The Blender-boot project

Blender-boot website up and running!

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:41:00 +0000

The Blender-boot website is up and running http://www.blenderboot.com feel free to join the forum and start posting bugs, suggestions, questions etc.

Delay on 32bit version of Blender-boot 1 beta 2 32bit

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:26:00 +0000

Im sorry to say there will be a short delay on the 32bit version of beta 2. I had ready for uploading today but I am in a different city at the moment and I only brought one laptop, which has decided to play. Sorry all I will get the 32bit out as soon as I can.

Blender-boot 1 Suzanne beta 2 improvements

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:30:00 +0000

So beta 2 came out yesterday! Download Blender-boot 1 Suzanne beta 2 there was release notes here release notes, this post is a clearer list of features and improvements.

- As always very up to date Blender is included, good thing is I managed to update it to Blender 2.63 for this release. Which as always can be updated nearly every day. The improvement is a small application added to the panel which updates Blender. Just click it wait for the password box to appear type in your password and click OK, the application will search for a new version of Blender then download and install if available. I am testing a better version of this application to hopefully include in the final version of Suzanne.

- The wallpapers some fantastic Blender-boot, Blender and Ubuntu artwork, are all new from artists that submitted their art to me or gave me permission to use it.

- As always on release this version has every update available installed, this means very little updates to download after install (as long as you install it soon after release)

- Gimp 2.74 is included as it will be in the final version, Gimp 2.8 will be in version 2 as I need to test it a lot before it can be added.

- Inkscape and MyPaint are now included, they are great for vector drawing and texture painting.

- The theme, icons, logo and panel have all changed since beta 2. The theme is much cleaner and easier on the eyes. Icons are clearer and colourful, makes it easier to tell applications apart. A much improved logo has bee included. The panel is smaller but more functional.

- The installer has lost the pink bar issue it is now themed to fit in with the rest of the look and feel of Blender-boot. Also a few more slides have been added to look at while installing.

- The screenshot application now takes screenshots when you press the PrtSc(print screen) key.

- The installed from the wrong location issue people are having with Dropbox (that has been installed from the Ubuntu Software Center), has been solved by adding a PPA from the official Dropbox website.

- All known bugs have been fixed for this release.

- many more minor features and improvements have been included in this release.

The final version of Blender-boot 1 Suzanne will be releases on 11th june it will not change much from this version but will be heavily tested and polished.

Blender-boot 2 is already in the planning stage but I will not start development until after the final version of Blender-boot 1 is released. The thing I would like to tell you about about Blender-boot 2 is I have a few small applications in development specifically to make things easier for Blender-boot users.

A bit of a surprise Blender-boot 1 Suzanne Beta 2 is here!......

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:02:00 +0000

Well as I have posted here, there was going to be a reviewers preview but I had a few people pointing out this was unfair as everyone should get to use it. So I have come to my senses and changed it to beta 2, the disadvantage of this is right now there is only a 64bit version available. I will work on the 32bit version and get it out either this week or the next. The download and more information are below, thanks for your interest in Blender-boot.

Download Blender-boot 1 Suzanne beta 2
Warning it is advised not to upgrade to 12.04 as it will cause problem Blender-boot 2 alpha 1 will be available in June with 12.04 used as the base

- login details for the live session are Username:live Password:(leave blank there is no password)

- Blender-boot includes a very up to date Blender built from trunk almost every day. Easy to update using the Update Manager or my Blender-up/Blender updater application

- Gimp 2.74 is included for image editing, I am getting 2.8 ready for Blender-boot 2. To switch to single window mode just use the window menu inside Gimp.

- The download is smaller but there is more software! Inkscape for vector graphics, MyPaint for painting textures and a few smaller applications. Full list of applications will be on the website when its finished with lots of info about each application.

- Guake is included, its a great terminal that is set to show and hide using the Ins(insert) key.

- You can find more information and tutorials at the blog, I hope to have the website and forum ready by the final release.

- Blender-boot beta 2 is not the final version as it is still in progress, so there may be a few minor issues. Blender-boot 1 Suzanne will be released June 11th.

- The Blender-up/Blender updater application is not the final result, it still works great just put in your password and click ok, the application will then update Blender and notify you when finished. I should have time to heavily test the new version I have made, then I will include it in the final version. The next version of Blender-boot (2) will include a few applications I have in development specifically designed to make things easier for Blender-boot and Blender users.

