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Linux Animation Software

What’s Out There For Linux Animation Software

Often times the Linux fans get the short end of the stick. All too often they are ignored by major companies who produce a lot of the industry standards. Fortunately for those interested in animation this is not the case. Linux animation software is one of the few areas in drafting and modeling where Linux is supported by one of the main standards. This can be mainly attributed to the fact animation and large scale rendering need a lot of processing power and because of the unique ability in which Linux allows for large clusters of computers to share their processing power, which makes Linux the most viable platform for animation. In the animation world there are two major solutions, and due to one buying the other out they are now owned by the same company. Both Maya and 3DS Max are the industry standard when it comes to rendering and animation. Of the two only Maya supports Linux while 3DS Max is a Windows only program.

When it comers to Linux animation software Maya is the king of the crop. It is robust and commonly used in the major industries such as video games and film. It has a slew of options and can take full advantage of large rendering farms. There are hundreds of built in tools both for rendering, rigging and animating models. All Linux animation software is commonly compared to Maya because in terms of Linux animation software it is simply the best. Getting any sort of professional animating job will involve learning Maya or 3DS Max. The only downside to Maya is the price. Maya can be upwards of six-thousand dollars and there is little else you can do to make the price come down, even with special sales.

If you’re not a professional and don’t have the need for the extreme industrial power that Maya offers, there is a few other choices for Linux animation software. The first choice would be blender is an open source Linux animation software that also supports a handful of other operating systems. While it doesn’t have as much power as Maya what it lacks isn’t commonly used among enthusiasts. Blender also has the power to render, rig and animate models and has a great community and documentation which makes it perfect for beginners. What is possibly the best feature is that it’s free. The price usually isn’t that big of a deal when talking about software, even when talking about drafting software it is only a couple thousand of dollars maximum. Animation software can be upwards of seven to ten-thousand dollars, much more than even the most dedicated person can afford.

Linux animation software is on par with the other options around. There are professional options that cost thousands of dollars and even free ones. Whatever there is that runs on Windows; there is always a Linux counter-part. Just because you run Linux doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the power and elegance some of the Windows only applications have. A little looking and some research will return a whole lot of Linux animation software and even some that runs on other UNIX variances such as Bryce which runs on both Windows and OSX. Linux animation software is a great example of an industry that has adopted and supported Linux as a platform.

Linux Cad Software