Any virtual machine program that can start a 64-bit Linux ISO can run Animux. Use the same sizes everywhere:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Guest type | Linux, Debian 12 64-bit |
| Memory | 8 GB (4 GB minimum) |
| Processors | 4 |
| Disk | 80 GB, growing ("thin", "dynamically allocated") |
| Firmware | BIOS or UEFI. Secure Boot off. |
| Graphics | the standard adapter; no 3D acceleration needed |
| CPU model | pass through the host CPU (see below) |
Pass through the processor
Blender 5, appleseed, Mitsuba and LuxCore need SSE4.2 and AVX. Some VM programs show the guest a basic processor without them. Choose "host-passthrough", "host" or "copy host CPU configuration".
QEMU (command line)#
qemu-img create -f qcow2 animux.qcow2 80G
qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -cpu host -m 8192 -smp 4 \
-machine q35 -vga std -nic user,model=e1000 \
-cdrom animux-genesis64-deb_28.iso -drive file=animux.qcow2,if=virtio \
-boot d -usb -device usb-tablet
On Windows replace -enable-kvm with -accel whpx,kernel-irqchip=off, on macOS with -accel hvf. Add UEFI with -bios /usr/share/ovmf/OVMF.fd (Linux; path may differ).
virt-manager (Linux, also included in Animux)#
File → New Virtual Machine → Local install media → choose the ISO → operating system Debian 12 → memory 8192, CPUs 4 → disk 80 GB → tick Customize configuration before install → CPUs: tick Copy host CPU configuration (host-passthrough) → Begin Installation.
VMware Workstation Player / Fusion (Intel Mac)#
Create a New Virtual Machine → Installer disc image file (iso) → guest Linux, Debian 12.x 64-bit → disk 80 GB, store as a single file → Customize Hardware: memory 8 GB, 4 processors. VMware passes the CPU through by default.
Hyper-V (Windows Pro)#
Create a Generation 2 VM with 8192 MB startup memory (untick Dynamic Memory), connect it to the Default Switch, create an 80 GB disk and choose the ISO. Then in Settings → Security untick Enable Secure Boot, and in Processor set 4 virtual processors.
Apple Silicon Macs (M1–M4)#
Animux is built for Intel/AMD (x86-64) processors. On an Apple Silicon Mac it can only run through emulation (UTM in "Emulate" mode), which is far too slow for animation work. Use a PC instead.