- The artwork included is by artists who submitted their art to me, They are known as Michael Gamboa, DeviantVicky and Furmaru The new logo was created by Casio23

- Blender-boot is based off Xubuntu and it uses Xfce for the desktop environment, it has been heavily customized but will still feel familiar for users.

- If there is any problems, questions or suggestions contact me and will get back to you as soon I can

How to Blender-boot update just Blender

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:54:00 +0000

Sometimes you may not want to update the whole system and just update Blender, the final version will have a Blender updater!. This is how to do it until then.

Using the update manager

You will find the update manager under system in the menu, you can use it to update your whole system or just parts of it. So to update Blender, if its showing in the update manager that means there is a new version available(which there is almost every day) Just check the box next to Blender and uncheck any updates you don't want then click Install updates.

Using the terminal

Just copy and paste these commands into the terminal:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install blender

Blender-boot beta bug fix: No way to change keyboard layout

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:13:00 +0000

I didn't add the plugin to change keyboard layout. The fix this is to open up synaptic package manager under system in the menu and search for xfce4-xkb-plugin right click on it and mark it for installation, then click apply or using the terminal:
sudo apt-get install xfce4-xkb-plugin
Then right click on the panel, go down to panel, add new items, click on Keyboard layouts, then Add. A flag will appear on your panel (dont worry if you dont want it there you can right click it and select remove after you have changed the settings) right click on the flag and select properties. here you can change the keyboard layout by adding the one you want and clicking the little circle by it, when you click close the flag will change as will your keyboard layout. Sorry again the standard Xfce which is the desktop environment I use comes with no easy way of doing this, I will include the plugin for final release.

Blender-boot beta bug fix (32bit version only) Blender Alt key commands

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:47:00 +0000

Nothing happens when using command that use the Alt key in Blender. This is because of the window manager (I fixed this in the 64bit version but not 32bit version must have missed it sorry, this is what testing versions are for though). Click on Window Manager Tweaks under the settings section of the menu. Now click on the accessibility tab change "Key used to grab and move windows:" to another key, super for example which means the Windows key on most keyboards. Close this window reopen Blender and everything should work fine.

Blender-boot beta bug fix: Making a USB with persistence

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:33:00 +0000

USB making applications are not recognizing Blender-boot as being based off Ubuntu, so no persistence option is available. This is a temporary solution, hopefully I will come up with a better soluttion by final

you need to change the name of the .iso files to:

change the 64bit versions name to ubuntu-11.10-desktop-amd64.iso

change the 32bit versions name to ubuntu-11.10-desktop-i386.iso

How to Blender-boot quick tips

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:58:00 +0000

This tutorial will just be a few quick useful tips.

Tip 1 Auto hide the panel
If you like your panel to auto hide then right click on the panel choose panel, panel preference then click the box next to "Automatically show and hide the panel"

Tip 2 check for additional drivers
Its always a good idea to check for additional drivers when you first use Blender-boot even though almost all the time everything will work with no hassle. To check for additional drivers open the menu and under settings there is an entry called Additional Drivers. This application will scan your system looking for hardware that may need drivers that were not included in the Blender-boot install. Almost always there will be a graphics driver, my suggestion is to try it out and see how it runs on your system for some people they work great but a lot of people have trouble with them. If the drivers don't work out you can disable them using the same application.

Tip 4 Try learning to work with multiple workspaces.
Blender-boot is set up with two workspaces, you can change between them using the applet on the panel or by going to your desktop and scrolling the mouse wheel. Its a great way to spread out your work and keep workspaces tidy, for instance you can have Blender open in one workspace and Gimp in another. If you right click on the panel applet you can access the workspace settings dialogue (also found under settings in the menu) you will see that you can increase or decrease the number of workspaces you would like to use.
For quick workspace navigation you can use the ctrl alt and number pad keys. Workspace 1 would be ctrl+alt+1 workspace 2 would be ctrl+alt+2 etc

Blender-boot reviewers preview

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:50:00 +0000

The Blender-boot reviewers preview is in the works its going to have most the improvements the final will have. Its kind of like beta 2 but only for reviewers. If you would of the reviewers contact me and I will add you to a list of people who get access to the reviewers preview edition.(mention if you would like 64 bit or 32bit)
Changes include:
The new look as things like the orange icons were not very popular, so new theme, new icons, new wallpaper, new logo, new login screen, new boot screen, new grub screen and an improved panel.
New applications added none removed
All known bugs fixed (hopefully some really might take until final to fix depending on what bugs get reported in next few weeks)
And other as yet unannounced features(only because they are still being made and tested)

Introducing the new Blender-boot logo!

