Animux has more than a hundred programs. This list has the ones that matter for animation, grouped by job. The name links to a longer page where there is one. Start it is what you type after Alt+F2 or in a terminal; every program is also in the menu.
Where to begin
New to animation software? Try these first: Pencil2D (drawing), Blender (3D), Kdenlive (editing) and Audacity (sound).
3D modelling and animation#
Menu: 3D Animation → Modellers.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Blender | The complete 3D studio: modelling, sculpting, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering (Cycles and EEVEE), compositing and video editing. | blender |
| MPFB (MakeHuman Plugin for Blender) | Creates realistic human characters, ready to animate, directly inside Blender. Switched on automatically. | blender |
| Maya Workflow Kit for Blender | Makes Blender work like Autodesk Maya for animators trained on it: Maya hotkeys, marking menus, shelf, Channel Box and layout. Off until you switch it on. | animux-blender-maya on |
| MakeHuman II | Stand-alone character creator: shape a human body with sliders, add clothes, a skeleton and poses, then export for Blender or games. | makehuman2 |
| FreeCAD | Precise CAD modelling for props, sets and objects that must have exact sizes. | freecad |
| OpenSCAD | Build 3D objects by writing a short description instead of drawing them. | openscad |
| Wings 3D | Small, friendly polygon modeller, good for learning how 3D meshes are built. | wings3d |
| MeshLab | Clean up, repair and simplify 3D scans and heavy meshes. | meshlab |
| Geomview | Viewer for mathematical 3D shapes (OFF files). | geomview |
Renderers#
Programs that turn a 3D scene into a picture. Menu: 3D Animation → Renderers (several are command-line programs only).
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Cycles and EEVEE (inside Blender) | Blender's own renderers. Cycles is realistic (path tracing); EEVEE is fast (real time). Start here. | blender |
| POV-Ray | Classic ray tracer: you describe the scene in a text file and POV-Ray draws it. The menu entry asks for a .pov file and shows the picture. | animux-povray-gui |
| appleseed | Physically based production renderer. Command line only on Animux (its editor window needs Python 2.7, which Debian 12 no longer has). | appleseed.cli |
| LuxCoreRender | Unbiased physically based renderer, good for realistic light, glass and caustics. Used from Python scripts. | animux-vfx-python |
| Mitsuba 3 | Research renderer, also able to compute how a picture changes when the scene changes (differentiable rendering). | mitsuba |
| pbrt-v4 | The renderer from the book "Physically Based Rendering". Ideal for learning how renderers work. | pbrt |
Pipeline tools and file formats#
For studios and advanced users: scene assembly, interchange formats and colour management. Menu: 3D Animation → Pipeline Tools.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Gaffer | Node-based tool for look development, lighting and scene assembly, used in film studios. Renders with Cycles. Includes Cortex, OSL, OpenUSD and Alembic tools. | gaffer |
| OpenUSD tools (usdview, usdcat …) | Universal Scene Description: the scene format shared by Blender, Houdini, Maya and game engines. usdview shows a USD file; usdcat, usdchecker, usdtree inspect and convert. | usdview |
| Alembic tools (abcls, abctree …) | Alembic stores baked animation (moving geometry) to move it between programs. | abcls |
| Open Shading Language (oslc, oslinfo, testshade) | Language for writing your own materials (shaders); works in Blender Cycles and Gaffer. | oslc |
| OpenEXR and OpenImageIO tools | EXR is the high-quality image format of film work (many layers, real light values). oiiotool converts, resizes and combines images; exrheader shows what is inside. | oiiotool |
| OpenColorIO tools | Colour management: keeps colours identical across Blender, Krita, Gaffer and your screen. | ociocheck |
| OpenVDB tools | Format for smoke, fire, clouds and other volumes. | vdb_print |
| Animux VFX Python | A ready Python 3.11 with Mitsuba, LuxCore, OpenUSD, OpenEXR, OpenColorIO, OpenImageIO, MaterialX and NumPy installed together. | animux-vfx-python |
Render farm#
Spread rendering over several computers. Menu: 3D Animation → Render Queue Managers.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Flamenco | Blender's official render farm: one Manager hands out frames, every other computer runs a Worker. Has a web page to watch the jobs. | animux-flamenco-manager |
