Houdini vs. the Feisty Fawn
How to install Sidefx Houdini 8.2.13 on Ubuntu Linux 7.04 (Feisty Fawn)
Abstract
This HOWTO describes the step necessary to run Houdini 8.2.13 on Ubuntu Linux 7.04 (Feisty Fawn).
Though the installation of the OS and Houdini is an surprisingly painless experience some unexpected stumbling blocks could becloud this sunny day. The steps described in this paper can be found in various post in the usual forums, I just compiled them for your convenience.
*** Imporant: If you wreck your system don't blame me! Usually I tell my daughter: I won't lift you into that tree - who cannot climb up will propably not be able to climb down. Same goes here.
Requirements
You first need an computer that runs Ubuntu Linux 7.04 (Feisty Fawn). The easiest way to accomplish this is downloading the ubuntu-7.04-desktop-i386.iso or ubuntu-7.04-desktop-amd64.iso respectively [1]. Which to choose depends on your hardware and this discussion is behind the scope of this HOWTO.
After burning the iso to disk reboot your computer from cd. The Ubuntu Live Cd allows you to see to what extend you hardware is supported by the operating system. I was lucky and everything important was detected. After entering the keys for my wireless connection and testing net access I decided to install the system to the second partition of the hard drive of my notebook.
If everything is fine your computer should start Ubuntu after the reboot. The system now downloads and installs all necessary updates.
A note on display drivers: I read a lot stories about linux and display drivers and they held me back a long time from the step of installing Ubuntu. Be fearless! My notebook for better or worse features an ATI x1600 adapter. I followed the Installation Guide at the Unofficial Wiki for the ATI Linux Driver [2] and it looks like everything is fine.
Downloading Houdini and preparing the Installation
To download the Apprentice Version of SideEffects Houdini you just need to to visit www.sidefx.com and follow the link on their homepage [3]. Choose "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Debian Linux (sid) Ubuntu Linux 5.10 Red Hat Linux Fedora Core 4", enter your email address and press download "Houdini 8.2.13".
Save the file to a directory of your choice like ~/houdini_install. Now open an terminal via Applications -> Accessories - > Terminal. Why the shell degenerated to an accessory is still unclear to me - but it's all about marketing I guess.
After changing to the directory you saved the installation file, i.e. cd houdini_install you need to extract the archive: tar -zxvf houdini-8.2.13-linux-rhEL4.tar.gz
*** TIP: Pressing the TAB key after tar -zxvf h expands the filename in the shell.
Change to the directory houdini-8.2.13-linux-rhEL4 by entering cd h[TAB][Enter] and prepare the files for installation.
There are many shells flavors and each of them supports an different command set. Ubuntu Linux default shell is bash. You need to edit the install scripts to use bash instead of sh:
gedit houdini.install & opens an text editor. Now change the first line reading #!/bin/sh to #!/bin/bash and save the file. Same modification needs to be done in sesinetd.install (gedit sesinetd.install &). This is described in the SideFX-Forum [4].
Installing Houdini
Now you can install Houdini: sudo ./houdini.install
*** NOTE: Looks like Ubuntu abstracts the user management and there is no root exposed in the default installation. To ensure houdini is installed as root you need to run it with sudo and you will be asked for your password.
After answering the questions - I kept everything as default - the system installs Houdini. The process is imaginable unsuspectacular and ends with an blinking cursor:
Now change to your home directory using cd and create and edit a new text file: gedit myhoudini &.
Enter the following lines of code:
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/hfs8.2.13/
source houdini_setup_bash
sudo /opt/hfs8.2.13/houdini/sbin/sesinetd
houdini
This will change to the houdini directory, setup environment variables, start the licence server (as root) and last but not leat fire up houdini.
Save and close the file and set the permission to executable by entering chmod u+x myhoudini.
Now you can start Houdini from your home directory by entering ./myhoudini.
At the start of your first houdini session you will be asked for an license. Just click the link for non-commercial license to get the free Apprentice Version. You will be asked once a month as the free license lasts that long.
The X11 Error
While running my houdini sessions the terminal repeatedly printed messages like
X11 Error (169): BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device
This is caused by a reference to an wacom graphic tabled in xorg. Why they assume everybody got an wacom, I don't know. I guess most of the time this doesn't show up, but as Houdini can process the information of a graphic tablet it is an unlucky situation.
If you want to get rid of this error you need to edit the xorg.conf: gksu gedit /etx/X11/xorg.conf &
In the section called "ServerLayout" comment the lines referring to "stylus", "cursor", "eraser" by adding a # to the beginning of each line. I also commented the three corrsponding sections "InputDevice" that use the driver "wacom".
*** IMPORTANT: If you do this and don't do it well your system won't boot next time! In this case you need to boot in recovery mode and fix the xorg.conf using vi. I know this because it happened to me.
Now save and close the file. If you are sure, reboot. The error should be gone now.
*** Note: Since 1995 I never rebooted a *nix system that many times. Ok - I don't know nothing about X11 and graphical environments. A little bit of Solaris that was the reason for my previous nickname Suneater may be the exception. But this Ubuntu real looks and feels like a windows desktop with its continuous reboots.
Advanced Techniques
The following techniques require a deeper understanding of the way a linux system works and aren't really necessary to run the software. That's why I don't provide screenshots. If you feel ready you will know what to do.
Jean-Claude Nouchy (sum][one) offered the following advice:
If you symlink /bin/sh to /bin/bash you don't need to change the install scripts. Something you would have to do evertime you install a new houdini build. To do so delete the /bin/sh symlink by entering sudo rm /bin/sh and create a new one pointing to bash: sudo ln -s /bin/bash /bin/sh
Conclusion
Even if Ubuntu Linux looks and feels like an end user environment, it still requires some basic knowledge about its inner workings. It is still dimmish to me: are the steps outlined just hacks or is this the way to go? Sure you can 'install' sesinetd to be run at every boot, but I prefer to link it to my houdini session ...
The implication of this linux masquerade is: as soon as it is really a one-size-fits-all-one-click-one-look-mac/pc-lookalike-fake-environment the masses of smattering users - like me - will undermine the stability and credibility of this system. I foresee the time when they chant: "Thank God - it's not a *nix!"
Until then I say thank you Chip Collier (photex) for the help and tips on my first journey to a desktop-replacement-linux. And also DaJuice for the Houdini Icon [5].
And last but not least: Thank you SideFX for offering such a great tool for free - you know how to threat your multiplicators.
2007-07-04 Georg Dümlein
[1] http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
[2] http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Feisty_Installation_Guide
[3] http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_download&Itemid=208&task=apprentice
[4] http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=172&page=viewtopic&t=6465
[5] http://forums.odforce.net/index.php?showtopic=5366&hl=icon