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:20:00 +0000

Here it is the new shiny logo for Blender-boot version 1 Suzanne. It was created by Casio23 over at blenderartists.org He will be doing a little bit more art for the final release as well. Don`t forget Blender-boot is open and your artwork (wallpapers, logos etc) could make it in to either the final version 1 or the next version.

How to Blender-boot Advanced Customization Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:43:00 +0000

This tutorial is for customizing Blender-boot there is some basic customization tips here, this one is getting in to the more advanced customization.

Themes

Changing themes in Blender-boot is easy not many are included but installing more is easy. To check out the themes that come with Blender-boot you need to click on the appearance entry under settings in the main menu. The first tab will be style, this is the tab for changing themes. Just click on them to try them out. Nothing you like well that is OK to get some more you should go to Gnome-Look This website is very useful for customizing and worth bookmarking. You need to click on GTK 2.x this will take you to themes that will work with Blender-boot. Have a good browse and when your ready download one., by default it will be saved in the Downloads folder. It will more than likely (in fact almost definitely) be an archive file you need to double click it, this will open File Roller which you can use to extract the them folder. Now press the insert key on your keyboard to bring up the terminal and type in:

sudo thunar

It will prompt you for your password then open Thunar file manager as root. A warning will show up at the top and basically just don't delete anything if you don't know what is, that way you wont do any damage :D Open up your Downloads folder and right click on the theme folder select copy. Now click on file system, then navigate to the usr folder, then the share folder and then finally the theme folder. Right click and paste your theme here, close Thunar and open your appearance settings again your new theme will be there!

Further theme customization

You can change them further using the Window manager under settings In the menu. The styles here change the look of your them open Thunar to compare the differences between each one theres lots of options. You also change the Window title position and font here. Also you can rearrange the button layout here, maybe move them all to the left If you like the Mac button layout. The second tab is for setting keyboard window shortcuts and the third tab is for adjusting focus.

Icons

Changing the icons is very similar to changing the theme. You can get them from Gnome-Look just like the themes you can change them using the appearance settings and you use the same process. With one main difference, you copy and paste the icons into usr/shar/icons instead of usr/share/themes :D

System Font

Also under the appearance setting there is a font tab this is for changing the system font. Browse through and choose one that is easy to read or just looks cool. You can also adjust settings like anti-aliasing and hinting for making the font clearer.

Blender-boot 1 Suzanne Beta release announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:34:00 +0000

Blender-boot 1 suzanne is now officially in beta. The alphas were about testing and implementing some basic functions. Beta is finalizing the features for this release, as in the software and settings that the final release will have. You will find a list of changes below and the link to the 64bit version, the 32bit version will hopefully be released later today if not tomorrow.

List of features and changes:Blender 2.6 with almost daily SVN builds from trunk (update using update manager or terminal, no need to reinstall etc overwrites current version but keeps your settings)
Gimp 2.74 this is the one piece of software that has the most likelihood of changing, to a newer version of course. Chromium browser fast and syncs your setting from main system when you sign in.The Ubuntu software center the easiest way to install new software (Blender-boot also includes synaptic package manager or you can use the terminal too, see the more software page on the blog for more details)
Thunar file manager lightwieght and easy to use (pcman file manager has been removed as Alpha 2 had both, decided its just as easy to open thunar as root in a terminal see Terminal commands page on blog)
Evince document viewer for viewing tutorial or over PDF`sVLC player for tutorial videos (all other players have been removed as VLC plays almost anything)
Gedit text editor(decided to remove Abiword as it was not needed for Blender work really and not as useful as a good text editor (getting Abiword back is easy see the more software page on the blog)
Guake a great drop down terminal shows and hides with the Ins(insert) key very customizable and you can have multiple tabs.
Update manager has been kept in for people who like to update using a gui rather than a terminal.
The artwork has had feedback overnight and I realize not everyone is keen on it now, the logo and the artwork across the whole of Blender-boot will be going through a big change during the two months between beta and final.

