing” blender instead of having a portable version in a folder.

My guess is that libsdl1.2debian package is missing. It’s the only library I have to install always before being able to run standalone blender on a new *buntu install or when trying to use blender on a livecd.

If you’re on Ubuntu try to look for Blender in the software center.

Guys, thank you for your answers. I don´t know why, but when I tried to execute the same file, this time, it worked! It´s working… Good!

That´s is the correct way to have Blender on Ubuntu? I mean, without installing it? The problem install Blender by Software Center, is the Blender version: it´s older (2.66a).

I´d like to make another question: I noted 3 diferent things inside Blender Linux version:

1 - The option “Prompt Quit” (User Preferences > Interface) doesn´t exist.
2 - In Compute Device (User Preferences > System), CUDA doesn´t exist. My graphic card is a geForce 9500GT, but CUDA is avaiable in Win version.
3 - The default cube object has some marks that correspond to triangle edges.

All that is normal?

Thanks, again.

Are you using the OpenSource driver (nouveau) or proprietary “nvidia” driver (see Additional Drivers on Ubuntu)?

As I had said before in the link I gave you, if you have installed Blender from the repositories then the necessary dependencies are installed and you should be able to run the “blender” executable file in the official tar.bz2.

PS: Please edit the title changing Unbuntu for Ubuntu. Thus Google searches by other users will be more accurate.

  1. Not implemented on linux because there we don’t have blocking modal windows and rely to operating system for those on windows/mac
  2. Install CUDA toolkit version 5.0
  3. A screenshot would help.

@Psy-Fi, If you are using Blender’s official tar.bz2, you do not need the annoying and heavy packages dependencies for developers who install “CUDA toolkit” in Ubuntu (about 800MB last time I had tried). The official version of Blener 3D (tar.bz2 file) include a precompiled CUDA kernel, so you only need the nvidia proprietary driver correctly installed (not the OpenSource) and enable CUDA from the Blender User Preferences.

YAFU, tonight I´ll to install nVidia driver, and see if CUDA will be avaiable. Thanks.

Psy-Fi, tonight I´ll send a screenshot. I begin to use Ubuntu at home only. Thanks.

Moved from “General Forums > Blender and CG Discussions” to “Support > Basics & Interface”… could also fit in “Other Software”

YAFU, I’ve installed the nvidia driver using PPA (I’m noob in Linux, so I have followed this tutorial: http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-to-Install-the-Latest-NVIDIA-331-20-Drivers-in-Ubuntu-13-10-399182.shtml).

Well, after rebooting, Ubuntu has broken, and I had to reinstall it. I found a post that teached to install the driver using the Software and Updates (it’s safer). I installed the driver and it worked, but it’s not the newer version (319). I took the opportunity to install Blender as you said in another post: I installed Blender by Software Center and I’d like to update it to 2.70 version.

How can I do that?

Thanks.

You should add the PPA CuRvEmAsTeR mentioned to your list of software sources, so that Linux can look there instead of just the official Ubuntu repository which usually has older versions of stuff.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:irie/blender - to add the PPA to the list

sudo apt-get update - to update the list with the newer version of blender from the PPA

sudo apt-get install blender - to install the new version

The procedure is the same as the one you did for the Nvidia driver. Thing is, GPU drivers are usually crappy so it’s not uncommon for a new driverto mess something up after you install it. I’m not sure if it’s the same with standard Ubuntu, but here on Mint you can switch to a terminal without the GUI before booting. From there you can do an “apt-get remove” to uninstall the nvidia driver so it can start properly again.

Right click on the file and select ‘execute’.

Xorg Edgers PPA is generally unstable repository. You should only install the nvidia drivers (NOT do “sudo apt-get upgrade” or “sudo apt-get dist-upgrade” to upgrade all components from this PPA) and after installing the driver disable xorg edgers PPA.
If the current driver you have installed works, I recommend you stay with this driver until you learn a little more about Ubuntu. Learn how to use the software center, add and remove PPA repositories, to use ppa-purge. Learn how to recover your system if you have had a problem installing the driver. One option is as Pesho said, entering to a TTY terminal. Or recovery mode from Grub entry, or livecd and chroot, etc.
I use Kubuntu (KDE). I do not know much about the Ubuntu interface, but there are many tutorials and documentation about this.

But you still can not run official Blender 2.70 from the tar.bz2?

Pesho, I´ll try what you suggested. Thanks.

Swene, that´s may doubt.: install or just execute? As I´m noob in Linux, I´m trying to figure out what method is better.

YAFU said that before execute the newer downloaded version, I must install Blender from repository…

Advantages, and disadvantages?

EDITED: YAFU, before reinstall Ubuntu, I could run Blender 2.70. I didn´t try, this time, because of I wrote above. And, thanks for Ubuntu advice. I´ll follow it.

Execute, if you want the executable file to run blender (as double click does nothing in this case)…

Installed or not installed you are always running binaries. The difference is the compilation, flags and included components. You can have the official version and installed at the same time. You can run either on any time. In all cases, the Blender configuration is saved in the hidden folder “/home/YOUR_USER/.config/blender”. It is recommended that you copy addons in this hidden folder if you manually installed them.
I prefer the official Blender builds, I get less problems with them. You can copy the folder where you have extracted the tar.bz2 to where you like, then create a launcher from the “blender” executable on your desktop for example (at least in KDE that’s possible in easy way)