Animux Guide ← animux.org

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Updates and adding software

Keep Animux up to date and install more programs with Synaptic, apt or Flatpak, including DaVinci Resolve and the NVIDIA driver.

updatesaptSynapticFlatpakNVIDIA

Installed systems only

In the live session you can install software too, but it is gone after a restart.

Updates#

Animux gets software from two places:

  1. Debian 12: security and bug-fix updates for the base system and most programs.
  2. The Animux repository: Animux's own packages (Blender 5, Gaffer, the renderers, the menus, this guide…). It is signed with the Animux Archive Signing Key. In r16 it is switched off (/etc/apt/sources.list.d/animux.sources, Enabled: no) until it is online; Animux packages are then updated with the next release.

To update, open a terminal and type:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Answer Y when asked. Restart if the kernel was updated.

Synaptic: install with a list#

System → Synaptic Package Manager. Click Search, type a name (for example natron or obs), right-click the package → Mark for Installation → Apply.

apt: install with one command#

sudo apt install obs-studio

apt search word finds packages, sudo apt remove name removes one.

Flatpak and Flathub: newer versions#

Flathub has newer versions of many creative programs (Krita, OBS Studio, OpenToonz, Natron, Inkscape…). Set it up once:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --user flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Then install, for example OpenToonz (2D animation used by Studio Ghibli; already installed on Animux r16.3 and later):

flatpak install --user flathub io.github.OpenToonz

Flatpak programs appear in the menu after you log out and in.

DaVinci Resolve#

Animux Tools → Install DaVinci Resolve opens Blackmagic Design's download page. Resolve is free to download but not open source, so Animux cannot include it. It needs a strong NVIDIA or AMD graphics card with the vendor's driver.

NVIDIA driver#

For fast 3D and GPU rendering with an NVIDIA card, install NVIDIA's own driver from Debian's non-free section:

sudo apt install nvidia-driver firmware-misc-nonfree

Restart. Check with nvidia-smi. Cycles can then render on the GPU (Blender → Edit → Preferences → System → CUDA or OptiX).

Warning

Do not install drivers downloaded as .run files from nvidia.com at the same time; use one or the other.

What not to do#

  • Do not add software sources ("PPAs") made for Ubuntu; they can break Debian.
  • Do not remove packages whose names start with animux- unless you know why: menus, branding and the start-up roles depend on them.