Plans for final which will be releasing June 12thOther than the artwork I am hoping not many changes are needed but as always I will listen to any feedback and fix any bugs or problems. This way I can focus on cleaning the sytsem up and shrinking the ISO size more. Also trying to remove the need to login on the live session I have left username and password the same from Alpha 2 for now. Also there is pink sections in the installer, I know what is causing this and will fix it if I can. Will also be adding more driver support.
Big note to everyone I am a one man team who has put countless hours into this but I am not perfect at all lol. So if you would like any changes or you would like to submit art etc for the project let me know :D
Downloads here https://sourceforge.net/projects/blenderboot/files/beta/
Live session login username: custom password: (there is no password leave it blank)

To burn to USB using Windows I recommend using Linux Live Usb Creator, very easy to use and you can set persistence to use Blender-boot as a portable distro. (please say bug page for persistence problem)
To burn to USB using Ubuntu based distro use Startup Disk Creator, also very easy to use and you can set persistence to use Blender-boot as a portable distro. (please say bug page for persistence problem)

To burn to USB using other Linux distro`s use Unetbootin or similar, there is alot of software for this purpose.

Beta released tomorrow.....

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:40:00 +0000

So Blender-boot 1 Suzanne beta is coming tomorrow seems soon after alpha 2 but there will be at least 2 months between beta an final for testing, bug fixing and polishing. I will be releasing the 64bit version first and then hopefully if I get it uploading it early enough (very slow connection where im living at the moment) the 32bit version will be released later on the same day. There has been many changes from Alpha 2 and I really hope you guys are going to love this as much as I do. Full detailed release announcement tomorrow!

Blender-boot 1 Suzanne Beta Preview

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:19:00 +0000

Blender-boot 1 Suzanne beta is coming on nicely, here is preview for you guys

Blender-boot`s default desktop

Blender 2.6.3 SVN updated almost every day!

Gimp 2.7!

Update manager update all your applications including Blender quick and easily!

Ubuntu Software center easy way of install more software!

Guake dropdown terminal show and hide by pressing Ins(insert key)

Thunar file manager

Settings manager

And there is more:

-Evince document viewer for reading PDF blender tutorials

-VLC media player for watching Blender video tutorials

-Gedit for editing text

-6GB of online storage (2GB dropbox and 4GB UbuntuOne) making it easy to move files between Blender-boot and your main OS

-Synaptics for managing packets

You will never have to pay for Blender-boot even if you wish to use it commercially, this is my gift to Blender fans. You can donate (25% goes to Blender foundation) if you want though.

Blender-boot starts Blender at start up so you can get working as soon as possible

More details in the release announcement, release will be in next few weeks I hope for now enjoy alpha 2.

Alpha 2 bug fix: No way to logout, restart, shutdown

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:47:00 +0000

Sorry for this one bit of a big bug easily fixed though as the problem was a missing item on the top panel default config. Just right click on the panel go down to panel select add new items then add the Action Buttons.

This bug will be fixed in Beta.

Alpha 2 bug fix: Directory menu on panel no such file or directory

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Trying to open the directory menu on the top panel displays an error saying no such file or directory. This is because its looking for the original home folder that Blender-boot was made with. To fix this right click on the folder icon and select remove then right click on the panel go down to panel and select add new items then Directory menu. As there is no way to fix this in beta will remove the directory menu from the panels default config and people can choose to add it after install if they want.

How To Blender-boot simple one switch Gimp 2.74 to single window mode

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:17:00 +0000

Very quick and simple tutorial how to switch Gimp 2.74 to single window mode.

Open Gimp
Click on windows the single window mode and your done :D

Blender-boot 1 Suzanne Alpha 2 Release Announcement!

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:59:00 +0000

Blender-boot is designed to be a dual boot Linux distro. It boots straight into a light enviroment with Blender already open. Its has Dropbox and UbuntuOne for saving your files to easily open in your main operating system. It has Blender 2.62, Gimp 2.74 (with single window mode), Guake terminal, Chromium browser and more. It is based on Ubuntu 11.10 for ease of use and the Software Center has been left in, for installing more applications if you want to. Its a distraction free resource light distro designed with Blender in mind and fast rendering, I hope you enjoy it. While in alpha Blender boot is 64bit only, sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Alpha 2 all known bugs fixed and improved look, Beta will take a fair bit longer and have many more changes.

Download Blender-boot 1 Suzanne alpha 2 (998mb)
Live session login user: custom password: leave blank(empty)

More details:

Blender 2.62 (which automatically updates through system update to latest builds)
Gimp 2.74 (with single window mode)
Chromium browser 17 (why Chromium sign in and all your settings and bookmarks load straight up and its very fast :D)
Ubuntu software centre (the easiest way to install new software)
Blender-boot now has 7GB of free online storage as it has Dropbox with 2GB free storage and Ubuntu1 with 5GB free storage (save your models to one of these and they will be right there in your dropbox or Ubuntu1 on your main system)
Abiword 2.8.6, Gedit and Evince for viewing text tutorials etc
Mplayer (for video tutorials etc)
Guake terminal (drop down terminal with shorcut changed to Ins(insert) key as default was F12 is the Blender render shorcut)
PCMAN file manager (tools to open as root or in a terminal very useful)
Thunderbird (for email)
and more

To burn to USB using Windows I recommend using Linux Live Usb Creator, very easy to use and you can set persistence to use Blender-boot as a portable distro.