| Farmerjoe | The small Perl render farm that came with the original Animux. Kept for compatibility; use Flamenco for new work. | farmerjoe |
2D animation#
Menu: 2D Animation.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| OpenToonz | The studio 2D animation program (the open-source Toonz used by Studio Ghibli): hand-drawn and cut-out animation with the Xsheet timesheet, scan cleanup, ink and paint, and a node-based FX schematic. | opentoonz |
| Synfig Studio | 2D vector animation with automatic in-between frames (tweening) and bone rigs for cut-out characters. | synfigstudio |
| Pencil2D | The simplest way to make hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation with onion skin. Great first program for children and beginners. | pencil2d |
| TupiTube (Tupi) | 2D animation for schools and beginners: draw, tween and export short cartoons. | tupi |
Stop motion#
Menu: StopMotion Animation.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Stopmotion (Linux Stopmotion) | Take pictures with a webcam or camera, frame by frame, with onion skin to line up the next shot, then export a video. | stopmotion |
Drawing, painting and images#
Menu: 2D Graphics.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Krita | Professional digital painting with brushes, layers and a full frame-by-frame animation timeline. Works well with drawing tablets. | krita |
| GIMP | Photo and image editing: retouch renders, paint textures, cut out backgrounds, batch-convert images. | gimp |
| Inkscape | Vector drawing: logos, titles, character designs and backgrounds that stay sharp at any size. | inkscape |
| MyPaint | Distraction-free painting on an endless canvas, for sketches and concept art. | mypaint |
| GrafX2 | Pixel-art editor for game sprites and retro graphics. | grafx2 |
| mtPaint | Very small, fast paint program for pixel art and quick edits. | mtpaint |
| ImageMagick and G'MIC | Command-line image tools: resize, convert or add text to hundreds of images at once. | convert |
Video editing and conversion#
Menu: NLV Editors (non-linear video editors) and DVD Authoring → Production.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Kdenlive | The recommended video editor on Animux: cut shots together, add music, titles, transitions and effects, then export MP4. | kdenlive |
| OpenShot | Very simple video editor: drag clips onto the timeline and export. | openshot-qt |
| Cinelerra-GG | Powerful, professional-style editor with colour grading, motion tracking and many effects. Takes time to learn. | cin |
| Avidemux | Quick cutting, filtering and re-encoding of a single video file. | avidemux |
| HandBrake | Convert a finished video for YouTube, phones or the web with ready presets. | ghb |
| FFmpeg | The command-line Swiss army knife for video and sound: turn image sequences into movies, convert, cut, record the screen. | ffmpeg |
| MKVToolNix | Combine video, several audio tracks and subtitles into one .mkv file without re-encoding. | mkvtoolnix-gui |
| Subtitle Editor and Gnome Subtitles | Write and time subtitles for your film. | subtitleeditor |
Playback and review#
Look at renders, image sequences and videos.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| DJV | Professional player for image sequences and EXR renders: play frames at the right speed, compare versions, check colours. | djv |
| VLC | Plays every video and sound file. | vlc |
| Ristretto and Eye of GNOME | Simple picture viewers. Double-click any image in the file manager. | ristretto |
Sound and music#
Menu: Sound Engineering.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Ardour | Professional recording studio: record voices, mix many tracks, add effects, master the soundtrack. | ardour |
| Audacity | Record and clean up voice-overs and sound effects. The easiest sound editor. | audacity |
| LMMS | Make music with built-in instruments, beats and loops. | lmms |
| Hydrogen | Drum machine: click patterns together to make rhythms. | hydrogen |
| MuseScore 3 | Write sheet music and hear it played back. | mscore3 |
| Rosegarden | MIDI and audio sequencer for composing a score. | rosegarden |
| Synthesizers (ZynAddSubFX, Yoshimi, Qsynth, Guitarix, VMPK) | Software instruments, a guitar amplifier and an on-screen piano keyboard. | |
| Sound analysis and conversion (Sonic Visualiser, Praat, SoundConverter, SoX) | See sound as a picture, analyse speech for lip sync, convert between formats. | |
