Install Blender in VDI

To modify any of these animations, make sure you install Blender in VDI:

  1. Within VDI download Blender by navigating within a browser to https://www.blender.org/download/, optionally you can run the following command in the terminal:

wget https://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/graphics/blender/release/Blender2.93/blender-2.93.1-linux-x64.tar.xz

  1. Decompress file:

tar -xf blender-2.93.1-linux-x64.tar.xz

Important

Make sure you have space within VDI, otherwise, you can install blender in gdata.

  1. Navigate to the decompressed folder:

cd blender-2.93.1-linux-x64/

  1. Now you can run Blender by simply executing within the terminal or double click the blender executable.

user@vdi-nXX blender-2.93.1-linux-x64]$ ls

2.93 blender-softwaregl blender-thumbnailer.py license
blender blender.svg copyright.txt readme.html
blender.desktop blender-symbolic.svg lib

user@vdi-nXX blender-2.93.1-linux-x64]$ ./blender

Optionally, you can compile Blender from scratch, see information at the Blender Wiki:

  1. Download source code:

mkdir ~/blender-git
cd ~/blender-git
git clone https://git.blender.org/blender.git

  1. Update and Build

cd ~/blender-git/blender
make update
make

  1. Similar, now you can run Blender by simply executing within the terminal or double click the blender executable.

user@vdi-nXX blender-2.93.1-linux-x64]$ ls

2.93 blender-softwaregl blender-thumbnailer.py license
**blender** blender.svg copyright.txt readme.html
blender.desktop blender-symbolic.svg lib

user@vdi-nXX blender-2.93.1-linux-x64]$ ./blender

It’s recommended to create an alias within your .bash_profile, and an env variable containing the path to the blender executable:

echo "alias blender='$(pwd)/blender'" >> ~/.bash_profile
echo "BLENDER_PATH=$(pwd)" >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

Install BlenderNC

Before using Blender to create animations, we will install BlenderNC. More information about the installation can be found at BlenderNC ReadTheDocs.

Important

BlenderNC is supported by versions of Blender > 2.80

  1. Clone BlenderNC:

git clone https://github.com/blendernc/blendernc.git
cd blendernc

  1. Install required packages within the Blender python distribution:

on/bin/pythonX.Xm -m pip install -r requirements.txt

  1. Clone the zip installable, do not unzip the file.

git clone https://github.com/blendernc/blendernc-zip-install/raw/master/blendernc.zip

  1. In Blender go to the user preferences and open the Addons tab.

  2. Once there, click Install add-on from file (bottom right corner)

  3. Navigate to the downloaded zip, select it, and click in install.

  4. Finally, check the box next to the BlenderNC addon, to enable it