Newb: Best distro for creative 3D/film professional workstation?

jorx · 04-19-2009, 10:07 PM

Hey everybody, I'm a technical director in the 3D industry and am hoping to transition into Linux- seeing someone run Linux off a jump-drive was enough to convert me.

What is your recommendation?
My priorities for a distro are as follow:

1. Plenty of drivers for hardware support on a variety of systems. (see reason 4.)

2. Ability to run high-end 3D and compositing software, (including some windows software via WINE)

3. Ease of scripting. (to speed up workflow/production methods by altering the UI)

And last and most importantly--
4. to put it all on a USB jump drive! (16 GB stick for starters)

As I already script with MEL (for Maya, a 3D software) and a little Python, what I am hoping to achieve here is total workstation customizability through scripting Linux itself. On a USB drive that I can use on any machine.

Saving space on the drive is low priority- I'd rather get a fat distro if it means more driver support and compatibility.

Any recommendations?-

kstan · 04-20-2009, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorx

Hey everybody, I'm a technical director in the 3D industry and am hoping to transition into Linux- seeing someone run Linux off a jump-drive was enough to convert me.

What is your recommendation?
My priorities for a distro are as follow:

1. Plenty of drivers for hardware support on a variety of systems. (see reason 4.)
What kind of hardware you mean, if you talk about display driver or wacom, you have no problem (NVidia and ATI giving good support).

2. Ability to run high-end 3D and compositing software, (including some windows software via WINE)
What major software you use, if I'm not mistaken you can run Maya in Linux. Anyway Linux having own 3D software call Blender, the quality is good if compare to others commercial software.Maybe you can try Ultimate Linux for test some software as well

3. Ease of scripting. (to speed up workflow/production methods by altering the UI)
I'm not pretty sure what you mean, maybe you can check with blender website and ask the expert there.

And last and most importantly--
4. to put it all on a jump drive!
Jump drive?

As I already script with MEL (for Maya, a 3D software) and a little Python, what I am hoping to achieve here is total workstation customizability through scripting. On a USB drive that I can use on any machine.

Saving space on the drive is low priority- I'd rather get a fat distro if it means more driver support and compatibility.

Any recommendations?

Hope this post help you.

jorx · 04-20-2009, 04:33 PM

Ah yes, I'd like to get into Blender more- but I've got to use what the studio uses! (Autodesk maya)

Display drivers, and wacom drivers, are the two highest priority, networking and sound drivers would be a must have as well. The more support the better.

By ease of scripting, I mean the Linux Distro itself. I already script in our 3D software- what I would like to do is alter Linux itself more so, or have scripts to automate certain functions. (like switching between 3D work and compositing)

By jump drive- I mean a 16 GB USB stick.

So any recommendations? I've read good things about both Mandriva and Slackware- but I want to get more advice before diving into it.

linus72 · 04-20-2009, 04:43 PM

Have you tried ArtistX?

jorx · 04-20-2009, 11:21 PM

I hadn't heard of ArtistX! Looks promising- but as a live DVD- is it possible to run it off USB- and therefore install applications to it?

kstan · 04-23-2009, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorx

Ah yes, I'd like to get into Blender more- but I've got to use what the studio uses! (Autodesk maya)

Display drivers, and wacom drivers, are the two highest priority, networking and sound drivers would be a must have as well. The more support the better.
Most of the network, sound driver is build-in under kernel. However I recommend you to standardize all hardware in company for easier support.

By ease of scripting, I mean the Linux Distro itself. I already script in our 3D software- what I would like to do is alter Linux itself more so, or have scripts to automate certain functions. (like switching between 3D work and compositing)
Then, it is no problem since Linux is best OS for scripting.

By jump drive- I mean a 16 GB USB stick.

So any recommendations? I've read good things about both Mandriva and Slackware- but I want to get more advice before diving into it.

In your case, Ubuntu Ultimate Edition is best for you, because it build in most of the important multimedia software in Linux (Ubuntustudion edition is not best linux, but suit you most). Ubuntu Studio edition compatible with Ubuntu standard edition. The driver, community support is great!

I think you having no problem because of some big studio using Linux environment to develop movie too. However you may found that you lack some softwares like Adobe Premiere, Ms. Office and etc.