To burn to USB using Ubuntu based distro use Startup Disk Creator, also very easy to use and you can set persistence to use Blender-boot as a portable distro.

To burn to USB using other Linux distro`s use Unetbootin or similar, there is alot of software for this purpose.

Tutorials for Blender-boot can be found on this blog. More tutorials coming very soon.

Things that will change by Beta hopefully:
Smaller download

Fixed any known bugs
Software updates or changes
Possibly based on Ubuntu 12.04 but that may not happen until beta 1

Alpha 1 bug fix: Removing the UAlinux repository breaks Gimp

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:27:00 +0000

By removing the UALinux repository and updating Gimp gets broken to fix this enter the following commands in the terminal

sudo apt-get purge gimp

sudo apt-get install gimp

this will install Gimp 2.6 rather than 2.74, I will be including a 2.7x version in Alpha 2 sorry for this problem.

Alpha 1 bug fix: Chromium preferences locked by the UA Linux repository

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:23:00 +0000

Fix method 1

Fix this by loading up Synaptic Package Manager from the application menu under the system section. Type ua in the search box and right click the package called ualinux-repository mark it for removal and click the apply button to remove it. Close Synaptic and open the Package manager and open Ubuntu Software Center click on installed find chromium under the internet section and uninstall it. Then search software center and find and install chromium again.

Fix method 2
You could also use the terminal to fix this with the following commands in red

sudo apt-get purge ualinux-repository

sudo apt-get purge chromium-browser

sudo apt-get install chromium-browser

Sorry for this issue it will not exist in alpha 2

Request tutorials for Blender-boot

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:04:00 +0000

I am going to cover almost everything in tutorials but if there is any you want first just let me know.

Send me Blender renders for wallpapers if you want them in future releases

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:20:00 +0000

Got a cool idea for a render that could be used as a wallpaper for Blender-boot, send them to me jimjimith@gmail.com as long as they are good quality and not offensive I will add them into future versions of Blender-boot. Then the ones from old releases will be available to download so your work will always be available in Blender-boot one way or the other. Of course you will be credited on this blog and sourceforege and on the wallpaper downloads page when its up.

Work on Blender-boot 1 Suzzane Alpha 2 has begun Update 10

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:15:00 +0000

The very day alpha 1 is released i have begun work on alpha 2 as i have found a bug reported on the bug fixes page and i also am not happy with a few things. So the more time and testing i put into this the sooner i can get the project to Beta. When things get to Beta there will be two versions available 32bit and 64bit this is why Alpha testing is being a little rushed. Even though i am rushing to Alpha(maybe one to two weeks work) you will notice big changes in each version. The biggest change will come when I switch the project to being based on Ubuntu 12.04. but i will not upgrade Blender-boot until stable Ubuntu 12.04 is out. So it will miss alpha 2 but may be in the Beta version. Of course that big an upgrade will need lots of testing so Beta to final will be the biggest gap between releases. Any feedback on Blender-boot would be great, it will help me move along faster if you find some of the bugs or suggest some changes. Blender-boot is not very locked in its design so any suggestions are welcome a few things i wont change but that is for quality and usability reasons.

How to Blender-boot Update Your System

noreply@blogger.com (PaperJon) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 09:12:00 +0000

Keeping your system updated is important in Blender-boot for many reasons, including making sure you always have the latest Blender build. You can update the system using the following two different methods.

Method 1 Update Manager
The Update manager can be found in the application menu under the system section, just open it and it will automatically check for updates for you. To install any updates then just click install to install them all or use the tick boxes to select what you want to update. Do not be alarmed if it comes up with a partial upgrade message just click ok and it will do the partial upgrade, you can then check for updates again and install what is left to install

Method 2 The Terminal
Open Quake terminal by pressing the Ins(Insert) key then use the following commands each line is a new command, which you can copy and paste them in the terminal by right clicking and selecting paste press the enter key to issue each command. You will get prompted for your password after the first command just type it in and press enter.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Note that this method will update everything that needs updating, once you have agreed to the prompt and its starts downloading the updates you can hide the terminal by pressing the Ins(insert) key and leave it going in the background.