| Audio setup (PipeWire, JACK, QjackCtl, PulseAudio Volume Control) | Choose speakers and microphones, set volumes, connect audio programs to each other. | pavucontrol |
AI tools#
Programs that use machine learning. They run on your computer; nothing is sent to the internet.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Upscayl | Makes small or blurry images 2× to 4× bigger and sharper with AI models, offline. Needs a Vulkan graphics card for good speed. | /opt/Upscayl/upscayl |
| Whisper | Speech to text: transcripts and subtitles (SRT, VTT) from audio or video, in many languages, offline after the model download. | animux-whisper |
| rembg | Removes the background of photos and frames with an AI model; writes PNG with transparency. About 1 GB model download on first use. | animux-rembg |
| Ollama | Runs chat language models offline. Not on the ISO: install with sudo animux-install-local-ai --ollama (1.5 GB). | ollama |
| ComfyUI | Stable Diffusion image generation with a node editor in the browser. Not on the ISO: install with sudo animux-install-local-ai --comfyui (--cuda for NVIDIA, --rocm for AMD). Models go in ~/ComfyUI/models/checkpoints. | animux-comfyui |
| MCP servers (Blender, GIMP, Krita, Inkscape) | Let an AI assistant work in Blender, GIMP 3.2, Krita 5.3 and Inkscape 1.4 through MCP: offline with a local Ollama model (animux-mcp agent) or with Claude Code. | animux-mcp |
| LTX (Lightricks API) | Video with sound from text or a picture, made in Lightricks' cloud with an API key (animux-ltx-api key). Also an MCP server for AI agents. | animux-ltx-api |
| LTX-2 local (ComfyUI) | LTX-2 video with sound on your own NVIDIA card (24-32 GB) in ComfyUI; about 40 GB of models. | animux-ltx-models |
| Python for AI and data | Ready to run your own image and machine-learning scripts; use python3 -m venv for extra libraries. | python3 |
Storyboards, print and PDF#
Menu: Publishing.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Scribus | Page layout for storyboards, posters, comics and portfolios, with PDF export. | scribus |
| PDF Arranger and Document Viewer | Read PDFs; merge, reorder and rotate their pages. | pdfarranger |
Discs and backups#
Menu: DVD Authoring → Backup and Digital Asset Managers.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| K3b | Burn data, audio and video DVDs or CDs (for example a backup of a project). | k3b |
| Timeshift | Snapshots of the system, so you can roll back after a bad update (installed systems only). | timeshift-launcher |
Desktop and system tools#
Everyday tools. Most are in Accessories, System and Settings.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Thunar File Manager | Browse, copy, rename and open files; USB drives appear here automatically. | thunar |
| Catfish and Disk Usage Analyzer | Find files by name, and see which folders fill up your disk. | catfish |
| Firefox ESR | Web browser. Also shows this guide. | firefox-esr |
| Xfce Terminal | Type commands. Only needed for a few tasks; this guide gives every command in full. | xfce4-terminal |
| Screenshot | Take a picture of the screen or a window. For screen recording see the FFmpeg command. | xfce4-screenshooter |
| Synaptic Package Manager | Install, update and remove software with a list and check boxes. | synaptic-pkexec |
| GParted and Disks | See, format and partition disks and USB sticks. Careful: these can erase data. | gnome-disks |
| Virtual machines and containers (QEMU, Virtual Machine Manager, Docker, Podman) | Run other systems inside Animux, or packaged services. | virt-manager |
| Flatpak | Install newer versions of programs from Flathub (for example Krita, OBS Studio, OpenToonz). | flatpak |
Animux tools#
Menu: Animux Tools.
| Program | What it does | Start it |
|---|---|---|
| Animux Self-Test | Checks in a few minutes that the renderers and main programs work on your computer, and saves every test picture. | animux-selftest |
| Animux Sample Scenes | Small example files for each renderer and format, to open and learn from. | xdg-open /usr/share/animux/samples |
| Animux Guide | This guide, offline. Also at http://127.0.0.1:8765/ for programs and AI agents. | animux-docs |
| Install DaVinci Resolve | Opens the Blackmagic download page for DaVinci Resolve, which Animux may not include for licence reasons. | /usr/lib/animux/install-scripts/install-davinci-resolve.sh |
The same list for programs is in api/software.json; Versions shows every version number.